If you ask any Pathfinder what the highlight of the year is, the answer is very likely to be just one thing: Camporee. It's that moment when dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of clubs gather in one place to camp, compete, worship, and celebrate friendship. But what exactly is a camporee, what are its levels, and what makes these days so memorable? We've gathered here what official Adventist sources report, so you can finally understand how this big gathering works.
So, What Is a Camporee?
A camporee is the name given to the big camping event of the Pathfinder Clubs, the Seventh-day Adventist Church program for children and teens ages 10 to 15. For a few days, several clubs come together in one place to camp, compete in skill tests, live out their faith, and strengthen bonds of friendship. It is, at the same time, a test of everything learned throughout the year and a great celebration of faith.
The word didn't come out of nowhere. It was inspired by the Jamboree, the traditional worldwide Scout gathering, and adapted for Pathfinder vocabulary. In English, the term camporee was coined — and it's the same word we use in Portuguese as "Campori."
One important detail: a camporee is not the same thing as a regular campout. A campout is the regular activity of a single club; a camporee is the gathering of many clubs at the same time, almost always with an official theme, a spiritual program, and graded skill tests.
The Levels of a Camporee
A very common question is: is there a single "world camporee" that brings together all Pathfinders on the planet at once? The honest answer is no. Camporees are organized by levels, which follow the Adventist Church's own administrative structure — each level gathers the clubs within its area.
Simply put, the levels go from smallest to largest: club (the campout of a single club or a few neighboring clubs), regional (clubs from a coordinated region), conference or mission (the local field that oversees the churches of a state or part of one), union (which brings together several conferences and missions), and division (which spans many countries).
In South America, that highest level is the South American Division (SAD), responsible for the clubs of eight countries. When it holds a camporee, the result is massive. There are also large international camporees, such as those held by the North American Division, which bring together Pathfinders from dozens of countries — though they are still tied to a specific division, not a single event for the whole world.
"The South American Pathfinder Camporee is prepared especially for participants of the Pathfinder Clubs of South America."Reference content on the South American Camporee
Setting Up Camp
The camporee begins long before the first skill test: it begins with setting up camp. Each club receives (or marks out) its own space and there puts up its tents, gateways, clotheslines, field kitchen, and everything that will be its "home" during the event. At larger camporees, this sea of tents stretches as far as the eye can see.
More than just shelter, the campsite is part of the score. Organization, cleanliness, gateway creativity, and club discipline are usually judged. This is where skills learned throughout the year come into play, like knot-tying and lashings — used to build sturdy structures out of nothing but poles and rope.
Setting up and maintaining camp teaches teamwork, responsibility, and care for the environment. For many teens, it's the first time they've slept several nights in a row in a tent, away from the comforts of home — and that's exactly why the experience leaves such a lasting mark.
Read alsoTypes of camporeeSkill Tests, Marching Drill, and Challenges
The competitive heart of the camporee is the skill tests. Clubs rotate through skill stations that can include knots and lashings, Bible knowledge, trail signs, sign language, state flags, tent pitching, first aid, and even physical challenges like obstacle courses and crossings. Every correct answer earns the club points.
Another eagerly awaited moment is the marching drill — the coordinated march in which the club executes commands together with near-military precision. Watching dozens of Pathfinders turn, halt, and march as a single body is one of the most striking sights of any camporee.
There are also contests that highlight other talents, such as public speaking and drum and bugle corps (the bands with wind and percussion instruments), along with themed performances. All of this turns the camporee into a great test of what each club has trained for throughout the year, always in a spirit of healthy competition.
Campfire and Spiritual Program
When the sun goes down, the camporee changes pace. It's time for the campfire and the big evening gatherings: praise, skits, testimonies, and messages bringing all the clubs together in front of the stage or around the fire. For many, this is the most moving moment of all.
The spiritual program is what gives meaning to everything. More than winning skill tests, the purpose of a camporee is to strengthen the faith and character of young people. That's why there are Bible studies, moments of prayer, services, and altar calls — and it's not uncommon for many to make important decisions, such as baptism, during the event.
The opening ceremony usually has a striking symbol: at many camporees, the start is declared when a leader plants a machete (or hatchet) into a log, a traditional gesture that officially opens the campsite. It's the sign that the adventure has begun.
"The camporee seeks to provide a spiritual experience that marks generations."Adventist News, on the 6th South American Camporee
What Makes a Camporee Unforgettable
What makes a camporee stay in your memory forever isn't just one skill test won or one trophy earned. It's the sum of everything: the adventure of living out in nature for days, the thrill of marching together with your club, the reverent silence in front of the campfire, and the feeling of belonging to something much bigger than yourself.
In South America, the SAD's camporees have become some of the largest in the world. The 6th South American Camporee, with the theme "Always a Pathfinder," is set for January 2027, in Barretos (SP), with an expected 120,000 participants from eight countries — one of the largest youth gatherings on the planet.
But you don't need to wait for an event of that size to experience the essence of a camporee. From your own club's small campout to the division's mega-event, the purpose is the same: build character, create lifelong friendships, and draw every Pathfinder closer to God. And that story keeps being written by every club that decides to camp and keep moving forward.