Over 10,000 Scouts gather in Gjøvik for Norway’s first joint National Jamboree

This July, a remarkable transformation is taking place in Gjøvik, Norway. From 5–12 July, over 10,000 Scouts from across Norway and more than 30 countries will come together for Speidernes Landsleir 2025, the first-ever joint national jamboree organised by Speiderne i Norge. The event, hosted at the GOBB Arena, is a living, breathing community built entirely by Scouts themselves.

What makes this camp truly extraordinary is its self-sufficiency. In the span of just a few days, Scouts construct a functioning city of tents, kitchens, dining areas, and towering entrance gateways – all using traditional Scouting skills, wooden poles, and rope. With no permanent infrastructure, every structure is designed, planned, and built from scratch by the participants. By the end of the week, it will all be taken down again, leaving no trace – a powerful example of sustainable and skill-driven living.

Throughout the week, the camp is alive with activity: outdoor adventures, evening campfires, cultural exchanges, and spontaneous games. Scouts cook together, share meals with neighbouring groups, trade badges with international friends, and experience the joy of living in a truly global Scout village.

One of the jamboree's most defining moments is the hike, a challenge where patrols head out into nature without adult leaders, testing their resilience and teamwork while collectively walking over 100,000 kilometres. Other highlights include concerts, engaging talks, market day, and the Global Race, where Scouts raise funds for life-changing projects in Zambia and Tanzania.

This self-sufficient camp is not only a feat of logistics and creativity but also a living example of Scouting values in action: independence, cooperation, responsibility, and service.

Scouts from countries including Australia, Japan, United States, Liberia, Iceland, Romania, Philippines, and many more are taking part – each contributing to a diverse and welcoming community.

As Speidernes Landsleir 2025 unfolds, it becomes clear that this is much more than a camp. It’s a bold expression of youth potential and international friendship—a temporary city built by young people, for young people, where every rope knot and tent peg holds a story of cooperation, discovery, and global unity.