JOTA Jamboree On The Air
Jamboree on the Air, known by its acronym JOTA, is an international Scouting
and Guiding activity held annually on the third full weekend
in October. The event was first held in conjunction with the
fiftieth anniversary of Scouting in 1957, and was devised by
a radio amateur with the callsign G3BHK. It is now considered
the largest event scheduled by the WOSM annually.
Amateur radio operators from all over the
world participate with over 500,000 Scouts and Guides to teach
them about radio and to assist them to contact their fellow Scouts
and Guides by means of amateur radio and since 2004, by the VOIP-based
Echolink. Scouts and Guides are also encouraged to send paper
or electronic confirmations known as "QSL cards" (Or "eQSL's when they are sent electronically.) This provides the Scouts and Guides
with a means of learning about fellow Scouts and Guides from
around the world. It is an adjunct to the World Scout Jamboree.
The event is recognized as one of international
participation by the various Scout and Guide organisations, and
supports several awards which are a part of Scouting and Guiding
programmes.
JOTI Jamboree on the Internet
Jamboree on the Internet, known by its acronym
JOTI, is an international Scouting activity held annually. Participants,
through the use of designated Chats from all over the world,
can contact their fellow scouts by means of the Internet. Common
communication methods include ScoutLink (IRC), e-mail, and VOIP.
This provides the Scouts with a means of learning about fellow
Scouts from around the world. JOTI.org reports that JOTI had
over 4,000 participants online at one time in 2005.
In November 1996 the World Scout Committee,
noting that Scouting already had a considerable presence on the
Internet, and that there was already an informal and rapidly
growing Jamboree on the Internet, decided that JOTI should become
an official international Scouting event, and that it should
be held on the same weekend as the Jamboree on the Air (JOTA).
Special Internet jamborees may also be organized
in conjunction with local, national and international Scouting
events which are held at other times of the year.
JOTT Jamboree on the Trai
Following on the idea of the Join-in
events from the World Jamboree Year, Jamboree on the Trail (or
JOTT),
is simply a co-ordinated event
where Scouts around the world simultaneously participate in local
hikes. It takes place in
May on an annual basis.
This type of event allows Scouts to take part
in activities at the same time as other Scouts, promoting the
idea of the Scouting brotherhood. Participants are awarded a
JOTT badge as a recognition of having participated in this worldwide
event.