Camporee 2011 Photos
Camporee 2008 Photos
The Grand Campout
International camporees take place once every three years. It's the largest true wilderness camping experience in the world that we know of. Organized on the same small group basis as the local Cadet club, this unique wilderness camping experience brings more than a thousand men and boys together for eight days of skill development, fun, and inspiration. Camporees are hosted by local groups and can be held anywhere in North America.
Using Your Head, Your Hands, and Your Heart
On the first day the boys and their counselors must construct their shelter for the week. No high-tech camping gear here. It's up to everyone's ingenuity and camping skills to take wooden poles, plastic sheets, and twine to design and build their home. "No problem," you say? All your buddies from back home will have it figured out ahead of time and your hometown team will have the shelter up in no time. Not so fast! Each camporee group (cadre) will consist of eight or nine Cadets and two counselors, and the individuals that make up the cadre will all meet for the first time at the camporee. That's right — you have to be patient, understanding, and accepting as you learn about each other and from each other.
The Experience of a Lifetime
The camporee provides many adventures to write home about -- and many adventures to take home with you. A typical camporee may include activities like archery, orienteering, riflery, hiking, and crafts, but that is just the beginning.
- A day-long excursion to local attractions — for example, a camporee in California took everyone to see the wonders of Yosemite and the giant Sequoias.
- Evening programs feature well-known entertainers and musicians, who through their artistry, provide a message that carries you beyond your time at the camporee.
- The Saturday afternoon program often features olympic style competitions or fantastic displays of local talent.
- Sunday worship -- is in God's great outdoor cathedral where you may feel closer to Him than ever before.
The international camporee usually is an event that a boy will have a chance to attend only once or twice in his years as a Cadet — a highlight of the cadeting experience.
Requirements for Attending
Age: A Cadet must be 11-years-old by the end of the year in which the camporee is held. For example, if it is the 2014 camporee he must be 11 years old by December 31st of 2014.
Merit Badges: A Cadet must have earned the Axemanship, Firebuilding, Camp Cooking, and Knots and Lashing merit badges.
Certification: A Cadet must have completed the Camporee Certification Course by the time the camporee is held.
Financial Assistance
We would like everyone who wants to attend camp to be able to do so. If finances are a problem we have a fund that was set up in honor of a counselor that loved Cadeting and especially the camporee experience. Check out the Cornell Rylaarsdam fund if you know of someone who needs help to attend camporee.
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