The crackle of a radio signal. The glow of laptop screens in classrooms turned into communication hubs. The laughter of young scouts swapping stories under the night sky. Across Oman, these sounds and sights blended into a single heartbeat as scouts joined the world’s largest digital scouting event: the Jamboree-on-the-Air and Jamboree-on-the-Internet (Jota–Joti).
Each October, millions of scouts gather not in one place but in a boundless digital camp where voices travel through radio waves and friendships spark across chatrooms. For Omani scouts, it was a chance to weave traditions, skills and dreams into the tapestry of a global adventure.
At Al Farouq Basic Education School, the Rover Scouts of Al Khabourah filled their days with energy fuelled by curiosity. A treasure hunt sent teams racing through clues, shouts of triumph echoing down hallways. Sports and cultural quizzes stirred friendly rivalries, while evenings were reserved for a makeshift campfire under starry skies. Workshops offered practical skills: civil defence officers demonstrated safety and rescue techniques, scouts tried their hands at first aid; and visits to carpentry and recycling units tied in lessons of sustainability and self-reliance.
Then came the magic of the jamboree itself. Headsets went on, screens lit up and Omani scouts spoke to peers across distant time zones. Through ScoutLink, they compared traditions, shared scouting stories and discovered how small the world feels when curiosity bridges gaps.
Bahla’s scouts embraced Jota–Joti with heritage in one hand, innovation in the other. Their programme included first-aid drills and a workshop titled ‘Technology of Tomorrow’, imagining how digital tools could shape scouting in years to come. Yet it was Bahla itself — the town of forts and crafts — that defined much of the experience. Scouts wandered the cobbled paths of Bahla Fort, shaped clay at pottery workshops and exchanged greetings with global peers inside the centuries-old halls of Jabreen Castle.
Each message sent became more than digital communication; it became a thread linking Oman’s cultural pride to global curiosity. The scouts planted saplings around heritage sites, a quiet yet powerful gesture of service. Later, a horse parade thundered through the streets, riders embodying Oman’s timeless courage and grace. By the jamboree’s end, exhibitions of crafts, projects and stories proved that Bahla’s scouts had lived the event not just as participants but as cultural storytellers.
In Sur, the sound of cheering filled schoolyards before headsets were even switched on. Rover Scouts and Guides of Al Tali’a Sports and Cultural Club kicked off with sports: tug-of-war ropes strained, footballs flew and running shoes pounded the ground. When digital sessions began, scouts crowded around screens, sharing Sur’s maritime heritage, scouting legacies and stories with peers from Europe, Asia and Africa. Workshops emphasised safe tech use, cultural exchange and leadership in a digital age.
Scout leader Salem bin Mohammed al Maamari reflected: “Jota–Joti is more than an event. It teaches dialogue, tolerance and openness. It places Oman on the global scouting map, not as an observer, but as a voice”.
Oman’s scouts proved the essence of scouting endures: exploring, serving, connecting and growing. Radios and laptops may join compasses and campfires, but the heart of scouting remains timeless. This jamboree offered Oman’s youth a passport to the world, stamped in friendships, memories and a renewed spirit of adventure.
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