A camporee is a local or regional gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. Similar to a camporee, a jamboree occurs less often and draws units from the entire nation or world.
In the Boy Scouts of America, districts or councils may hold a camporee once or twice a year. Typically, the camporee involves competitions, with events such as fire building, knot tying, first aid, emergency preparedness, pioneering or orienteering. Some camporees also integrate work on merit badges. The camporee may be centered around a central theme such as living history, horsemanship, aquatics, shooting sports, a historical trail, a service project, and most recently Geocaching. Camporees often have a campfire program with awards and presentations, skits and songs. Camporees also may have a service project that helps the hosting facility. Typical service projects could be pruning trees, spreading mulch or trash pick up.
Councils sometime use the term camporall for a council level camporee, or they may use a unique name. A Scoutorama is a show of Scouting activities, when combined with a camporee; it may be called a camporama.In some southern councils Scoutorama is replaced by "Scout Show". $2 Tickets or $10 discount card are sold by units to promote Scout Show to the public,and to help raise money for individual units.
The Order Of the Arrow, which is a recognized group of scouts that have displayed high enthusiasm and performed at high skill throughout their scouting careers, can often hold this event.
It is common for Girl Scouts to have camporees as well. Sometimes Girl Scout camporees are hosted by council or individual troop leaders, but camporees are frequently hosted by older Girl Scouts.
The campers attending a camporee are usually between the ages of six and ten when they are old enough to be away from their home and family for a weekend, but too young to go camping on their own.
Activities at a Girl Scout camporee are oriented towards building character and leadership while having fun and helping the community at the same time. They might include: earning a patch or badge verifying that they improved skills in a certain area, playing a variety of games, having a traditional bonfire with skits and snacks, and doing a community service project.