World Timezone Relay

Objective:

• Teach youth members about different time zones around the world.
• Help them understand how time differences affect communication during JOTA/JOTI.

Materials Needed:

• A large world map (preferably one that shows time zones).
• Sticky notes or small flags.
• Clocks or watch faces (paper cutouts work too).
• Pens or markers.
• A list of countries participating in JOTA/JOTI.

Instructions:

Introduction (5 minutes):

• Begin with a brief discussion about what time zones are and why they exist.
• Explain how the Earth’s rotation leads to different parts of the world experiencing day and night at different times.

Map Activity (10 minutes):

• Divide the youth members into small groups.
• Give each group a set of sticky notes and a list of countries.
• Ask them to locate each country on the map and place a sticky note on it.
• Then, have them calculate the time difference between your location (Australia) and each country.

Time Conversion Relay (10 minutes):

• Set up a relay race where each group must convert a given time in Australia to the local time in another country.
• For example, “If it’s 3 PM in Sydney, what time is it in London?”
• The first team to correctly calculate the local time gets a point.

Discussion (5 minutes):

• Talk about how these time differences will affect their communication during JOTA/JOTI.
• Discuss strategies for connecting with Scouts in different time zones.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understanding of global time zones.
• Improved mathematical skills through time conversion.
• Awareness of how to plan international communication.