Hello! I'm Elizabeth Wright and I'm an Explorer Scout from Thetford (in the picture above I'm 6th from the left, 3rd row back with the purple necker). In November last year after application and a selection day, I found out that I had been chosen to represent Norfolk (as 1 of 18 selected from the 200 that applied) at the 24th World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia, USA. Now the fundraising begins!

The trip consists of the 12 day jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in West Virginia, which will focus on adventure, friendship, leadership, service and sustainability. It will bring together scouts from about 140 countries. The theme of the jamboree is unlocking a new world, where we will seek answers and solutions to international questions and problems. The jamboree includes educational workshops as well as team building exercises and meeting scouts from around the globe.

As well as the jamboree there will be the opportunity to go on a big city visit with my unit (Unit 18, containing the 36 scouts from Norfolk and Suffolk), a big meet up with the whole of the UK contingent – roughly 4000 people – at a leading university, and a chance to be hosted by another scouting unit in North America.

Overall I have to raise £3,495, which will pay for my trip and also contribute to the funding for scouts from a country where it is harder to raise money. The targets for money to raise in African countries is much lower than here in the UK, whereas in Australia, the target is around £4,000.

Hopefully through JustGiving I can get a bit closer to the goal, but I will also be doing bag packing, various bake sales, and hopefully running a few craft days at my local scout hut.

Thank you for reading my story, even if it was a little long! If you are able to support me in any way, no matter how small, it would be greatly appreciated.

If you want to find out more about the 24th World Scout Jamboree, go to the UK Contingent page or the official 24th World Scout Jamboree page.