“America: Continent of Diversity” is JamCam 2020 theme
By Heloísa Ançanello
Aiming to celebrate diversity and strengthen bonds of friendship, JamCam 2020 has as its theme “America: Continent of Diversity”, and explores particularities of different countries. The city of Foz do Iguaçu was strategically chosen because it represents the milestone of the union between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, thus providing a special environment for young people from the 21 countries present at the event.
By focusing on the participating countries, it is already possible to identify language differences, as the camp has three main languages, Portuguese, English and Spanish. An application, Scout Wallet, was also developed, which allows purchases within the event and facilitates payments, since several different currencies are present. It is also worth mentioning the cultural differences that range from food to traditional customs, which were approached with great animation and interaction on the night of the Nations’ Fair in the subcamps. The camp also has bases on which themes such as gender, sexual orientation and disabilities are addressed.
After two days of activities, the young participants themselves already recognize the importance of the theme, as Heidi Contreras of Paraguay says: “It is important to address the diversity between countries so that we can be more aware of what happens in the world and know the potential that we have to make changes and how we can make them. ” In addition to Heidi, Peruvian Rosa Soto also adds that “when we know other cultures, we can have more empathy for them.”
The stands corresponding to each country in the Central Arena still provide direct contact with the strong points of each culture, for example with the forró classes at the Brazilian stand, or with the traditional coffee mints at the Colombian stand. The Chilean Isadora Becerra comments how after visiting some booths can realize the differences between the customs of each country, and “open the mind to new realities.”
Alfredo Musse, Operations Executive of the World Scout Office — Inter-American Support Center, says that for the Scout Movement worldwide, addressing diversity is a strategic priority, as it is possible to form active citizens in society. In addition Alfredo adds: “The Brazilian Educational Methods team was responsible for the camp program, and we trust it very much, because Brazil is a reference to the inter-American countries when it comes to diversity”. He also highlights the Bosque da Paz, because “it works all kinds of diversities with qualified people and specialists for this”.
A great way to celebrate JamCam 2020’s diversity is to win the event’s official insignia, the “Diversity that Unites Us” insignia. For this, it is necessary to fulfill some items, all explained in the Map and Guide, received by the young people at the beginning of the event. An important point is that you need to participate in all modules of the camp, some workshops and even exchange with a participant from another state or country.
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This event is sponsored by Sicoob, Sicoob Institute, Copel, Carrefour and Toyota.
