More than 10,000 Pathfinder children, teens, and young people from Bolivia took part in the VII National Camporee of the Bolivian Union, held from July 5 to 9, 2023, at the La Arboleda campground in the department of Santa Cruz. Under the motto "Vencer o Vencer" ("To Win or To Win"), the gathering was described by Noticias Adventistas as the country's largest Pathfinder camporee in seven years.
According to Noticias Adventistas, the official portal of the Adventist Church, the highlight of the event was the baptism of more than 600 Pathfinders over the five days. The program also included the investiture of around 200 Master Guides and a public declaration of faithfulness to God made by the more than 10,000 campers.
The largest Bolivian camporee in seven years
The VII National Camporee gathered, according to Noticias Adventistas, more than 10,000 children, teens, and young people from clubs spread across the entire Bolivian territory. The gathering took place at the La Arboleda campground, in Santa Cruz, between July 5 and 9, 2023.
The figure marks the resumption of large in-person gatherings in the Bolivian Union. According to the division, it was the largest Pathfinder camporee held in the country in the previous seven years — a span that also crossed the period of health restrictions that affected mass events across South America.
The program was organized into four major areas of activity: the Pathfinder Plaza (Plaza del Conquistador), recreational activities, various events, and the community-service track. The structure sought to balance the camping experience with moments of spirituality and service to the community.
More than 600 baptisms throughout the event
The most prominent moment, according to Noticias Adventistas, was the baptisms. More than 600 Pathfinders made the decision to be baptized during the five days of the camporee, one of the greatest spiritual results ever recorded at a national gathering of the Bolivian Union.
In addition to the baptisms, around 200 Master Guides were invested — one of the leadership classes of the Pathfinder program. The investiture recognizes young people who have completed a path of study, honors, and service, qualifying them to lead units and support the direction of the clubs.
The closing brought the more than 10,000 participants together in a collective declaration of faithfulness to God, a symbolic gesture that, according to the division, summed up the purpose of the motto "Vencer o Vencer": the invitation to persevere in faith regardless of the circumstances.
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Alongside the program at the campground, the community-service track took the Pathfinders into the streets of the municipalities of Buena Vista and Portachuelo, in the Santa Cruz region. The action consisted of delivering food baskets to families in need, distributed at their own homes.
According to Noticias Adventistas, municipal authorities from the two cities highlighted the volunteer work of the Pathfinders on behalf of the families served. The initiative reinforces a hallmark of Adventist camporees: turning the gathering of thousands of young people into a concrete benefit for the communities that host them.
For the Pathfinder club, this type of activity embodies one of the movement's pillars — service to others — putting teens and young people in direct contact with the social reality surrounding the event.
World and South American leaders at the pulpit
The camporee featured the presence of leaders of the Pathfinder Ministry at the world and South American levels. According to Noticias Adventistas, pastors Andrés Peralta, the world representative, and Udolcy Zukowski, the South American leader, took part in the program and delivered messages to the campers, encouraging them to remain firm on the path of faith.
The presence of leadership of this stature at a national camporee is a sign of the weight the Bolivian Union has gained within the movement's structure in South America. Udolcy Zukowski oversees the Pathfinder Ministry in the South American Division (SAD), which coordinates the work in eight countries, including Brazil and Bolivia.
What a camporee is and why it matters
For the reader who is just now discovering the movement, some context is worthwhile. A camporee is a large camp that brings together Pathfinder clubs from the same region for days of activities, competitions, spiritual programming, and fellowship. It can be at the district, conference, union (national), or division (continental) level, ranging from hundreds to tens of thousands of participants.
The Bolivian Union is the body that coordinates the Adventist Church — and, consequently, the Pathfinder clubs — across the entire territory of Bolivia. It is part of the South American Division, an administrative headquarters that spans eight countries. A national camporee, like this one, brings together the clubs from across the country in a single place.
The Pathfinders form a movement geared toward children, teens, and young people, traditionally in the 10-to-15 age range, with a program that combines study, nature, honors, leadership, and community service. Gatherings like the VII National Camporee serve as milestones in the trajectory of these young people — and, often, as the setting for important spiritual decisions, as with the more than 600 baptisms recorded in Bolivia.