What is a camp unit?
It is the base unit in which everyone will live during Kajo. A camp unit (leirilippukunta in Finnish) can consist of one or multiple real-life troops. The size of a camp unit will be approximately 100 people. The minimum and maximum sizes haven’t been decided on yet, but over 100 is better than under 100. This way the camp unit will work better during camp life, and it will be easier to form the leadership for the camp unit.
How will international groups become parts of camp units?
All international groups will be given a camp unit that includes not only the international group but also at least one Finnish troop. The pairing of Finnish and international groups will happen after registration. If your group has friends you would like to stay with, let us know when registering the group!
How many International Participants will be in each camp unit? Will our group have to split up?
There will be a maximum of 30 International Participants in a given camp unit. If your group is bigger than this, you will need to split up. How you do the splitting is up to you.
How many leaders will have camp assignments within the camp unit and stay with the youth?
For the guidelines of how many leaders should join Kajo per certain group sizes, see below in Health and Safety. Not all of these leaders will necessarily be needed in the camp unit.
The core leadership of the camp unit consists of three people: the camp unit leader, the camp program leader and the camp assignment leader. With them in the camp unit will be a number of tracker luotsis, who are there to help and lead the trackers. Each camp unit should have one tracker luotsi for every approximately 12 trackers, depending on the trackers and their suppord needs. The leadership and the tracker luotsis can be from either the Finnish troops or the international group in the camp unit, although it is strongly suggested that each group finds tracker luotsis for their trackers from their group, and, if there are more than a few explorers in the international group, one of the leaders in the international group will act as a second camp program leader with a Finn. Each camp unit as a whole, with both Finnish and international groups, will need to discuss how many leaders should have assignments within the camp unit, and who they will be, well before the camp.
Each camp unit should also have someone responsible for first aid and medical emergencies, as well as a safety adult. These positions are side positions, filled by people who have other assignments, either within the camp unit or outside of it.
More detailed info on the assignments in the camp unit will be available soon.
All leaders who are not in the camp unit leadership or have assignments as tracker luotsis will have a camp assignment outside the camp unit.
When can I register?
Each Finnish participant signs up themselves. Underage participants will be signed up by a parent (even if said participant is over 18 during Kajo).
For International Participants, it will depend on the group how registration will happen, although whether it’s each participant themselves or one leader who enters everyone’s information into our registration system, each participant has to be registered individually
Registration will happen through Kuksa. Registration time is 1.12.2021-2.2.2022
If a participant is right between two age groups, which one they sign up as can be decided within their group. The age group will not be assigned automatically based on birth year.
Is it possible to change the information in the registration afterward? For how long?
Yes. The group leader can change their and the group’s information using the group leader registration code, and each group member can change their own information using their personal registration code that they will get after registering the same way the group leader gets the group leader and group registration codes. It is important that you save the codes somewhere, in case you need them afterward.
Changes to the information can be made until the end of registration on 2.2.2022. Dietary and medical information can be changed until 31.3.2022. If there are any changes after this, send us an email.
What if I lose the code? Is there some way to recover it? Will it be sent to my email after registering?
The code will not be sent to email, so it is very important that you copy your code and for the group leader both the group code and group leader code somewhere safe before doing anything else after registration. Group leaders, using the group leader code, can see a summary of everyone who has registered as members of the group, including their codes. If you lose the group leader code, send a message to the project office at kajo2022@partio.fi.
What’s the age limit? Can someone who isn’t yet 12 but will turn 12 later in 2022 participate?
Yes. The instructions for Finnish troops are if a youth is part of a tracker patrol during 2022, they are welcome to participate. The change from adventurers (the one-step younger age group) to trackers in Finland is flexible. It happens either when starting sixth grade (aka the year they turn 12) or when starting seventh grade (aka the year they turn 13). Which year this happens depends on the troop and the individual adventurers, which means it’s up to the troop to decide if those turning 12 during 2022 in their troop are old enough to participate.
Is there post-registration, or the possibility to register after the official registration time has ended?
In the current plans, no.
If I find out I can’t make it to Kajo after all, can someone else take my place?
Yes. It’s possible for someone else to take your spot on the camp until 15.5.
