ACA, Southern California/Hawaii
2018 SPRING
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE APRIL 17–20
PALM SPRINGS CALIFORNIA
PROGRAM BOOK
Specialty insurance for camps Markel is deeply committed to camps and camp professionals “For over 39 years Markel has demonstrated a deep commitment to the American Camp Association through their philanthropic generosity helping to positively impact the health and safety of the camp community.” —Tom Rosenberg President/CEO American Camp Association
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Contact your insurance agent and ask for a Markel quote today. To find a Markel camp agent or to learn more about Markel benefits and how The Counselor program can protect your camp, visit us at campinsurance.com.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome to SLC 2018! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Conference Center Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Schedule at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Featured Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 SLC Socials: Superhero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Pre-conference Training Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Breakout Session Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Sponsors and Vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Meet Your ACA Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
WELCOME
to SLC 2018!
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WELCOME TO SLC 2018! We are so thrilled that you are here! During your week, we hope you take time to soak in all the wonderful things Palm Springs has to offer while also enjoying the conference’s extraordinary educational sessions, social events, professional networking, and teambuilding with your camp staff team. This conference is made possible by the hard work and dedication of some of our camps’ very own superheroes. The committee has worked hard to create an unparalleled educational opportunity for everyone and is here to take your SLC experience to the next level. Please see all of the amazing committee members below and be sure to say hello during the conference!
Amy Ingram
Andy Kimmelman
Ariel Abt
Brian Straka
Daniel Hammond
Diana Huff
Elliott Fraughton
Jeff Heiser
Jessica Weissbuch
Jessie Spehar
Kayla Weissbuch
KC Wilsey
Kenny Brook
Liz Kimmelman
Marina Knize Program Team
Vendor Showcase MC
Michael Heiman
Nick Coffing
Rasheed Anthony
Stephen Smigielski
Wendel Roth-Strong
Vendor Hall
AV Extraordinaire
Aesthetics/Program Team
AV/Socials Team
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Hospitality
Keynote/VIP Liason
Hospitality
Socials Team
Volunteers
Program Team
Program Team
Conference Co-chair
Registration
Photographer
Socials Team
Aesthetics/Socials Team
Conference Co-chair
Committee Support
Michael Baum
Marketing/Social Media
CONFERENCE CENTER — RENAISSANCE PALM SPRINGS HOTEL
Save the Date for 2019! Spring Leadership Conference 2019 April 9–12, 2019 New location! The Riviera Palm Springs Palm Springs, CA 2018 Spring Leadership Conference - 5
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE TUESDAY, APRIL 17 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Pre-conference Training & Meetings
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Onward
New Attendee Orientation Opening Playnote with Jim Cain Pool Reception at ROCKS Terrace Dinner/Time on Your Own
SNAPSHOTS OF SLC 2017!
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Super Staff SuperVision with Michael Brandwein 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ACA New Director Orientation 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Mental Health First Aid Certification Course 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Childcare Preventative Health Certification Course 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ACA Basic Standards Course
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Vendor Registration & Set Up
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Vendor Showcase Coffee Break Sponsored by 413 Strengthgear
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Morning Keynote with Michael Brandwein 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Educational Breakout Sessions Round #1 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Vendor Showcase & Banquet Lunch 1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Vendor Hall 2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Educational Breakout Sessions Round #2 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Vendor Hall 4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Educational Breakout Sessions Round #3 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Vendor Hall Breakdown/Departure 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Dinner on Your Own 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Superhero Social: Cocktails, Carnivals, & Games
THURSDAY, APRIL 19 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. 3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. 3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Morning Keynote with Jami Winkel Educational Breakout Sessions Round #4 Lunch on Your Own Educational Breakout Sessions Round #5 Ice Cream in Hallway Educational Breakout Sessions Round #6 Meet with Your Team Dinner on Your own/Street Fair Evening Social: SLC Variety Show
FRIDAY, APRIL 20 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Educational Breakout Sessions Round #7 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Educational Breakout Sessions Round #8 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. SLC Closing Campfire 6 - 2018 Spring Leadership Conference
GENERAL INFORMATION Registration & Hospitality Desk
The hospitality area will be available for questions and restaurant and food recommendations. This area is a great resource for information regarding the hotel and Palm Springs.
