What will make Michigan International Camporee 2000 different than most international Scout camps is the way Scouts from different countries will be included in each camporee troop and in each camporee patrol.  Camping for a week as part of an international troop and an international patrol will give each Scout unique opportunities to learn about other countries and other cultures and to make new international friends.  With a total of 600 youth participants, the entire camp will be small enough that each Scout will be able to meet and get to know Scouts from all the other countries that will be represented.

The 600 youth participants in Michigan International Camporee 2000 will be divided into 15 troops of 40 Scouts each.  16 Scouts in each troop will be from Michigan, 8 will be from some other state or some province of Canada, and 16 will be from one or more countries outside the United States and Canada.  All the Scouts in each troop will participate as a group in many of the camporee activities.

Sunday, July 30, will be arrival and setup day at Northwoods.  In the late afternoon, there will be an opening ceremony at the parade ground.  Each contingent will enter with their national flag.  The raising of all the flags will signal the official opening of Michigan International Camporee 2000.

Monday, July 31, through Friday, August 4, will be program days.  Each troop will be scheduled to participate in three program areas each day, the first from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, the second from 12:30 to 2:30 PM, and the third from 2:45 to 4:45 PM.  One program area each day will be a water area and two will be land areas.  Activities at water areas will include swimming, rowing, and canoeing on Lake Arrowhead, a water carnival in which each troop will complete with two other troops in waterfront events, and an inner tube float trip down a section of the Rifle River.  Activities at land areas will include handicraft, shooting sports, Scoutcraft, team games with another troop, initiative games, international campfires, and opportunities to experience the lives of Native Americans, the Voyageurs, and early Michigan settlers.

During some of the evenings at Michigan International Camporee 2000, everyone will attend camp-wide shows at the campfire bowl.  We expect a highlight of the week again in 2000 will be the International Night, with song and dance from many countries.  Other evenings will be unscheduled, with opportunities available for swimming, boating, archery, rifle, handicraft, and badge swopping early in the evening, and for campfires in troop campsites later in the evening.

Saturday, August 5, will be International Festival Day.  On that day, contingents from different countries, from different parts of the United States and Canada, and from Michigan, will prepare foods representative of where they come from, and will set up displays and activities.

On Sunday, August 6, there will be religious services and then a closing flag ceremony at the parade ground.  Michigan International Camporee 2000 will officially end on that day, but we expect that the spirit and friendships it creates will continue for many years.

You can learn more about what Michigan International Camporee 2000 will be like by reading the SCOUTING magazine article "Celebrating the Spirit" that describes the 1997 Michigan International Camporee.

Last updated: September 22, 1998