Looking back at 50 years JotA
In 1958, the first Jamboree On The Air was organized. The aim was, and still is, (international) contacts and ideas to enhance partnerships among Scouts and Scoutgroups. To achieve this goal, Scoutgroups will be supported by radiohams, who share their knowledge and equipment, without a fee like money (of course they have a very nice weekend Scouting!).

A very BIG Jamboree!
You can imagine the JOTA as a World Jamboree, which every four years, each in a different country, is organized. Only a small fraction of the millions of Scouts may participate in such an ordinary Jamboree. But JOTA each year about 400,000 Scouts participate. Whether you're young or slightly older, the JOTA brings closer international contacts, although you don't have to travel. The JOTA is held each year during the third full weekend of October. This year at the weekend from 16 till 18 October.

Jamboree On The Internet (JOTI)
In 1995, the first Dutch Scoutgroups where also online at the internet, therefore, the team Radio Scouting in The Netherlands build in 1996 a website in order for the JOTA. The website attracted hundreds of visitors, with a significant peak during the JOTA. The number of groups with a website was not very high, but increased rapidly again. In 1997 it was decided to organise a JOTI in the same weekend as JOTA. Until today, the JOTI is still very popular.

So MSN'en and ICQ'en is part of the program?
We organize a JOTA not JOTI. We have a number of reasons why we do it. First, we think JOTI not innovative anymore. For most of us the use of Internet is the most normal thing in the world. We all have Internet, either at home, at work or at school. The whole year it is possible to establish contacts with other Scouts, for example through ScoutLink. The second reason is that the radio really is interesting to make contact with other Scouts. You do not know in advance whom you speak to and will remain exciting, all these strange language radio and crack and squeak of the radio receivers. Therefore we concentrate on the JOTA. We are convinced that the activity is no less fun...