{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"This blog was originally delivered as a speech by Santiago at Scouts\u2019 national AGM on 3 September 2022","standfirst":"Meet Santiago, an Explorer Scout from PRIMUS Explorers in Greenford, London.\u00A0 Next year, he flies off to Korea with the UK Contingent for the 25th World Scout Jamboree. He tells us why it will be a dream come true and how it\u2019s helping him grow as a person as well as a Scout.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/18763/santiagocrop.png","width":1406,"height":936,"altText":"Santiago delivers his speech at Scouts\u0027 AGM","caption":"Santiago delivers his speech at Scouts\u0027 AGM. Photo credit Steve Way.","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EI joined Scouts in 2017 as a Cub, simply curious at first about what it had to offer. Within the first month, I could confidently say that Scouts had had a positive effect on me, not only as a person but as a member of a team, a leader, and as someone who could help others.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI felt as if every time I was with this community I was either learning, having fun, or both. I\u2019ve gained so much more knowledge about my local area, all because of the work Scouts does. For example, I wouldn\u0027t have known there\u2019s a vineyard, a brewery, a fishing lake, and so many other things right on my doorstep!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI was first told about the \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-your-section/international-scouts-and-events/international-events/wsj/\u0022 title=\u0022WSJ\u0022\u003E25\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C/sup\u003E World Scout Jamboree in Korea\u003C/a\u003E after my leaders returned from the jamboree in the United States back in 2019. They\u2019d been members of the International Service Team. They told me stories and showed me videos of activities and all that happened at that jamboree. I was simply captivated by the thought of attending such an event.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFast forward to November 2021. I received an email about the admissions process for the next jamboree. After a fun and enjoyable selection process, I was told that I\u2019d be in Korea next year. It was a dream come true.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/18541/uk-25-wsj-korea-primary-logo-jpeg-1.jpg","width":1623,"height":1593,"altText":"UK 25 WSJ Korea logo","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMy hopes for the Jamboree \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESo why exactly did I choose to apply? Three very clear reasons came to mind.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe first was learning. I imagine that this will be a great opportunity to meet people from all over the globe and learn from them. In a world like ours, where so many people face so many issues, the most important thing is to understand the thoughts of others.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhere else would I be able to speak with someone who\u2019s Honduran, Angolan, or Qatari in such an encouraging environment? I\u2019m very grateful that London is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. But being able to talk in person with so many people who live so many thousands of miles away, is just an opportunity I cannot miss.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe second is about travel. Travelling has become a great passion of mine. Whether it\u2019s going to the Isle of Skye to find out more about Scottish Gaelic and the stories of the people there, or going to Andorra and making myself speak only Catalan until I was able to find my way around (I failed horrifically) I\u2019m absolutely fascinated by different sceneries, landscapes, and languages. Being able to travel to such a faraway part of the world as Korea and learn snippets of all sorts of languages will be so enjoyable.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy third reason is personal values. Sure, I knew the jamboree would be amazing. But I also believed that fundraising in my community before the Jamboree would give me morals and values that would stick with me. Having been a part of the UK Contingent for around seven months now, I can see that I was right. I\u2019ve already made many amazing memories and had a great time learning how to help others and talk to other people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat I\u2019ve already learned on the journey\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhere else I would I get the opportunity to speak at a national AGM, and talk in front of so many people? The unit has given us so many opportunities like this and helped us excel in them.\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003EI\u2019m so grateful for the chance to go to the jamboree, and for the experiences and lessons I\u2019ve already received on this journey.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHelp Santiago get to Korea\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESantiago\u2019s still raising the funds for his trip to the Jamboree. Please support him if you can.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"callToAction","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","buttonText":"Support Santiago\u0027s fund to get to Korea","buttonLink":{"name":"Support Santiago\u0027s fund to get to Korea","id":null,"url":"https://www.gofundme.com/f/santiagostrek","newWindow":false,"target":"_blank"},"colour":{"value":"490499","label":"490499"},"alignment":"left"},{"type":"Image top","cta":"Read Izzy\u0027s blog","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHere\u0027s Santiago with Carl Hankinson (centre) and Izzy (left) at the 2022 AGM. Photo credit CJ Ledger\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"My Jamboree journey: Why I want to prove teenagers can do more than look at a screen","id":null,"url":"/news/2022/august/my-jamboree-journey-why-i-want-to-prove-teenagers-can-do-more-than-look-at-a-screen/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#002f6c","title":"Read about Izzy\u0027s Jamboree journey","image":"/media/18538/izzy-group.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd1fa943a0","imageFocus":"","imageId":33742,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"07 September 2022","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Read about Izzy\u0027s Jamboree journey","url":"/news/2022/august/my-jamboree-journey-why-i-want-to-prove-teenagers-can-do-more-than-look-at-a-screen/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Learn more about 25th World Scout Jamboree","url":"/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/international-scouts-and-events/international-events/wsj/","newWindow":false}],"id":50408,"nodeName":"My Jamboree journey: Exploring the world and finding myself","title":"My Jamboree journey: Exploring the world and finding myself","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/18763/santiagocrop.png?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd1fc09c30","caption":"Santiago delivers his speech at Scouts\u0027 AGM","type":"png","size":2624061,"width":1406,"height":936,"altText":"Santiago delivers his speech at Scouts\u0027 AGM"},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"My Jamboree journey: Exploring the world and finding myself","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Meet Santiago who flies to Korea next year with the UK Contingent for the 25th World Scout Jamboree and explains why it\u0027s a dream come true","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDQwOCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2022/august/my-jamboree-journey-exploring-the-world-and-finding-myself/"}