Indigenous Scout Jo Alice Burgess Completes Landmark Icelandic Expedition

A 12-year-old Indigenous student from Adelaide has returned from the adventure of a lifetime after representing Scouts Australia at the 31st Icelandic Jamboree. Jo Alice Burgess, a Year 7 student at Blackwood High School, spent three weeks in the Iceland Highlands following a dedicated fundraising campaign that saw her raise $8,500 to fund the international trip. According to a report by the Koori Mail on 24 August 2026, Burgess embarked on the journey on 15 July, travelling from Adelaide to Reykjavik via Sydney, Singapore, and Helsinki. The young scout, who is an active member of Scouts SA, was motivated to join the Icelandic expedition after discovering she was too young for the 2026 World Jamboree in Poland. Not to be deterred, she spent months selling food at local markets and conducting a community bottle drive to meet her financial goals. Based at Hamra, approximately six hours north of the capital, Burgess participated in rigorous activities including abseiling off glaciers, hiking over 150 kilometres, and learning traditional Icelandic knotting and lashing to build hammocks and treehouses. Her efforts to bridge cultures were highlighted when she was interviewed on Icelandic national television and met with the President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir. Burgess, who received the Molly Byrne award for excellence in 2025, used the trip to combine her interests in nature and hiking with a personal challenge of self-determination. While the summer midnight sun meant she missed seeing the Northern Lights, the Koori Mail reported that the young hiker is already considering a return trip to experience the Icelandic winter and continue her international scouting journey. Her family and the local Blackwood community supported the endeavour, which Burgess hopes will inspire other Indigenous youth to pursue international opportunities through hard work.