What Is a Camporee?
A camporee is many things—camping fun for youth, the thumping of hundreds of feet on the way to an evening campire, and the blue smoke from fires cooking stew or ham and eggs. It’s the patter of rain onmanytentsatnight.It’stherippleofwind-blown flags in the morning sun. It’s catching the idea of teamwork in a patrol. It’s learning to carry out an order to help the team succeed.
A camporee can be a perfect showplace for the Scouting program and, therefore, go far beyond just being a gathering of boys.
A camporee starts with the recognition that a patrol
is the basic camping unit.The patrol demonstrates
its very best camping techniques and shares its experiences with other patrols.The camporee involves the type of equipment that can be carried in a pack by boys and can be set up entirely by boys, allowing them to be completely self-sufficient for a self-reliant experience over a period of two or three days.
Camporees are held on a council or district basis. They may be held at any time of the year. Camporee programs may include contests and demonstrations of outdoor Scouting skills as well as campfires, games, andfieldevents.TheseactivitiescanshowScoutingat its best.
Camporees can help councils and districts meet part of their goals. They stimulate overnight camping; they help units to attain part of the minimum annual 10 days and nights of camping; and they help prepare units for long-term camping. Camporees help units earn the Centennial Unit Award.
