Returning to the club as an adult

Some people catch the smell of a campfire and travel back in time. A marching drill, a war cry, a scarf tied around the neck —and suddenly you're 12 years old again. If you were a Pathfinder (or you're the parent or aunt of one), here's the good news: the club's door never closed on you. In fact, the theme of the next big South American camporee is, literally, "Always a Pathfinder".

🔥Why does missing the club hit so hard?

First, the basics for anyone just arriving: the Pathfinder Club is the Seventh-day Adventist Church's program for boys and girls ages 10 to 15 —camping trips, honors, marching drills, friendship and faith. Anyone who lived it never forgets it. It works like that childhood song that pops up on your phone: it takes two seconds and the whole memory comes flooding back.

And the movement knows it. The theme of the VI South American Camporee —a camporee is the giant campout that brings together hundreds of clubs at once— is "Always a Pathfinder". The event takes place in January 2027 at Parque do Peão, in Barretos (SP), in two editions (Alpha, January 5–10, and Omega, January 12–17), with roughly 120,000 participants expected in total, according to the official manual.

The message between the lines is clear: a Pathfinder never retires. The role changes, the age changes —the calling continues. And there are five official paths back in.

Always a PathfinderOfficial theme of the VI Campori DSA 2027 (Guidance Manual, 2025)

✅Can an adult really go back to the club?

They can —and the club depends on it. An "active" Pathfinder is someone between 10 and 15 years old. At Camporee 2027, for example, the official cutoff date is 30/06/2026: anyone who turns 16 by that date already takes part as staff —the name given to the adult team of volunteers who keep the club running.

And it's worth repeating the word: volunteers. No one is paid in the club. In exchange, commitment is expected: leadership positions generally require being a baptized member of the Adventist Church and having the local church's approval —each club and region has its own process. Anyone working with minors also goes through the church's vetting process and follows child-protection guidelines, along the lines of Brazil's ECA (the Child and Adolescent Statute, a 1990 Brazilian law).

In practice, the age scale works like this:

🧭Path 1: counselor —closest to the action

The counselor is the adult who looks after a unit —the small group of 6 to 8 Pathfinders who stick together, like a team within the team. They're the ones who camp alongside the kids, listen to the week's drama, and teach the same knot for the tenth time, smiling. If a counselor shaped your life at age 12, know this: many of them were former Pathfinders who decided to come back.

And if you're the Pathfinder and your dad is reading this over your shoulder: yes, he can become a counselor. And no, he won't be on your case all the time. (Okay, fine: a little.) Many clubs, in fact, prefer to place parents in different units from their own kids —everyone breathes easier that way.

Concrete step 1: show up at the club meeting this Saturday and tell the director you want to help out with a unit. To understand the role from the inside, check out our guide on the counselor's role.

🎓Path 2: instructor —teach what you already know

The instructor is the one who teaches the classes (the yearly curriculum each Pathfinder completes, from Friend to Guide) and the honors —practical studies on a given topic, complete with a patch sewn onto the sash. The South American curriculum alone has more than 470 honors, from first aid to astronomy. You're bound to be good at one of them.

Think about what you're good at day to day: cooking? photography? computers? nursing? carpentry? It's like being the friend who "carries the team" in an online game —you step in with exactly the skill you're good at, and the whole club levels up together.

Concrete step 1: list three of your skills and suggest to the director that you teach one honor per quarter. Nice detail: adults can earn honors too —even as part of the leadership classes.

📋Path 3: staff roles —the positions that keep the club running

A club works like a mini-school: it needs people running the administration. The Camporee 2027 Guidance Manual lists a club's official adult roles: director, associate director, chaplain (looks after spiritual life), treasurer (handles the money), and secretary (handles documents, minutes, and roll calls) —on top of the counselors and instructors from the previous paths.

If you're organized, good with spreadsheets, or good with people, there's a seat with your name on it. The director role usually comes with the local church's approval and a few years of experience in the club —if that's your goal, start with another role and work your way up step by step.

Concrete step 1: ask the director which position is open for next year. (Spoiler: it's almost always treasurer or secretary.)

🩺Path 4: support —kitchen, security and health

Not everyone wants the spotlight; some prefer working behind the scenes —the "production crew" of the show. At Camporee 2027, each club's adult support positions are official and come with a written rule: only adults over 18 who are active members of the SDA Church (Seventh-day Adventist Church).

And there's a real incentive: the club's security guard and its first two cooks are exempt from registration fees, and health professionals pay only 50% —and they still earn the club points in the event's ranking. In other words: that nurse uncle of yours is worth his weight in gold. Literally.

Concrete step 1: if you work in health care, let the director know ahead of time. Club registrations run through the SGC —the official online club-management system— on fixed dates, and spots are limited. Dates, fees and rules for the event are gathered in our guide to Camporee DSA 2027.

Adult slots per club at the VI Campori DSA 2027 — require being 18+ and an active member of the SDA Church. Clubs with up to 20 registrants get 1 kitchen exemption; 21 to 40, two. Source: Guidance Manual (2025).

🏅Path 5: become an invested Leader

For anyone who wants to come back "official card in hand," there are the leadership classes: Leader, Master Leader and Advanced Master Leader. This is the official training track for anyone who leads Pathfinders. Around the world, this role is known as Master Guide; in South America, the current curriculum uses the three names above.

The official rules: the Leader class can start at age 16, but the investiture —the solemn ceremony that marks its completion— only happens from age 18 onward. Master Leader requires being 18 and having 1 year of experience as an invested Leader. All of them require being a baptized member with a written recommendation from the church board. The full requirements are in leadership classes.

Extra motivation: at Camporee 2027 there will be a single investiture ceremony, on Friday night —08/01 for the Alpha edition and 15/01 for Omega. Imagine completing your Leader class in front of tens of thousands of Pathfinders.

🚀What's the first step, in practice?

Keep it simple. This Saturday, head to your church's club (or the nearest one), sit in on the meeting, and talk to the director afterward. Tell them what you're good at and how much time you have each month. No club turns down serious help.

After that, make it official: a volunteer form approved by the church, up-to-date Annual Insurance (mandatory at Camporee 2027 for every registrant —including cooks, security staff and health professionals), and registration entered by the club in the SGC. Each Association may require extra training; the director knows the way.

And remember: that counselor who shaped your childhood was also, once, a busy adult who decided to come back. Now it's your turn to be that person for a 12-year-old.

Being a Pathfinder […] is a lifestyle for eternity.Pr. Jeferson Silva, leader of the Pathfinders in South America —VI Campori DSA 2027 Manual