Anyone got a Scout or Explorer going to WSJ in South Korea?

[lazylittlelucy]

Just thought I'd start a thread for parents if there are any on here.
My 17yo DD is going as an Explorer and is getting excited now.
Anyone else?

The weather was hardly unpredictable, nor were problems with using a former wetland site at this time of year.

DD reported that 55 units left site today and the rest and IST will leave tomorrow. While their unit members had remained healthy, some are now beginning to get ill. Someone she knows has T1 diabetes and was really struggling ☹️

DD unit is departing tomorrow: their camp seems in relatively good shape, so makes sense to prioritise those who struggle more. Sounds like they are hanging in there, but she feels embarrassed on behalf of scouting...

Agree with the remarks on the cultural problem being the inability to raise concerns. A lot is overlooked in the interest of saving face, but now it massively backfires. Translating comments from Koreans on social media is interesting.. they are deeply embarrassed about the shambles.

Far more thorough than that.
You would want to know what food would be provided, how it would be labelled, how it would be served. How they would ensure it got to the right child. That it would be prepared separately.

You know, all the usual conversations and checks that ought to be made when looking after children with medical conditions/allergies. You don't just take the places word for it that they know what they are doing. Each time my children do a school residential I have a meeting with the teacher in charge and I separately arrange to speak to the caterers at the venue and ask a series of questions

people have died due to the appalling weather just last month, the flooding, and now of course the heat, aside from the scouts, korean people, so this is not normal.

How awful, and devastating for the koreans

Glad they are leaving. Not good at all for the ones who are struggling, particularly if they have conditions like diabetes.

I wasn’t intending to suggest that the issues are purely cultural differences, but that it will have impacted on the way issues have been handled and it will have exacerbated the (very real) issues on site.

Certainly seems to be a level of relief online from those departing, and a level of acceptance from those who had fewer issues. The Americans, on the other hand, appear to be thoroughly pissed off.

My DD from a UK contingent is now in a hotel, hugely disappointed but relieved to be out.

They are sleeping four to a double room, two of them in the double bed, two on the floor for 9 days. Not ideal but she’s safe.

It’s all such a great shame.

@MrKenTuckey glad your DD is safe. Do they have any activities planned?

My ds has just said that they at a hotel & the girls are in rooms but all the boys are sleeping in a massive hall. He’s not even sure if they can access showers. It’s all such a mess.

He is from the UK

Are they getting sensible food now @Badgerstmary?

Are they getting sensible food now @Badgerstmary?

This is a little concerning. I had assumed there was sufficient hotel space already secured for the contingent.
My DD's unit, and presumably others, are still at the site and will not be leaving until tomorrow. Meaning that there will be even fewer hotel beds available then.
It really is an awful situation 😟

There are 4500 Brits. Assuming there's four to a room that's still a thousand rooms needed.

That's why other contingents are going to struggle with accommodation too. It's not going to be easy to find up to 10,000 hotel rooms.

The fact the Us have gone to a military bases speaks of the lack of availability of rooms imo.

If they are scouts they should be able to cope with sleeping on floors and halls (got to better than Pallet Town Tents at any rate).

This all sounds so awful. I'm so sorry for the kids, but also for the leaders who are trying to get everyone taken care of. How difficult for everyone.

I dont have any dc there but my kids have been involved with various youth organisations over the years and I'm always so grateful to volunteer leaders who turn up at the local village hall every Tuesday, never mind taking a group to South Korea then being caught up in what seems to amount to an emergency mass evacuation.

I hope all your dc are well and you're confident in how they're being looked after. What a worry.

The kids are being told Australian and one of the other Europeans contingents are being pulled out as well.

They have hotel rooms 2 to a room at the moment.

hotel rooms with air con, when they were expecting tents,
sounds exciting

Apparently the British Embassy are helping reorganise a bunch of cultural events for the British scouts in Seoul.

Meanwhile the planned K-pop concert onsite tomorrow looks like it's going to get binned following health concerns over the heat. It's been 'cancelled' but there's talk of rescheduling (which won't happen).

The South Korean authorities are saying things have improved onsite this afternoon.

The Czech Scouts just put out a twitter thread saying they plan on staying onsite.

@toomuchlaundry no activities planned that have been shared with the scouts, not in a hotel in Seoul so makes things difficult at the moment.

@Willmafrockfit not really. They wanted to sleep in tents and have spend 18 months preparing for the event. They wanted to mix with different cultures and make new friends from across the globe, don’t think a hotel room compares. They’re all gutted.

Won't they use the showers in the girls' rooms? That sounds surmountable.

The whole thing is such a shame though.

The whole point of a jamboree is to mix with all the scouts of the world. The meet new scouts from different cultures, make swaps and friends. Mixing with only English contingents is not the point at all. It's so sad

Just been told the girls don’t all have rooms either but they have been offered showers. They were taken out for a lovely Korean meal today though.