Why Do We Want To Use A
Theme?
BSA Camporee Guide says:
-
A Camporee is many things - camping fun
for boys, the thumping of hundreds of feet on the way to an evening
campfire, and the blue smoke from fires cooking stew or ham and eggs. It's the
patter of rain on many tents at night. It's the ripple of windblown flags in
the morning sun. It's catching the idea of teamwork in a patrol. It's learning
to carry out an order you don't really like.
-
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. The equipment thus set up enables the boys
to be completely self sufficient for a self-reliant experience over a period
of 2 or 3 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 skill as well as
campfires, games, and field events. These activities can show Scouting at its
best.
-
Camporees can help councils and districts
meet part of their goals. They stimulate overnight camping; they help units to
attain part of their annual 10 days and nights of camping; and they help
prepare units for long-term camping. Camporees thus help units to earn the
Quality Unit Award.
Ř
However, nowhere in the entire document does the word theme
appear...
What Does A Themed
Camporee Mean?
From the Dictionary... A theme is...
-
The central meaning or dominant idea in a
literary work. A theme provides a unifying point around which the plot,
characters, setting, point of view, symbols, and other elements of a work are
organized. It is important not to mistake the theme for the actual subject of
the work; the theme refers to the abstract concept that is made concrete
through the images, characterization, and action of the text.
-
A unifying idea that is a recurrent
element in a literary or artistic work
-
A central idea or statement that unifies
and controls the entire work
OK, So Why Do We Want To
Use A Theme?
•
To unify the events that participants will engage in
•
To celebrate something
•
To get the creativity going
•
To make things different
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