Registration Hours:
Tuesday, April 17 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 18 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Thursday, April 19 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Room Host Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are the backbone of our conference, which means we need you! Come to a quick volunteer orientation on Tuesday, April 17, immediately following the Opening Playnote. Meet at the stage at the General Session to sign up as a room host for the sessions you are attending. We’ll give you a few simple instructions and you’ll be on your way!
Program Session Seating
Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. For safety and comfort, we will not exceed the allowed seating capacity of each program room. Out of courtesy to the speakers and other attendees, do not take a seat in the session unless you plan to stay for its entirety. Also, please do not enter a room if a “session is full” sign is on the door. The opinions of speakers are their own and not necessarily the opinions of the Spring Leadership Conference or the American Camp Association.
Electronic Recordings
Recordings of program sessions require permission of the speaker. Please ask permission of speakers before recording their session.
Internet Access
Complimentary wireless Internet is available in the hotel lobby and guest rooms. There is also a business center available west of the lobby if you need access to a computer.
In Case of Emergency
For emergencies, call 911. After calling 911, you can also dial 66 from any hotel phone for support from hotel staff. When possible, please alert a member of the ACA staff.
Meet with Your Leadership Team
We’re Endorsed!
The Spring Leadership Conference has educational endorsement! This means that the SLC program has been successfully vetted according to recognized criteria. By participating in the conference, attendees can earn up to 16.5 Continuing Education Credits (CECs). For documentation of the CECs that you’ve earned, go to: www.ACAcamps.org/pdc/cecrequests. For more information about educational endorsement or to attend more events/online trainings that are educationally endorsed, visit: www. ACAcamps.org/pdc/educationalendorsement-program.
Vendor Showcase
Throughout the day on Wednesday, April 18, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., our sponsors and vendors will be available in the Ballroom Foyer to meet you, highlight their products and services, and answer your questions. Please spend time with our vendors on Wednesday to thank them for their support, as well as find out what great products and services they can offer to make your job easier and camp better!
Special Hotel Meal Options Breakfast Concessions (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday) Breakfast Burritos $7 Egg & Chorizo Sausage Egg, Bacon, & Cheese Egg & Potato Bottled Juice or Water $4 12 oz. Hot Coffee $3 Breakfast Pastries $5 Yogurt Parfait (with granola and berries) $7 Fruit Cups (fresh seasonal mixed fruit chunks) $7 Lunch Concessions (Tuesday & Thursday) Tuna Salad on Croissant $8 Turkey Sandwich on Wheat $8 Turkey in a Spinach Tortilla Wrap $8 Salad Selection $8–$10 Fruit Cups $7 Chips $1 Soda or Water $4 Gatorade $5
If your leadership team is with you at the conference and you want to have a meeting of minds, or just need to schedule a meeting in a quiet place, we’ve got space for you! Thursday, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., meeting space is available in our session rooms. Check in at registration to reserve a space, and it’s yours! 2018 Spring Leadership Conference - 7
FEATURED SPEAKERS Opening Playnote with Jim Cain Tuesday, April 17, 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. For four decades, Dr. Jim Cain has been bringing groups together in style. Join in this playful adventure as he introduces this year’s conference theme with style! Teambuilding guru Dr. Jim Cain is the author of 16 books filled with team- and community-building activities from around the world, including his newest book Teambuilding with Index Cards. He is an expert in making summer camp staff training active, engaging, memorable, effective, and fun!
Keynote Session with Michael Brandwein Know What to Show: How to Use Camp Leadership to Build a Better World Wednesday, April 18, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. This exciting session demonstrates exactly what we can say and do to make the world a better place by doing real youth development every day at camp. Michael brings his signature “use it immediately” approach to demonstrate simple, practical, and powerful techniques, including exactly what behavior to model to get greater caring, kindness, cooperation, respect, responsibility, creativity, and more. You’ll be recharged and revitalized with how we can teach by example to make a lasting, powerful difference!