If I can’t attend due to work, will I be able to cancel my registration?
Unfortunately not. But as previously stated, you are able to transfer your spot to someone else until 15.5.
How much does Kajo cost?
For international participants, the full-camp fee is 320 euros.
What is included in the price?
- The whole diverse daily program, different for each age group
- Unforgettable evening programs that bring the entire camp together: the opening, mid-camp, and closing ceremonies
- A unique finnjamboree experience that it’s impossible to get from smaller camps
- Four meals per day, taking into account all restricted diets
- The camp scarf by which to remember the nine-day camp experience
- A safe camp with a hospital, first aid, and fire department
- A modern and functional camp; enough bathrooms and showers with warm water, well-functioning waste disposal, and the possibility to charge cellphones and other necessary electronics
- Friendly customer service on any questions you might have about Kajo, both before and during the camp, for groups, individual participants, and their families
For International participants, also:
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The possibility to stay with scouts before the camp through Home Hospitality
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Transport from Helsinki-Vantaa airport to Home Hospitality location, from HH or one of the entry points (if not participating in HH) to the campsite on the first day of camp, and from the camp to one of the entry points on the last day of camp.
What if I don’t yet know when or how I’ll get there when I’m registering? Is there some way to add this information later?
It’s possible to change the info on the registration form until the end of the registration. We understand that at that point there might still be people who don’t have their travel booked, so we will try to make it possible to tell us this information also later. Information on how this will be done and by when we need to know the info will be available later.
If you don’t have this info yet, write that in the open questions so we’ll know.
When will Kajo be paid?
Finnish participants will pay their camp fee during registration. If they apply for a stipend during registration, they will pay the fee, or the required part of it, after the decision on the stipend has been made. If the participant does not get the stipend, it is possible to cancel the registration after the decision.
International Participants will be billed as groups after registration. More details on how this will happen will come later.
Cancellation policy? How does it work? What if covid hits again and we can’t travel?
The cancellation policy will be available on the website with the instructions for registration. If the event has to be canceled or ended early or if the event is postponed to a time that does not suit a participant, the participation fee will be refunded to the participant, less the share that has already been tied to the event organizers and that cannot be recovered from the payment recipient or ultimately the insurance company. The camp organization is not obligated to refund any participation fees which have already been paid in the event that entry into the country or participation in the camp is not possible. It is recommended that you get an insurance that covers the cost in this case.
What part of the camp fee will be refunded, if Kajo is to be canceled? We understand that this issue is on the minds of many still pondering their registration. The answer depends on when the camp should be canceled. With many of our suppliers, we have been fortunate enough to agree to terms that allow us to fully commit very close to the actual event.
Covid can not dictate our lives indefinitely. For two summers already our lives have been interfered with due to restrictions. That is why we are moving forward as planned, doing things halfway would mean giving into Covid.
In short, the closer we get to the actual event the more agreements and costs will be confirmed but also the likeliness of the cancellation will get smaller as we get closer to the event. We are determined to have the camp as planned unless the regulations forbid it.
With all the commitments we are making previously, currently and in the future we strive to agree on terms that will allow us to refund the majority of the fee to the participants. At the moment, no current restrictions prevent us from having the camp as planned. We as the camp organization along with the Finnish Scouts are constantly following the situation together with the public officers.
Why do rovers and adults with camp assignments pay as much as the youth?
Scouting is based on volunteering. Volunteers pay the same price as the youth. Rovers and adults are also a target demographic of Kajo, and there will be programs also specifically for them.
Will Kajo make a profit?
The entire project is budgeted to use the same amount of money as comes in so that it will not make a profit or a loss.
From where does the money to make Kajo come from?
From the camp fees, visiting day revenue, sales (f.ex. camp merchandise and cafés), and reselling equipment and materials bought for Kajo after the camp ends.
How has covid-19 been taken into account?
We are hoping Kajo can be organized as planned and with little to no effect from the ongoing pandemic. The camp organization is keeping a close eye on the situation and is planning ways to organize the camp safely. These will be told at a later time.
We also have a dedicated page for covid-information and related information about traveling to Finland. You can find that page here.
