Scouts BSA Troop 47 from Scarborough, recently took the lead in organizing and running the 2023 fall camporee held at Camp William Hinds in Raymond.

The camporee was widely attended by more than two hundred youth and adults from York, Cumberland, Androscoggin, Oxford and Sagadahoc counties.

A camporee is a weekend filled with fellowship and skill competitions. This year’s skill competitions included several fun and challenging activities, such as Fire Building, a low ropes course known as COPE (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience), Orienteering, Rifle Shooting, Gaga Ball, Knot Tying, First Aid, a Blindfolded Tent Race, and a simple outdoor cooking competition. Participating youth were scored for their Leadership, Scout Spirit, Teamwork, and Scout Spirit. Scout Troop 648 of Brunswick was the overall winner.

Camporees and similar events are usually organized by adult staff, but this event was special in that its planning and execution was led by a dedicated group of Scouts from Troop 47, local graduates of Scouting’s National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), and the Casco Bay Chapter of the Order of the Arrow (OA); the OA is Scouting’s National Honor Society.

Spearheaded by Eagle Scout Nathan Clive, and Life Scout Sam Poulin, both of whom are members of Troop 47 in Scarborough, Scouts worked for several months to design the camporee events around a “Mainah” theme, and to develop a comprehensive written plan that helped ensure smooth and safe execution.

John Humpage, Scoutmaster for Troop 47 said “We are extremely proud of our youth’s role in planning and running the 2023 Fall camporee. The Scouting program has specific objectives, commonly referred to as the “Aims of Scouting.” They are character development, leadership development, citizenship training, and personal fitness, and the Scout’s role in planning and running the camporee helped further those four aims.”