Jami Winkel Exploring Culture, Values, and Leadership Thursday, April 19, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. As life seems to get busier and our tasks overflowing, camps play an important role in disrupting the daily grind; offering a space to really connect with others and slow down. Camps also have a unique opportunity to influence young people and create not only lasting memories, but also to engage emerging leaders. This talk will focus on ways to support camp leaders to hone in on their values. We will explore dialogue and storytelling practices that get people in touch with what they value as a camp community. We will link those values to culture building practices that camp leaders can use to create collaborative, empathic, inclusive environments and develop leaders. Come with your team! Jami Winkel is a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Los Angeles. She is the clinical director at The Relational Center, a community counseling center. She is passionate about supporting counselors to develop clinical skills from an embodied and socially just approach, and to think critically about the relationship between culture and mental health. She relies upon relational gestalt theory, mindfulness practices, neurobiology research, and community psychology to inform her approach to mental health care. She strives to develop spaces to support healing and promote leadership with clinicians and clients.
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FEATURED SPEAKERS Bob Ditter Thursday, April 19 & Friday, April 20 Bob is back at SLC to share his wisdom and enthusiasm with us! Look for breakout sessions from Bob on Thursday and Friday at the conference. Bob Ditter has been teaching, coaching, and learning from camp professionals since he was a counselor at a boys’ sailing camp on Cape Cod in 1974. He is a highly regarded child, adolescent, and family therapist from Boston and an internationally recognized trainer and consultant. Bob has the largest lexicon of published camp titles of anyone in the field, with five books, 21 training DVDs and an article or column in every issue of Camping Magazine since 1987. He is currently on the Board of Harbor Camps, which operates camps for transgender or gender-variant children; and is president of the board of Boston Explorers, an urban day camp for curious, capable kids in the city who have little access to quality camp programs. Bob is well known to folks in Southern California/ Hawaii and appears regularly at SLC. This spring, Bob, in conjunction with Markel Insurance and ACA, will be producing a webinar on sexual harassment and camp safety titled, “Safety from Sexual Harassment at Camp in the Age of #MeToo.” This program will be made available for free, courtesy of Markel Insurance, to every ACA member camp for their staff orientation.
Jeff Merhige Thursday, April 19 & Friday, April 20 Jeff has just completed his 24th professional year as a YMCA executive. He is currently the executive director of the Joe C. Davis YMCA Outdoor Center home of Camp Widjiwagan in Nashville, Tennessee. He has worked successfully for the Dayton YMCA, Detroit YMCA, Ann Arbor YMCA, and Nashville YMCA. In addition, Jeff is currently the co-chairman of the new YUSA Overnight Camp Cabinet charged to elevate YMCA camping in all 300 YMCA camps and conference centers in the USA. Jeff and his staff team’s accomplishments have been featured in two editions of the national management book The Disney Way. The latest edition, published in April 2016, featured the first two years in Nashville and changing the staff culture into one of financial and program excellence. Last year his team raised over $360,000 in annual support and $1.3 million in capital support in a non-capital campaign environment. As the executive director of YMCA Camp Kern near Dayton, Ohio (2002–2013), his time was highlighted by building over 20 new buildings and activity areas including the first YMCA Zip Line Educational Canopy Tour called: “Ozone Zip Line Adventures.” Jeff is married to Amy (whom he met at camp) and has two children (Luke, 13, and Sydney, 9) who attend three camps each summer — Widjiwagan, Kern, Surf Camp (Luke), and Camp Juliet Lo (Sydney).
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SLC Socials POW — BANG — KABOOM — ZAP Our conference is famous for our socials and themed events. Our 2018 theme is Superheroes, so prepare to go up, up, and away. Break out those Batman capes and Incredible Hulk undies because we are heading on a superhero journey that you won’t forget.
TUESDAY — 5:30 P.M. – 7:30 P.M.
Join us at the pool for our World-Famous Poolside Reception. Here you will have a chance to network and make more friends after a wonderful keynote. Practice your telepathy skill (or just speak) with Superhero Bikini Bottom Bingo. SpongeBob can be a superhero! What better way to keep in the camp spirit and get to meet new and learn about old friends? This live, interactive bingo game opens the door to making new camp buddies, but allows you to win some cool prizes as well. Cash bar available. Light snacks will be served.
WEDNESDAY — 7:30 P.M. – 10:00 P.M.
Come dressed in costume (or not!) and stay all night!
Is that the world’s mightiest mortal? It is! It’s the Markel Superhero guy. Want to have the chance to practice your superhero skills? Come dressed as your favorite superhero tonight. If you have been doing it all conference — Awesome! If not, it’s not too late to tie a towel around your neck and put your undies on outside your trousers. We invite all, even those villains like BedBug Man and Licera, to come on to our wonderful superhero carnival and game night. Here you can play a variety of carnival games and also steal some cool ideas to implement at your camp. Prizes will be given throughout the night. Who says being good doesn’t pay?