Will a Covid passport be required at Kajo? The board of the Finnish Scouts has agreed that everyone over the age of 16 will be required to have a valid Covid passport if it will be applicable at the time of the event. Kajo organizers encourage everyone, if possible to do so, to get the vaccines. Please research the requirements for a Covid pass from your country of origin as they may differ.
How will you intervene in bullying?
All the way up to the goals of Kajo it has been established that no kind of bullying, harassment, etc. will be tolerated at Kajo. If any comes to light, it will be stopped. Safety adults have been appointed for the entire project. They are people, who intervene when necessary. The camp rules will forbid both mental and physical violence. For the entire duration of the project, there are channels you can use to report bullying or harassment. Together with camp security, the camp hospital, and the camp unit we will create a safety network for the camp. With the help of all of them, situations can be handled early and efficiently.
There are some complicated diets in my group. How well are they taken into account? Do they need to bring their own food?
All restricted diets will be taken into account, no matter how complicated, as long as they are informed about with registration. If you tell us what you can and can’t eat, you will get food that you can eat. You won’t need to ship food for yourself.
How many adult leaders should there be in our group?
If you have a small group, 10 or fewer trackers and explorers, you will need to have two leaders who are at least 18 with them. For groups bigger than this, you will need to have one leader for every ten underage participants. This means that if you have 13 youth underage, you will need three leaders, if there’s 21 you will need four, with 36 youth you will need five.
On top of this, if the total size of your group or contingent is bigger than 50, at least one of the leaders should be 23 or over, and for every additional 50 people in the group, there should be at least one leader who is over 23. If, for example, you have a contingent of 159 people total, at least four of them need to be 23 or over,
These are the guidelines for the minimum number of leaders that must be with each group. This is not, however, the same question as how many leaders should have a camp assignment in the camp unit instead of somewhere else. For the guidelines for the number of leaders in the camp unit, see above under Camp Units.
See also this page, where we explain camp assignments (pesti, in Finnish) more thoroughly.
What is a camp assignment?
It is kind of like a job you have during the camp. On a Finnish scout camp, the people on the camp are who make the camp happen – lead the programs, keep the cafés open, help people with their problems and hand out food during mealtimes. Nothing would get done without all of us doing our share. This is why, when participating in a scout camp in Finland, daily life consists either of taking part in the program or having an assignment. All adults have assignments while the youth (age 12-18) participate in the program and/or have assignments. The older you are, the more of your time goes to assignments. For adults, the assignment can be one in the camp unit as a leader to the youth.
When do you apply for IST assignments?
You can sign up as interested for an assignment you want at the same time as you register for Kajo.
What kind of assignments do explorers (15-17 yo) have?
Explorers will spend 50% of their time on an assignment. During their assignment, they will have the opportunity to learn how the camp is made. There are plenty of options from ice-cream sellers to sauna heaters and from Camp Leaders’ assistants to roadies.
How are the assignments assigned for the camp?
The goal is that as many of the assignments as possible have been assigned already before the camp. However, in a project this size, needs will arise also during the camp. This is why Kajo will have its own “job center” that gathers a list of assignments that need doing and assigns them to people who are free to do them. The goal is to have the job center also work online, so at any time you can check from your phone to see what assignments are available, where they’re located, and mark in the system which one you’d be interested in doing.
How much time do different age groups spend on the assignment?
Explorers (15-17 yo) will do 50% assignment, 50% program.
Rovers (18-22 yo) will do 75% assignment, 25% program (although it is possible for them to also have a full-time assignment if they so wish.)
Adults will have a 100% assignment, obviously with free time when they’re not needed!
What does 100% mean? Will I have any free time during Kajo?
Yes, you definitely will. How long the hours are, depends on the assignment you have, but typically an adult leader can expect 8-10 hour days with their assignment.
Are the assignment positions in the camp units 100% assignments? Can a rover have an assignment in the camp unit?
The assignments in the camp unit are of those adults who run and organize the camp unit and spend their time with the participants and taking care of them when needed.
Rovers can have an assignment in the camp unit if the camp unit chooses so. The assignments are 100%. However, it is advisable that a rover will at some point have time off from their assignment in the camp unit to participate in the rover program.
