More than 8,000 Pathfinders gathered in Rivadavia, in the Argentine province of Mendoza, between February 14 and 18, 2024, at the II National Pathfinder Camporee of the Argentine Union. Held at the Rivadavia Sports Park under the theme "Tripulantes: Misión Asignada" ("Crew Members: Assigned Mission"), the gathering was described by the organizers as the largest national camporee ever held in the country.
According to Noticias Adventistas, the official communication portal of the Adventist Church in South America, the event ended with 110 baptisms and 648 investitures in Pathfinder classes. Beyond the spiritual outcome, the camporee received public recognition: the senate of the province of Mendoza declared the activity of provincial interest, and the opening ceremony was attended by Governor Alfredo Cornejo and Deputy Governor Hebe Casado.
The largest national camporee ever held in Argentina
The figure that sums up the event is the number of registrants: more than 8,000 Pathfinders, coming from different regions of Argentina and with the participation of guests from other countries. According to Noticias Adventistas, it was the largest national camporee held by the Argentine Union up to that point — a leap from the first edition and a milestone for the Pathfinder Ministry in the country.
Before going on, it is worth explaining the term for those just getting started. A camporee is a large campout that brings together several Pathfinder clubs at the same time, with days of programming built around camping, outdoor activities, competitions, music, and spiritual moments. When it is national, it joins clubs from an entire country under the coordination of a Union — in this case, the Argentine Union, one of the administrations that make up the South American Division of the Adventist Church.
The venue was the Rivadavia Sports Park, in the east of the province of Mendoza. Over the five days, the Pathfinders followed a daily agenda that, according to the official coverage, included games, honors, and community service, among other activities typical of the movement.
"Tripulantes": the theme behind the motto
Every camporee revolves around a motto, which sets the tone for the programming, the visual identity, and the spiritual messages. The one chosen for this edition was "Tripulantes: Misión Asignada" — in English, "Crew Members: Assigned Mission".
The idea of a crew speaks directly to the spirit of the movement. Being a Pathfinder, in the program's approach, is not about attending a campout, but about taking on a role within a team headed for a common destination. The motto served as the guiding thread for the sermons and for the event's practical actions, especially those aimed at the community of Rivadavia.
Leaders from different levels of the Pathfinder Ministry were at the helm of the programming. According to Noticias Adventistas, participants included Pastor Nicolás Luna, Pathfinder director of the Argentine Union; Pastor Andrés Peralta, world leader of the ministry; and Pastor Udolcy Zukowski, coordinator of the Pathfinder Ministry for the eight countries of the South American Division. Also present was Pastor Darío Caviglione, president of the Adventist Church in Argentina.
110 baptisms and 648 investitures
Beyond the structure, the camporee has a spiritual objective, and it is there that the most striking figures of the edition are found. According to Noticias Adventistas, there were 110 baptisms throughout the event — decisions of faith made by participants during the days of programming.
There were also 648 investitures. The investiture is the ceremony in which a Pathfinder is officially recognized for having completed the requirements of a class — the set of studies, honors, and activities corresponding to their age group. Investing hundreds of Pathfinders in a single event points to months of work done beforehand in the clubs, which the camporee simply crowns in a collective ceremony.
Baptism and investiture are distinct things: the first is a personal religious decision; the second, the recognition of a journey within the class program. Held at the same event, the two figures help explain why the organizers treated this edition as a milestone.
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Consistent with the motto of "assigned mission", part of the programming left the park and went to the streets of the city. According to Noticias Adventistas, the Pathfinders carried out community actions in neighborhoods of Rivadavia, distributing literature and collecting school supplies, in addition to gathering plastic bottles in environmental care initiatives.
This community component is a hallmark of major Pathfinder events. The logic is simple: a campout with thousands of teenagers can leave a concrete contribution in the place that hosts it, and not just commotion. For the Pathfinder, it is the chance to put into practice, before their own community, the values worked on at the club throughout the year.
Declared of provincial interest
The official recognition came from two fronts. The senate of the province of Mendoza declared the camporee an activity of provincial interest — a formal seal signaling the event's relevance for the region. And the opening ceremony brought together authorities from the provincial government.
According to the government of Mendoza and Noticias Adventistas, those present included Governor Alfredo Cornejo, Deputy Governor Hebe Casado, and the Minister of Education, Cultures, Childhoods and DGE, Tadeo García Zalazar, in addition to mayors of municipalities in the region. In the assessment released by the provincial government, the governor highlighted the positive social character of gatherings such as this one. "The Government of the Province is present to bear witness that we are committed to activities of this kind," Cornejo stated, according to the official communication of the government of Mendoza.
According to the provincial government, in addition to the Argentine participants, the camporee welcomed international guests — from countries such as Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, and the United States — which reinforced the reach of the gathering beyond national borders.
What the camporee says about the movement in Argentina
For the Pathfinder reader in other countries, the data helps to gauge the movement in the neighboring country. According to the government of Mendoza, the Pathfinder Club gathers more than 13,000 members in Argentina and more than 2 million participants worldwide — figures that put a gathering of 8,000 registrants into perspective.
It is worth recalling how the structure is organized. Clubs are grouped into Conferences and Missions (the Fields), which come together in Unions — Argentina is one of them — and the Unions form Divisions. The South American Division spans eight countries, among them Brazil and Argentina, under the regional coordination that, in the case of the Pathfinders, is represented by Pastor Udolcy Zukowski, cited in the event coverage.
National camporees like the one in Mendoza tend to precede and feed into even larger, regional-level gatherings. For the Argentine clubs, a record edition, with hundreds of baptisms and investitures and recognition from the public authorities, works as both a showcase and a stimulus for the next cycle.