This is doing the rounds on Facebook today.
A Parent has written it and told people to feel free to share:
(I don't know if it was one of you ? 
Where were the press? A parent’s perspective...it's long but worth a read I think! Feel free to share!
I notice that The Jeremy Vine Show featured an article about the UK Contingent leaving the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea due to the poor conditions on site. I’ve also seen lots in the press about the decision and many, many shares on social media.
But did the Jeremy Vine Show do a feature two years ago when those 4000 young people were selected to go and represent the UK at the event? Where were the press when that happened; where were they when droves of excited young people were leaving airports to travel to the event? These young people didn’t just ‘sign up’ for the jamboree - they were selected; they had to put in an application form, find referees and attend a selection event; some of them were as young as 12 at the time. Where were the press when they committed to fundraising the £4000 to go…when they did a sponsored cycle, when they baked late on a Friday night for a cake stall the following day, when they got up at 6am to attend a training camp, when they tried to advertise about their efforts to raise the money they needed? Where were the press then?
It’s been suggested in the media that the young people are middle class spoilt brats, who couldn’t cope when things got tough and went running to their helicopter parents - let me tell you - this is far from the truth. My daughter’s Scout Unit is in an inner city area of Newcastle - seven of them are attending the event; and the UK Contingent committed to help young people from all walks of life get to the jamboree by helping those most in need with their ‘Dream Fund’ which helped hundreds with additional financial support.
These young people are amazing - they have shown more resilience than many adults show in their whole lives; they have coped with the fundraising, the training weekends, the speeches in front of groups of adults about the event, the organisation of kit and the form filling to attend the trip. Where were the press then? These young people are the future of our nation - they are the industry leaders, the headteachers, the doctors, the scientists and the business people of tomorrow. And this will all be based on the skills that they have learnt on their journey to jamboree; the communication skills, the team work, the problem solving, the grit and determination to get to the jamboree no matter how high the hill they needed to climb. Where were the press reports about all these skills?
Where were the press when hundreds of adults gave up their annual leave to facilitate the young people taking part in such an opportunity? When they gave up countless weekends to run training camps, spent time away from their families and spent a considerable amount of their own money to attend the event; this wasn’t a school trip where adult places come for free. Where were the press when the leaders released statements to the media about the trip; when they invited them to the airport to see the young people leave; when they asked if they would help promote a fundraising moment?
Where were the press when the volunteer staff (who paid for the privilege) arrived at the site a week before the young people and had to wade through water to get to their tent; which had to be put on pallets because the ground was so waterlogged? Where were the press when these staff; many of whom are under the age of 25, worked 24 hours straight to help get the site ready for the young people arriving? All in the hottest heatwave South Korea has ever experienced, with insects which caused awful bites, not enough food and lack of sanitary washing conditions. Why didn’t the press report about that?
And yes the conditions may have been bad, yes the young people struggled to cope with the heat, the insects that crawled up their feet while they were showering, the cancelled activities (due to the heat) and the lack of shade. But when the decision was made that they would leave due to all these concerns; many of these young people cried - because they were so invested in this jamboree journey; because despite everything, what they wanted was to meet new people, to learn about other nations, to have the feeling of kinship and friendship that can only come with an event like this. Despite everything - they wanted to stay; they just wanted the conditions to be better.
And you know what - they coped; they adapted; they took the decision on the chin, made the most of their last few hours and once again showed the tenacity they had developed over the last two years. They didn’t know where they would end up - on a school hall floor, in a hotel ballroom, in a hostel or a hotel room; they didn’t know what they were going to do - no new activities had been confirmed at that stage; they took it in their stride and credit to them all. Where were the press then? Oh yes they were there - reporting about what a disaster it had been…well it wasn’t; because once again - those amazing Scout Leaders, adults and staff stepped up, changed the programme, adapted their roles and are delivering an amazing event that they have pulled out of the bag in a turn around of just a few days, well supported, I may add, by the South Korean local authorities and the British Embassy. Where are the press reports about that? Well, nowhere - because that would be good news, and as we all know, they seem to be only writing about the bad things.
Well done Unit Leaders, well done IST, well done CMST, well done young people…I, for one am in awe of all you have had to cope with and applaud your efforts in making this the most unique WSJ ever! And thank you - for being the best you can be and rising to the challenge. Hard times breed strong people
I’ve made this post public - so feel free to share.
#SkillsForLife