THURSDAY — 8:30 P.M. – 10:30 P.M.
So you’ve had a fun dinner, and had a chance to check out the cool Palm Springs Street Fair and all they have to offer. Now check out the World Famous SLC Variety Show, brought to you by you! This fun, familyfriendly event will get you up dancing and singing and just having a good old time. You will have the chance to perform a lip sync (that you have been practicing), sing karaoke (which hopefully you have been practicing), and also just dance and rock out to the sounds of DJ Buttercup. So come with favorite routines and songs and show all of SLC what you’ve got!
Follow Z at www.twitter.com/Zisforme and use #ACASLC to tweet about what you’re learning and how much fun you’re having! 10 - 2018 Spring Leadership Conference
VOLUNTEERS Thank you to the many volunteers who make the work of ACA, Southern California/Hawaii possible!
Local Council of Leaders Chair: Andy Kimmelman, Tumbleweed Day Camp & Camp Ursa Major Leadership Development & Volunteerism: Joyce Knoll, Girl Scouts San Gorgonio Council Government Relations: Liz Kimmelman, Tumbleweed Day Camp & Camp Ursa Major Membership: Erin Johnson, Girl Scouts of Orange County Professional Development: Chad Edwards, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times Standards: Maria Horner, Catalina Island Camps Research: Audrey Monke, Gold Arrow Camp
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PRE-CONFERENCE OPPORTUNITIES TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018
TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Super Staff SuperVision: Powerful & Practical Skills for the Camp Leadership Team Michael Brandwein Mojave
ACA New Director Orientation Training (NDO) Pueblo A
Outstanding training for the camp leadership team, including supervisors, directors, site directors, and others. This is the nationally acclaimed, skill-packed supervision training session from the author of the number one national best-selling book on camp staff supervision, Super Staff SuperVision. This session is for both new and advanced participants. This is direct training for both new and advanced members of the leadership team, and directors also take this course to learn exactly how to train the leadership team. Learn and practice exactly what you need to say and do to be one of the very best leaders at camp, including: • Six paths — the six essential things supervisors must do every day and how to get them done brilliantly • Coaching staff with CDOS — precisely how to coach staff to the highest level of performance • Motivating staff and preventing burnout — and supporting the mid-level and high performers who often get less attention • Building trust and credibility and being a boss of even peers and friends • More campers, more retention — increasing program creativity to stand out from the rest • Handling tough staff behavior with calmness and confidence • And more!
NOTE: Pre-conference events require preregistration; however, check at the Registration Desk for any available spaces. 12 - 2018 Spring Leadership Conference
The ACA New Director Orientation Course is a special eight-hour course (8 CECs) for seasonal or new camp directors, assistant directors, program directors, or persons who have been in other administrative positions and are considering directing a camp. The NDO course helps directors and supervisors develop the skills they need to be effective leaders for their camp program. The course covers five critical areas: camp management leadership, risk management, camper behavior, staff training, and staff supervision.
Mental Health First Aid Certification Course Shawn Harris, Riverside University Health System, Behavioral Health Andreas Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour course that gives people the skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it does build mental health literacy, helping the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness. Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help. Topics covered include depression and mood disorders, anxiety disorders and substance use disorders Mental Health First Aid teaches about recovery and resiliency — the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better, and use their strengths to stay well.
TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018
TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Childcare Preventative Health Certification Course Chino A
ACA Basic Standards Course Chino B
Duration of course: Eight hours Provider: A-B-CPR (approved class by EMSA) Pre-requisites: Pediatric First Aid and CPR** As the number of campers with medication continues to rise, all camps must be sure that procedures are in place to be sure that staff are appropriately trained and supported. The system must define roles and responsibilities and assure that any individual administering a medication has some basic knowledge of safe medication management. Recognizing that a registered nurse or physician will not be with, or available to, campers at all times to administer individual doses of medication; whether that is activities on a remote area of the camp property, overnights, out-of-camp activities or trips, or times when the nurse is busy with a healthcare emergency with other campers or staff. In these circumstances, it is appropriate for a nurse to delegate an individual with training to administer a single dose of medication at a specific time. This course is designed for the camp professional who may take on the responsibility of the health supervisor or be delegated the task of medication administration. This course will offer the basics of administering medication. This course is not designed for managing medications, or making medication decision, but rather a guide to administering medications properly. This class will cover: immunization, health records, infectious diseases, sanitation, safety policies, and nutrition guidelines. Upon completion, each participant will receive a completion certificate. This is a one-time-only class and does not need to be renewed.
