Picture an entire city made of tents, with tens of thousands of youth wearing scarves, giant gateways, competitions, campfires, and a screen straight out of a festival. That's a camporee — and the question everyone asks after watching the videos is the same: how do I get in on this? The short answer: through your club. The full answer, with age requirements, deadlines, real prices, and even what to do if you're not a Pathfinder yet, is coming up next.
What Exactly Is a Camporee?
A camporee is the official large-scale Pathfinder campout: several clubs gathered in the same place for days, with tents, events, inspections, pin trading, and outdoor spiritual programs. The name comes from camporee — a blend of camp and jamboree (a big festival). If you want to feel what it's like from the inside, we already covered it in detail in what a camporee is.
Think of camporees like soccer championships. There's the "local" level (a region or district camporee, with neighboring clubs), the "state" level (an Association or Mission camporee — what the church calls a "Field"), the "national" level (a Union camporee), and the "World Cup": the Division camporee, which brings together clubs from eight South American countries. The higher the level, the rarer the event — and the bigger the anticipation.
The next giant already has a date: the VI South American Camporee takes place in January 2027, at Parque do Peão, in Barretos (SP), with 120,000 participants expected across two editions — Alpha, January 5–10, and Omega, January 12–17. This is the event we'll use as a real-world example of rules and costs throughout this guide.
Who Can Take Part in a Camporee?
Rule number one: a camporee is a club event, not something individuals sign up for on their own. To camp, you need to be an active member of a Pathfinder Club — that group that meets, usually on Sundays, at an Adventist church, for classes, honors, and campouts. It works like a school field trip: the institution registers you, not you as an individual.
Pathfinder spots are for those ages 10 to 15. At big events there's even a "cutoff date," just like youth soccer age categories: at the VI DSA Camporee 2027, it's 06/30/2026 — in practice, according to the official manual, anyone born between 07/01/2011 and 07/01/2016 takes part as a Pathfinder. Anyone turning 16 by the cutoff date joins as staff, the club's team of leaders.
What about adults? They go too — but with a "work badge": staff, counselors, instructors, cook, security, health professional, support team. At the VI DSA Camporee, all of these roles require being over 18 and an active member of the Adventist Church.
How Does Registration Work?
Registration is always collective and handled by the club. The director — the club's main leader — logs into the SGC, the Club Management System (a sort of official Pathfinder "student portal"), and buys the club's spots within pretty short registration windows. For other events, there's also the JA Events Portal, where registration can be individual — but only for those already registered with a club, since the database is integrated. Want to understand this system better? See what the SGC is and how to log in.
At big camporees, the club itself has to meet requirements. At the VI DSA Camporee 2027, for example: having the Annual Insurance active for 2026/2027, being approved by the Pathfinder Ministry of its Association, closing with at least 20 registered members, and staying within the 45% cap on staff spots. In Brazil, payment is made via a single boleto with a 24-hour deadline — and paid registration is not refunded, even in case of withdrawal.
After the spots are purchased, participants' names are entered into the system and can be swapped within the same club until close to the event (for 2027, up until early January). Translating that to your side: let them know early that you want to go, confirm with your parents or guardians, and don't miss any deadline the director sets.
The Pathfinder is the center. He is the focus of the whole Camporee.VI DSA Camporee 2027 Guidelines Manual
How Much Does a Camporee Cost?
It depends on the size of the event. Region and Association camporees tend to be much cheaper and closer to home; Union and Division camporees cost more, because they last more days and have mega-event-scale infrastructure. To give you real numbers, the table below shows the official registration prices for the VI South American Camporee 2027, according to the union (the "national region") the club belongs to.
Pay attention to what's not included: transportation to the event, food (each club sets up its own kitchen, with an ovo-lacto vegetarian menu, and works out how to split that cost), uniform, and the irresistible extras, like pins to trade. Many clubs run fundraisers — selling sweets, pizzas, rummage sales — to bring down the cost of the trip for everyone. Ask how you can help: working for your own spot is part of the adventure too.
| Who registers | Registration fee |
|---|---|
| Clubs from the UCB, UCOB, USB, and USEB unions (Brazil) | R$379.00 |
| Clubs from the ULB, UNB, UNEB, and UNOB unions (Brazil) | R$354.00 |
| Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay | US$67.00 |
| Chile and Peru (north and south unions) | US$62.00 |
| Ecuador | US$57.00 |
| International delegations (outside South America) | US$199.00 |
| One-day visitor (daypass) | R$185.00 per day |
Official prices for the VI South American Camporee (Barretos, 2027), according to the South American Division Guidelines Manual.
Can My Parents Come Too?
They can — but not as "tourists." At a camporee, adults come in with a role: support, cook, security, health professional, or staff. If your parents agree to serve, the club can register them within the adult spots (at the VI DSA Camporee, the cap is 45% of the club's total). Real bonus: a health professional pays half the registration fee and even earns points for the club's ranking.
What about younger siblings? The 2027 manual allows registration of staff members' children under 10, under the direct responsibility of the parents and with separate insurance purchased. And anyone who just wants to stop by and say hi can use the daypass: at the VI DSA Camporee, visits are allowed Wednesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., for R$185 a day — and the ticket is purchased in the SGC by a registered club, which becomes responsible for the visitor.
Golden rule: each camporee sets its own rules for visitors and guests. Before making plans with the family, check with the club's staff what that specific event's manual allows.
What to Pack for a Camporee?
The full list depends on the event and the weather, but some items show up right in the VI DSA Camporee 2027 manual: a Bible (its use is even checked during inspections, for points!), a rain poncho always on hand, plastic bags to protect your mattress and backpack during the day, and a portable FM radio with headphones — that's how simultaneous translation works, in Portuguese, Spanish, and English.
Besides that, think like someone about to camp for nearly a week in a 30–40°C (86–104°F) January, with rain showers: a checked tent, water bottle, sunscreen, cap, flashlight, toiletry kit, and full uniform. We put together a whole prep guide, with a packing checklist, in how to prepare for a camporee.
What Are the Steps to My First Camporee?
1. Join a club. Look for a Pathfinder Club at an Adventist church near you and fill out your membership form — no club, no camporee. 2. Actually participate. Attendance at meetings, classes, and activities counts: many clubs use these criteria to decide who gets to go. 3. Watch the deadlines. The director registers everyone in the SGC, within short windows — let them know early that you want to go.
4. Get your paperwork ready. Parental authorization, medical form, and up-to-date documents. 5. Help with fundraisers to lower the cost of the trip. 6. Pack your bag ahead of time — and start counting down the days. The first time you walk through a camporee's gateway, with the whole club singing the club chant, becomes one of those memories that never leaves you.