Estavayer-le-lac, August 9, 2015. [CD-EUDNews]. The venue where the Camporee took place is a farm, La Corbière, with different options: camping, dorm rooms for school programs, Bed-&-Breakfast and “unusual rooms” tucked away in a cornfield.
It was seemingly by accident that the Seventh-day Adventist Youth leadership came in contact with Patrice Marmy, the farmer and property owner.
“Pastor Raphaël Grin, one of the youth leaders, came for a week-end with other leaders. Then they came again to speak with me and asked if I would agree to receive a thousand people, figures that increased later on. Maybe, saying only “thousand” they would perhaps not impress me from the beginning,” said amused Marmy.
“It was not difficult for us to accept the proposal,” said Marmy. For almost 40 years, the farm has been accustomed to receiving groups of scouts. “But we have never had so many young people around. It was always around 30-40 at a time. Maybe one or two times we had a hundred ... but never as much as this time,” affirmed Marmy.
Of course it is one thing is to make a camp for a hundred scouts, and a completely different thing to set up camp for a thousand. Marmy didn't have any idea of the infrastructure that would be needed on a field normally cultivated with wheat, soybeans, barley, rapeseed...
More than 80’000 square meters were used to set up the whole campsite. Imagine 2’500 participants walking back and forth, for several days on the field. “But with this dry soil, despite less rain than usual in this period, the soil will not suffer too much,” affirmed Marmi.
To prepare the camp, Marmy began planning a year in advance, and even sowed a special grass that resists trampling. Even though this year is unusually dry and the grass has been burned by the sun, it is still in pretty good condition. According Marmy, his general impression of the way the camporee has been managed is more than positive. “Everything was running well. At first there were a few details to set things up but in general everything was fine,” he affirmed. “It was very well organized. I was wondering how you would bring all these people together. One night I walked around in the camp. It was really well organized and there was a very good atmosphere. The Pathfinders are very well supervised. This is great! For them this is something really fantastic to experience,” confirmed Marmy.
Marmy is convinced that the Pathfinders will have great memories of this camp. Sometimes there are people who return to La Corbière, with their children or with their families, remembering the beautiful experiences from when they were students. “I hope it will be the same for these young people one day,” said Marmy.
An International Camporee is planned every 4 years; each time in a different country. And the whole organization from the infrastructure to the program will be created again, from zero. To arrange the details and put all of this into place, just for 6 days, seems crazy! “This event has been a positive experience, and it would be nice to host you again,” Marmy commented with satisfaction. “There have been no problems, and everything has been organized so well.”
It seems to be an invitation to come back next time. But the Youth Department has already confirmed the next venue: one property in Czech Republic. Perhaps another farm, but close to the lake, a real attraction for the Pathfinders. With the experience acquired, it will not be difficult to repeat the success of this Camporee!
For further information from the event visit: www.aycamporee.org, or on the Camporee’s Facebook page: ow.ly/QqHCo or under the hashtag #AYCAMP15.