The ACA Standards Course is designed specifically to help prepare people who are new to the accreditation process for their accreditation visits, and to serve as an introduction to the standards program for those interested in becoming accreditation visitors. The camp may or may not be currently accredited. A person completing the ACA Standards Course on behalf of a camp is expected to actively assist the camp in preparation for the accreditation visit, be on site a significant amount of time during the camp season and participate fully in the on-site accreditation visit. Due to revisions to the standards in September 2014, a camp representative must complete a Standards Course or Standards Update Course, October 2014 or later, before an accreditation visit can occur. There is no charge for this course, and ACA membership is not required. You will need a 2012 Accreditation Process Guide for this course — limited number of loaners will be available.
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SCHEDULE — TUESDAY, APRIL 17 & WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 TUESDAY, APRIL 17
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18
American Camping Foundation 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Vendor Registration & Set Up 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
San Jacinto
WAIC Board Meeting 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Snowcreek
NEW ATTENDEE ORIENTATION 3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Nick Coffing and Stephen “Snacks” Smigielski Mojave Start the conference out ahead! Connect with other first-time conference attendees at this great orientation session. Nick and Snacks will share all the must-dos, secret lingo, and behind-the-scenes knowledge of our amazing conference out here in the desert. If this is your first time at the Spring Leadership Conference, make sure the come over before the Playnote and start your week off right!
Thanks to our education sponsor!
OPENING PLAYNOTE 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Jim Cain Ballroom For four decades, Dr. Jim Cain has been bringing groups together in style. Join in this playful adventure as he introduces this year’s conference theme with style!
Pool Reception at ROCKS Terrace 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Dinner/Time on Your Own 7:30 p.m. Onward
Vendor Showcase Coffee Break Sponsored by 413 Strengthgear
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
KEYNOTE 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Know What to Show: How to Use Camp Leadership to Build a Better World Michael Brandwein Ballroom This exciting session demonstrates exactly what we can say and do to make the world a better place by doing real youth development every day at camp. Michael brings his signature “use it immediately” approach to demonstrate simple, practical, and powerful techniques, including exactly what behavior to model, to get greater caring, kindness, cooperation, respect, responsibility, creativity, and more. You’ll be recharged and revitalized with how we can teach by example to make a lasting, powerful difference!
BREAKOUT SESSIONS 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Science at Camp? Yes! Just Add Water! Virginia Bourdeau, Oregon State University 4-H Science Andreas Camps with natural bodies of water have a builtin opportunity to awaken curiosity about water and its properties, its inhabitants, and the ecological connections to nearby habitats. Often overlooked as an educational resource, natural bodies of water are teaming with life! Move beyond the Hatch water test kit to an education program full of engaging interactive activities. In this session, we will introduce participants to activities they can put to work to engage campers in exploring the world of water. A few of the lessons in which session attendees will actively participate include Rosa Raindrop’s Water Cycle; What’s in a Stream (habitat); Presto, Change-o (insect metamorphosis); Alphabet Pond Critter Survey; Amazing Aquatic Plants; and Turn into a Frog. You will never look at your lake the same again!
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SCHEDULE — WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions cont.
Camp FUN-Losophy: Hiring, Managing, and Retaining the Ultimate Camp Staff Garrett Crosby, Sierra Canyon School & Day Camp Chino A At the core of every camp is its staff. They are the heartbeat and face of your organization, determining what type of experience your campers and parents will have every day! Whether you are hiring directors, counselors, specialists, lifeguards, or CITs, effective strategies are vital to creating and maintaining the best camp culture. Sierra Canyon Day Camp’s Executive Director Garrett Crosby will lead a dynamic and engaging discussion featuring some of today’s best practices in staff recruitment, hiring, training, management, and retention. Great for camp directors new and old!
