For more than a century, a place nestled in the mountains of Switzerland has welcomed Scouts and Scouters from around the world. It’s a place for adventure, fellowship and camaraderie.
“It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to world peace,” says Laura Bussiere, a den leader and assistant Cubmaster with Pack 374 of Virginia Beach, Va. “No matter where you’re from, everyone comes in as, ‘I’m a Scout. Let’s be friends, let’s share songs, let’s share cultures.’ And you look up and you’re in the Alps.”
It’s the Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC). And it’s sort of like a year-round World Scout Jamboree.
What is KISC?
Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell had dreamed of such a place; after the first World Jamboree in 1920, Walther von Bonstetten, the Chief Scout of Switzerland, suggested using an old chalet in the Swiss village Kandersteg to serve as a permanent miniature jamboree site. Baden-Powell approved, and the center opened a couple of years later.
Year-round, visitors — many from global Scouting units — can plan daytrips or multinight stays to KISC, though reservations spike during summer. In 2024, the center saw more than 13,600 guests from 55 different countries.
“It’s an adventure to go abroad and do anything, but to have so much common ground with people immediately is amazing,” says Noah Bokansky, a unit committee member with Troop 620 in University Heights, Ohio. “At a campfire, you might hear some familiar songs, but you might see some different traditions.”
What can you do there?
Summer adventures include hiking (even on glaciers), canyoneering, river tubing, mountain biking, and more. You can even visit nearby chocolate and cheese factories. After a day of outdoor fun, everyone can hang out, share a meal and gather around a campfire.
In the winter, visitors ski, snowshoe and build igloos. And at any time of year, many of the activities are guided by KISC staff members.
“I had the pleasure to be a hiking guide,” says Bussiere, whose second trip to KISC was as a summer staff member. “My office was the Bernese Oberland, taking Scouts from around the world through the mountains.”
Although the center offers high-adventure activities, it also provides some options for families with young children.
“With Kandersteg, everything is open,” Boksansky says. “You have total control of what you want to do.”
Why go?
Scouting is a global movement, and connecting with other Scouts and Scouters from around the world can enrich your Scouting experience by showing how everyone in this movement has a shared goal of making the world a better place.
“Going to visit opened my eyes to international Scouting,” Bussiere says.
She shared ideas for international and cultural events with her pack’s leaders. Now the pack participates in cultural events in Virginia as well as the global Jamboree-on-the-Air and Jamboree-on-the-Internet (JOTA-JOTI), and Cub Scouts work on Messengers of Peace projects.
If you want to go, plan at least 18 months in advance, especially if you’re going during summer. You can register for activities and book your stay at KISC through the center’s website.
“Everyone has the little purple patch (world crest) on their uniform — you’re part of something that’s way bigger than yourself,” Boksansky says. “It’s an awesome way to have a great adventure and make a lot of friends.”