Are ISTs required to be on the campsite before the first day of camp?
No. If you’re IST and want to go to the campsite already for construction camp, please know that you should have someone you know at the campsite who can help you with where to set up camp and what to do once you get there. You will also need to get your own transport – the transport included in the camp fee is only available on the first and last days of camp.
This also means that it will be possible for ISTs to participate in Home Hospitality if they wish.
Will Kajo have a camp scarf?
Yes. The details on colors etc. haven’t been decided yet.
Will you get some sort of memorabilia from Kajo? Or can you buy one?
You can buy camp memorabilia not only at Kajo but already before it even starts through the online camp store.
Will you get a Kajo badge?
Yes! The camp badge, the scarf, and the wristband will be included in the price.
For a description of the Program Valleys, see this page.
Is participating in the program at Kajo compulsory?
The camp program will be different for every age group. Trackers (12-14yo) will participate in the program valleys and those are a compulsory part of the camp program for them. There will also be a voluntary program in which all camp participants can participate if they want to. Part of the camp experience is to take part in the program, but there will be free time as well.
We strongly suggest that explorers and rovers participate in the program designated for them as much as they can along with their camp assignments. There will be some programs for adults as well, although it is voluntary to participate.
Partying and silence at Kajo? How much is there partying, and how much can you rest?
On four evenings during Kajo there will be a bigger and louder program. The zoning plans will take into account the accommodation areas and the sounds of the party, so they will bother each other as little as possible. Of course, as anyone who has been to Evo before can tell you, sounds will reach far and wide at Evo. The zoning plans and program have not yet been released, because work on them isn’t yet finished.
Will there be any programs at Kajo which require registration beforehand?
No.
Are there any day trips available to visit a place outside the camp?
Unfortunately not.
The website is continuously being updated, and more information is added all the time. Kajo’s social media accounts are also a good way to stay updated. For International Participants, there’s also a mailing list where newsletters are sent with the newest information approximately once a month. You can find the already sent newsletters and a link to join the mailing list here. During the camp, you can find information in the camp app.
Is it possible to charge your phone during the camp?
The current plan for the charging stations is a bookshelf-like structure with six shelves. Each shelf has Finnish outlets (C/F) on each wall at the ends and is divided into 24 (6 wide, 4 deep) 20cm*20cm*20cm sections, where the power banks are placed. This means there will be room for 144 power banks to be charging at one time in each charging station. There are also two 6mm thick wires or bars running through each shelf, between the first and second, and third and fourth rows of sections. These can be used to lock something into place with a padlock or similar. In order to charge at the station, you’ll need your own charger that is plugged into a Finnish outlet. Note that if the only available space at the station is the section’s mid-shelf, your cable will need to be at least 50 cm long to reach from the outlet to your section. If you want to lock your power bank in place, you will need a bag or similar and a padlock that will allow you to lock your bag and attach it to the 6 mm thick cable.
How do you make sure the internet and mobile connections work during Kajo?
Optical fiber will run to Evo to enable a wifi network. Operators will also make sure there is enough mobile bandwidth.
Will it be possible to receive and send old school paper mail at Kajo?
Yes!
Is there some way to get kits for example cooking in Finland? It will be difficult to bring everything.
You won’t need cooking equipment with you. Cooking and meals happen in subcamp kitchens. All group equipment is camp unit specific, and basically, all the necessary, big equipment that the camp unit needs, the Finnish troops would be bringing to camp whether you were in the camp unit or not. This means that you probably won’t need to worry about traveling with big group equipment. Who brings what is another conversation you should have with the Finnish troops after you find out who you will share a camp unit with. You will need to bring your own tents, though.
There has also been talk of possibly getting bigger equipment for Kajo that International groups could then rent directly from here, and a list of places where in Finland you can get certain pieces of equipment it won’t make sense to bring with you. These are, however, still in the idea stage, and we won’t promise they will happen.
The group equipment list for camp units should be ready and available soon after registration.
Is it possible to wash your clothes?
There are no specified washing places. You must bring your own supplies with biodegradable/ environmentally friendly soap.
