FutureTown Reinvents Classic Activities with New Technology

“I actually like thinking a bit about the future and about some of the alternatives you can come up with. And then every now and then some crazy ideas appear.”
Cille Christiansen, a volunteer in FutureTown

FutureTown is located in the Activity Centre West, marked by bright orange flags with the town’s name. It consists of two large white tents and a plethora of pavilions.

New Technology in Familiar Surroundings

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Almost everywhere you turn in FutureTown, there are flashing LED lights, beeping gadgets and electronic circuits. Technology takes centre stage, and the guides and scouts get to try their hand at challenges in electronics, programming, physics, chemistry and biology. FutureTown even calls itself “the jamboree’s coolest STEM workshop”[1].

[1] https://www.futuretown.dk/

There was just a mix for everyone, something to suit everyone. […] “You can mend things, make things, run around” Leaders from 4^th 103^rd Scouts and Greenbank Explorers

The challenges range from making electronic tug-of-war, where a light moves up an LED strip in response to pressing buttons, to programming an Artificial Intelligence (AI) to recognise semaphore signals. The guides and scouts have also tried building a self-driving remote-controlled car, where they can programme the front display themselves. The self-driving element had unfortunately been a bit troublesome, but the guides and scouts could still control the car from a computer setup, which is something quite different from the usual joystick.

In addition, physical principles such as pulley systems and self-built aeroplanes are tested.

The Smoke Diverter

Something that particularly caught my attention was the classic smoke diverter, although there was nothing traditional about the setup I walked into. Here, CO₂ from a trangia stove placed in a kettle grill was led through a tube into another tube filled with water. The teams could then measure how much CO₂ was captured in the water by measuring CO₂ before and after the water. I arrive while the Danish rover group Cocioklanen from the Danish group Søften Spedjerne is in the middle of the task, and well on the way to knocking volunteer Jørn Lodahl off his feet with their efforts. Cocioklanen has prior expertise in chemistry and physics, so they approach the task with great seriousness, making five double measurements, writing up reaction schemes and trying to identify possible sources of error.

“It’s fun as well, it’s not like we want to rush off straight away. It’s super cosy, but there is definitely something to get your teeth into.” Solvej, 22 years old, Cocioklanen Søften Spejderne

There is absolutely no requirement to be studying for a bachelor’s degree in chemistry like Anna from Cocioklanen, or to have taken studied chemistry in upper secondary school like Solvej. Younger guides and scouts also have the opportunity to take part in the activity at a level that makes sense to them.

We try to cater for every level of ambition here” Jørn Lodahl, volunteer in FutureTown

Jørn places great emphasis on this, and stresses that even if you do not understand the chemistry behind it, you can still clearly see that something happens when CO₂ is captured by the water. Among other things, they ask the guides and scouts to blow through a straw into a cup of water, and then add red cabbage indicator[1]. The guides and scouts can easily see that the colour changes depending on whether someone has blown into the water or not. Everyone should have the chance to join in and try to understand the familiar smoke, which all my own clothes certainly smells strongly of.

At FutureTown they want to give guides and scouts the chance to try things that most guide and scout groups may not usually have access to. At the smoke diverter, for example, they have acquired two CO₂ meters so that the exact amount of CO₂ can be measured. So it becomes a mix between a school physics-and-chemistry lab and your classic jamboree.

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[1] https://www.experimentarium.dk/kemi/eksperiment-roedkaal-som-ph-indikator/

We would like to offer some activities that you probably would not have done at home with your troop Lodahl, volunteer in FutureTown

Green Tracks

However, it is not only technology that is present in FutureTown. For every electronic gadget that lights up and beeps, there is an activity about recycling or nature. It is clear that the focus is not only on the future, but also on the impact we are making right now.

Here the Cubs and juniors from the Danish Gruppe Skivehus Gruppe can make their own recycled jamboree T-shirt, which they themselves think is much cooler because they can really unleash their creativity. There is also the chance to make a souvenir recycled coin, which had particularly attracted some young guides and scouts from Edinburgh’s 4th 103rd Scouts and Greenbank Explorers up to FutureTown.

At the drop-in activity “Fast Food” you can make hotdogs where the sausage is replaced with a carrot, which seemed to be a very positive surprise for Cille, who is volunteer in FutureTown.

Cosiness Comes First

What came up again and again with the people I spoke to was the cosy atmosphere. With indoor sofas, outdoor seating and a local café, there really is something for everyone.

“It’s really cosy here. There is a really good atmosphere. Everyone is happy.”
Cub guides and scouts, KFUM Spejderne Denmark, Lindholm Gruppe

Even if you are not into the STEM elements, you can still find something to do in FutureTown, and that enthusiasm rubs off on the guides and scouts. However, it is not only the café environment that creates the cosy feeling, but also the activities, which are quite different from many of the other activities at the jamboree.

It is a bit different from what we have been doing for the rest of the week. […] I think it has been one of the nicest things we have done so far” Selina Kuppe, 20 years old, KFUM Spejderne Denmark, Vestervig Gruppe