Pins, Patches and Long Sashes: An Archived Pathfinder Note on Display

Pathfinders is the Seventh-day Adventist club for children and teens, according to Adventist Review. At international camporees, members trade collectible pins.

A 2019 Adventist Review article says pins first appeared at camporees in the early 1990s and that trading "has grown exponentially." A North American Division youth leader quoted there describes it as practice in eye contact, courage and fair exchange. He says a "Pin Trading" honor, developed in 2014, teaches "fun, fair, and friendly" etiquette. A 2014 Northwest Adventists report from the Oshkosh camporee quotes participants who said trading helped them meet people from other countries.

The sash question comes from a single, older essay, not a debate happening in 2026. In an Adventist Youth Ministries Museum newsletter dated April 2021 (page updated March 2025), a longtime Pathfinder historian traces the honor sash back to a 1929 handbook. She writes that since about the 1990s some sashes have grown "way longer and way wider than regulation." She suggests moving camporee patches to a jacket or vest, and says the sash is meant to show what you learned, "not a show and tell event."

Her point connects to an Adventist theme of achievement as service, not status. But that is one author's view.

Sources (3)

1. Adventist Review: "Put a Pin in It" (2019, before the Aug 2019 camporee) — Official
2. Northwest Adventists: "Pin Trading Brings Conversation, Fun, and Memories" (14 Aug 2014) — Official
3. Adventist Youth Ministries Museum: newsletter essay on the honor sash (24 Apr 2021; updated Mar 2025) — Other

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Pins, Patches and Long Sashes: An Archived Pathfinder Note on Display. Puls Strom, Nov 6, 2026. https://pulsstrom.com/c/417337

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