How to organize and host a Camporee

Hosting a Camporee is one of the biggest logistical challenges a Pathfinder leadership team can take on. There are hundreds, sometimes thousands, of children and teens camping together for several days, with everything that entails: safe drinking water, bathrooms, food, security, health care, and a program that inspires. The good news is that there's a well-established path. Events like camporees follow standards already tested in official Adventist Church manuals, and this guide brings together the most consistent best practices so you can plan calmly and host with excellence. Where the rules vary from region to region, we'll be upfront about it: always confirm with your Conference/Field.

🗺️Start with the location: water, bathrooms, and security

Choosing the grounds shapes almost everything that follows. Before you even think about a theme or a T-shirt, visit the site carefully and evaluate three non-negotiable points: safe drinking water, enough bathrooms, and security conditions. Large camporees place water filters and drinking fountains strategically around the grounds, install bathrooms and power points in shared-use pavilions, and mark out camping areas for each delegation. At a large Camporee held in Parnamirim (Rio Grande do Norte), for example, the setup included water filters spread across the grounds, bathrooms in the pavilions, and power points distributed to all delegations.

Think of the grounds as a small tent city. It needs flat, well-drained ground for tents, access for emergency vehicles (ambulance, fire truck), shade or structures against sun and rain, and a drainage plan in case of storms. That last point isn't theoretical, camporees have already been interrupted by storms that forced campers to relocate, so always have a backup plan for covered shelter.

Finally, define perimeters and access control. Common practice in regional manuals is that each club is responsible for its own campsite area, and that no one from outside camps within that area. The grounds are usually coordinated by a security team made up of adult members, often in partnership with local police or security guards.

👥Build your organizing committees

No one organizes a Camporee alone. The model that works is to split the organization into committees or teams, each with a clear leader and months of lead time to work. The most common areas are: registration and general secretariat, infrastructure and logistics, food service, health and first aid, security and discipline, spiritual program and recreation, and communications.

The security team deserves special attention. Regional manuals often require a minimum number of security staff per club, always adults over 18, plus a central discipline coordination team active throughout the event. These numbers vary by region, in one regional manual reviewed, for example, a minimum of two security staff per club was required. Confirm the exact requirement with your Conference/Field.

Also define the ratio between staff and Pathfinders. For a club's registration at a regional Camporee, it's common to require a minimum number of members and a ratio between leadership and children, in manuals reviewed, for instance, a minimum of 15 members per club was requested, with roughly 60% Pathfinders and 40% staff. Again: treat this as a reference, not a universal rule, and check the official manual for your event.

"Each club will be responsible for its own campsite area."Guidelines Manual, 6th Pathfinder Region

📅Schedule: from the gate to closing ceremony

A good Camporee has rhythm. The program usually starts in the late afternoon or early evening of the first day, with arrival and campsite setup, and ends on the morning of the last day, with awards and closing. Between those two points, balance spiritual moments (services, messages, prayer), class and honor activities, recreation and competitions, and time for meals and rest.

Build a detailed hour-by-hour schedule and publish it ahead of time in the guidelines manual. Include quiet hours, wake-up time, meal times, and the main general gatherings. A common practice is that clubs do not leave during the spiritual program, this is a central moment of the event, and the organizers expect everyone's presence and participation.

Keep in mind that many camporees use a points system to encourage organization and discipline. Things like a clean kitchen, a complete first aid kit, tidiness in the camping area, and participation in activities all earn points, leading to final rankings (gold, silver, bronze). If your event uses this model, make the criteria transparent in the manual from the start.

📝Registration, food, and logistics

Registration is usually done in stages, with fees that increase as the date approaches, this rewards early planners and helps organizers forecast numbers. Set clear deadlines, a registration form per participant, and ideally an online system for tracking. Knowing how many people are coming is the foundation for everything else: food quantities, bathrooms, water, and health teams all depend on that number.

For food service, the golden rule is hygiene. Manuals require an organized, clean kitchen, a menu set in advance, and kitchen staff properly dressed, identified, and wearing hair covers. At very large camporees, a central kitchen may prepare tens of thousands of meals a day; at smaller events, each club runs its own kitchen following hygiene standards. Decide which model your event will use and communicate it in the manual.

For overall logistics, remember that each club typically brings its own tents and equipment, and that basic items like a personal stool and Bible are usually each Pathfinder's own responsibility. The central organization handles shared infrastructure: water, bathrooms, power, signage, entrance gate, stage, and common areas.

🏥First aid and health

Health can't be improvised. Even at small events, require every club to bring a complete first aid kit, manuals list items like a thermometer, blood pressure monitor, gauze, bandages, antiseptics, and basic medications, and a health form per participant, with information on allergies, ongoing medications, and an emergency contact.

The central organization should set up a first aid station and have access to emergency transport. Large camporees operate with impressive setups: at one event in Northeast Brazil, more than 300 health professionals (doctors, nurses, psychologists, and paramedics) worked in shifts, with a lab, X-ray, ambulances, and mobile ICUs. You don't need to replicate that scale at a smaller regional event, but you do need to guarantee the essentials: an on-call health professional, a well-stocked kit, and a clear plan for transport to the nearest hospital.

Also invest in advance training. It's common for leaders and Pathfinders to take courses in first aid, basic rescue, and CPR, often taught by firefighters or health professionals. Having trained people spread throughout the campsite makes a real difference in an emergency.

"Trained to act in a situation that isn't part of the plan, a risk situation."Event organizer, on first aid training

📊Evaluation: close the loop and improve for next time

The Camporee doesn't end at closing ceremony. Set aside a moment, still during the event, for awards and recognition of the clubs, especially if there's a points system for organization, discipline, and participation. This recognition honors the effort and teaches the value of excellence.

Afterward, hold an honest evaluation with the organizing team. What worked? Where were the bottlenecks (lines, bathrooms, water, food, communication)? Were there any health or security incidents? Also gather feedback from club directors, who saw the event through the children's eyes. Write it all down while memories are still fresh.

Finally, record the lessons learned in a simple document and keep it with the event materials. The next leadership team, or you yourself next year, will be grateful to find real numbers, supplier contacts, site maps, and lessons learned. Organizing a Camporee is, at its core, an exercise in service and continuity: each edition should make the path easier for the next one.