"From Saturday July 24th (arrival day) to Wednesday August 4th 2027 (departure day), the 15th edition of Haarlem Jamborette will take place! Experience the Haarlem Jamborette with 3.500 international scouts in the recreational area of Spaarnwoude, close to Amsterdam, Haarlem, and the North Sea. Twelve days full of Scouting activities, meeting new friends from different countries and fun festivities in between to remember forever. Scouts aged 10 – 17 will have a great summer in 2027!"
- Haarlem Jamborette Website (https://www.haarlemjamborette.nl/)
The Haarlem Jamborette program is designed for Scouts and Venturer Scouts (10-17 at the time of camp). That said, the Jamborette team is very flexible on age. They trust Scouters to make the best call for your youth. If you have a youth that is a year too young, but has a lot of experience Scouting and is eager to go, it's no problem!
For Rovers and Scouters, you can either apply for to be members of the SCHJ Contingent team or you can contact the Haarlem Jamborette directly to apply for camp staff (International Service Team)
Still a long time to go before we get the full camp plan, but the team at the Haarlem Jamborette has been working on and meeting regularly since the end of the last Jamborette! The team spends a full four years planning this event as most of the camp staff (OOS) returns every camp!
We can give you the general idea though - you will LOVE this camp! Check out our favourite Haarlem Jamborette videos from the last four events!
Videos all you needed to see?? That's fine, stop reading and email schj@scouts.ca to pre-register your group for 2027!
Hey, we get it! The thought of taking Scouts on an international adventure can be a bit daunting, but don't worry! The Canadian Contingent team is here to make it as easy as possible for you! Payment for the Haarlem Jamborette will be processed through the contingent so you can pay in Canadian funds by simple bank transfer (or cheque). We'll take care of getting the money to Europe!
Worried about the dreaded paperwork? We take care of that as well! The Canadian Contingent will be responsible for getting National approval and will have a Tour Permit issued. We'll complete all the forms you need and in the end, all you'll need to do is your usual AAF and to collect permission forms!
If the thought of dragging all your camping gear to the Netherlands is holding you back, don't worry as we can help you with that as well! We will be assisting groups with shipping, but the best option for most groups will be to just rent gear in the Netherlands. We can help you make all the arrangements and you can pay the contingent in Canadian funds instead of a European wire transfer.
Is your Dutch a bit rusty? That's okay! The camp is run entirely in English! Even while you're away from camp you won't need to rely on Google Translate as most youth and adults in the Netherlands speak fluent English! (and German... really, the schools in Europe are pretty awesome!)
Most importantly, the contingent team will be available for regular meetings so you can ask all your questions face-to-face! Don't worry about sifting through endless newsletters, instead you can just ask us! On our regular Scouter calls, you will also have access to many Scouters who attended the previous Haarlem Jamborette, and you can benefit from all their experience as well! We are a team, and we will succeed as a team!
Your group will be entirely self-contained within one of the four sub-camps. There are no specific minimum or maximum participants (assuming there is space left as the camp sells out every year). Your campsite size is based on the number of participants in your group. The Jamborette team prefers groups to run with a 1:8 Scouter:youth ratio; I understand that with international travel, you will likely want a good deal more Scouters than that! We insist on a maximim Scouter:youth ratio of 1:4, as every Scouter you bring means a group can bring one less youth. Groups with higher than a 1:8 ratio will be expected to spare a few Scouters to help the camp staff every day your youth are participating in on-site actives. Helping is super fun though, you'll love it!
Really want to bring more Scouters? No problem, bring Rovers! Scouters who are also registered as Rovers will NOT be counted against your ratio.
The short answer is "no"... however, if a youth or Scouter is really excited to attend but can't talk their group into going, just contact us and we'll help! We can help you try and convince your group, or we can put the word out to other Canadian groups and see if anyone can adopt you! So don't give up, let us help :)
There are SO MANY amazing opportunities for pre-camp or post-camp adventures! The vast majority of the expense is just getting to Europe; once you're there you might as well make the most of it! The Contingent Team has volunteers available to help your youth plan the perfect pre or post camp trip for your group.
Another option would be join us on our optional contingent pre-trip "Tour of Honour" which will allow youth to experience the WWI and WWII battlefields and memorials through France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Plans are still underway, but expect to experience the World War II Museum in Caen, France, Juno Beach, Dieppe, Beaumont-Hamel, Vimy Ridge, the Menin Gate, the battlefields of Passchendaele, Tyne Cot cemetery, and Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands. The pre-camp will be 3-5 days.
We took our Scouts & Venturer Scouts (ages 10-17) on a similar tour in 2015 and 2023, and from experience, it will be an experience that will change everyone forever. Even more powerful is the transition from the Tour of Honour to the Haarlem Jamborette. These young people sacrificed everything for the freedom of strangers, and the Haarlem Jamborette is the ultimate example of world peace in real life. Youth and adults from across the world camping, playing and living together in peace. Want to know what the soldiers fought for? This. They fought for this. Lest we forget.
We just don't know at this point, but I can tell you that the 2023 Contingent paid ~$690/participant which included all camp fees (12 day camp), food at camp, all out-trips at camp, a LOT of awesome contingent gear, and airport shuttle. HJ has not yet released their 2027 pricing, but we do expect the cost to increase a little bit.
No, all Canadian groups MUST register through the Canadian contingent site (this site). Groups traveling from Scouts Canada are required to be members of the official contingent. If you register directly on the HJ site, you'll receive a confirmation email from them automatically, but your registration will be cancelled. The only way to register for the 2027 Haarlem Jamborette is by joining the official Canadian Contingent and registering on our site.
We are accepting "expressions of interest" from groups now! We only have 500 spots available for Canada at HJ, and while that may sound like a lot, I promise you that those spots will go fast!
If you are interested in attending the 2027 Haarlem Jamborette, or would like more information, please email us at schj@scouts.ca
Returning groups will be given first access to the available spots as this is a Haarlem Jamborette tradition. All groups that visit the Haarlem Jamborette are always welcome to "return home to HJ" four years later. When the Haarlem Jamborette releases their 2027 pricing, we will give all returning groups 90 days to confirm their registration. 90 days after HJ releases their 2027 prices, all remaining space will be available on a first-come basis.
If you are NOT a returning group, you can still pre-register! I will add you a waiting list in order, and you will be contacted before the space becomes available to the general public.
Just send us at email at schj@scouts.ca and please include the approximate number of youth, rovers and adult Scouters.
