In 1907, Robert Baden Powell took a group of Boy Scouts out to Brownsea Island in Southern England to camp and test their abilities. This was the first Boy Scout camp.

More than 100 years later, Brownsea Island has been re-created at the National Boy Scout Jamboree in America, and from what the Scouts can tell, there isn't too much about Scouting that has changed.

"We still deal with the same issues as Scouts as they did over 100 years ago when Scouting first started," Scoutmaster Steve Pappas said. "We need food, we need shelter and sometimes we need heat."

Traditionally, the National Boy Scout Jamboree is held every four years. It was last held in 2005, but postponed to 2010 because this year marks the 100th Anniversary of Boy Scouts of America.

Since the Jamboree was started in 1937, Scoutmaster Greg Pino, from Roanoke, said that the Blue Ridge Mountains Council has sent troops. This Jamboree is no different. Nearly 150 Boy Scouts from the Roanoke Valley are on hand with more than 45,000 of their fellow Scouts to participate.

On Saturday evening, a celebration was held at the jamboree to commemorate the 100th anniversary.

The Scouts arrived at Fort A.P. Hill, near Fredericksburg, where the jamboree has been held since 1981, on July 26 for 10 days of Scouting activities. The event ends Wednesday.

Throughout the event, boys ages 12 to 18 will earn merit badges, swim, scuba dive, snorkel, shoot rifles, trade patches and go through obstacle courses, among many other activities.

"For the boys, coming to a jamboree is a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity because they happen every four years and there is age limit," Pino said. "There are some younger ones here who are already looking forward to the next Jamboree and older ones who are experiencing it for the last time."

James Warren, 14, a Star Scout from Roanoke, obtained his amateur radio operator's license.

"It means that I can communicate with others by radio," Warren said. " I'm excited because it's a skill that I can really use."

As a Boy Scout, Warren said, he has become a strong-minded individual who also enjoys the challenge of working as team.

Raymond Wilhelm of Roanoke said this year's jamboree is sure to be memorable because he earned Eagle Scout status there. Wilhelm, 17, is the only Scout from the Southern Region of America to become an Eagle Scout this year. His final project to earn the coveted honor was restoring old Roanoke Times photos for the O. Winston Link Museum.

Eagle Scout is the highest rank that a Boy Scout can achieve in Boy Scouts of America. The final project took him six months, but becoming an Eagle Scout is an honor he has been working toward since he became involved in Scouting, he said.

"As a Boy Scout, I know that I can walk into any situation and be prepared," Wilhelm said. "These are the best times of my life."

During his address to the troops, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, himself an Eagle Scout, talked about his experience as a Scout. He also talked about an "unfit America."

"At a time when many American young people are turning into couch potatoes, and too often much worse, Scouting continues to challenge boys and young men, preparing you for leadership," Gates said during his address.

This years' Jamboree is the most technological it has ever been. For the first time, everyone on site has access to Wi-Fi, there are booths where cellphone calls can be made and where electronics can be charged. A text messaging system has been deployed to communicate important alerts.

Even in the midst of all the technology at their fingertips, Pino said, the boys are walking eight to 10 miles a day going back and forth to different destinations. Also, they still use the skills they have acquired through their training. They still pitch tents, make fires and prepare their own food.

"When the rain came, the boys who were at the campsite had to take care of their own stuff and get it out of the rain, but they also had to make sure that they took care of everyone's stuff," Pino said.

Pappas said that although things are changing, the ideals of Boy Scouts of America still remain.

"What we do is a lot like being a part of a sports team, but in sports there is always a winner," Pappas said. "In Scouting, no one wins until the last man gets to the top of the hill."