Fireside Chats: Taking the “Terrible” Out of Tough Conversations Anthony Gomez, Cal-Pac Camps: Lazy W Ranch Chino B Are you looking forward to telling a staff person they need to shower more often? Or that they are completely inept at teaching archery? How about telling them they’ve been coming back from their breaks late, and they’re getting a write-up? Probably not. These difficult conversations are a dreaded part of the transition into a supervisory role. Come learn what to consider, and how to set up yourself up for success when its time for tough talks!
Plan, Execute, Move Forward — Camp Emergencies from Start to Finish Sarah Burgess, Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center Pueblo A During the California wildfires of 2017, the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center (IROEC) was a property evacuated, damaged, closed, then re-opened, and is now rebuilding and restoring due to extensive damage from a wildfire. Looking forward to protection from future emergencies such as flash floods, or another fire event, the management teams of the IROEC and the Orange County Council Boy Scouts of America have taken steps ensuring the most effective emergency plans are implemented for possible camp emergencies for this year round facility which sees over 40,000 guests annually. Talk with us about your questions on preparedness, insurance coverage, and managing a claim, and share ideas about best practices. 16 - 2018 Spring Leadership Conference
L.A.S.E.R.B.E.A.M.: How Staff Can Use Positive Communication to Build Best Behavior and Outstanding Skills for Life in Campers Michael Brandwein Mojave Based on Michael’s brand-new book, Growing Great Qualities in Kids, this session demonstrates activities, training materials, talking points, and everything else you need to put, as Michael says, “More muscle in your mission.” The main job of staff is to use the camp experience to provide more than just fun and memories: It’s to develop people with outstanding qualities and the self-confidence and resiliency that reflect them. Use these creatively presented tools to teach staff exactly how to identify the specific behaviors that demonstrate great character traits and to use credible, meaningful, and positive communication to encourage the growth of these qualities. These are skills that staff will use every hour of every day to bring out the best in young people.
Unpacking: Discussing Diversity with Staff and Clients! Rohan Shahani, ChallengeWorks Sierra The focus of this session is to help those who feel uncomfortable discussing diversity or feel like they don’t have enough knowledge of “diversity issues” to gain the vocabulary and the confidence needed to begin a conversation. Simultaneously, we will provide some tactics for those who are already immersed in these conversations to engage with those who aren’t. By the end of this session, we’ll all have increased our comfort and confidence discussing diversity, and gained some tools to help make those discussions more comfortable.
2018 Required Camp Employee Safety Training, New CAL-OSHA Richard Druyen, Druyen and Associates Ventura We will review the required 2018 updates on environmental, health, and safety that directly affect camps. (Cal-OSHA, California Environmental Reporting System “CERS” and Hawaii State OSHA-HIOSH)
Teambuilding with Index Cards Jim Cain San Jacinto Jim Cain shares content from his newest teambuilding book. You’ll be amazed at how many things you can do with index cards! Join us and you might even get your photograph in the new book (due out fall 2018).
SCHEDULE — WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions cont.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18
An Extraordinary Workplace Is More Than Ping-Pong Tables and Bean Bags Clarice Connolly, PLAYOLOGY Santa Rosa
BREAKOUT SESSIONS 2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
We have all heard the stories about companies putting ping-pong tables and video game consoles in the break room. Some companies provide snacks and lunches weekly. Google and Zappos are famous for the extras they provide to boost employee engagement. Often times, leaders read these stories and think that just by adding some of these elements to their culture, the team is going to be engaged, bought in, and work harder. The truth is this it takes much more than these few perks to create, build, and sustain an amazing company culture. If you are looking to create the environment where your team is engaged, happy, and invested — this is the session for you. You will walk away understanding - The top four mistakes companies make in regards to company culture - Why it is important to promote a culture of failing forward vs. fear of failing - The difference between leading and managing people and teams - Why paying your team to play is one of the best things you can do to improve engagement and profits
VENDOR SHOWCASE & BANQUET LUNCH 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Ballroom
Vendor Hall 1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Bam!
Why Camp Experiences Are More Essential Than Ever Before for Every American Youth, Teen, and Young Adult Tom Rosenberg, American Camp Association Andreas Mobile media screen time use by Gen Z young people has skyrocketed and regular in-person social interaction has significantly declined. Psychologists report dramatically increased loneliness, stress, depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm among teens. Yet strategic foresight researchers project that when Gen Z-ers born today enter the workforce in 2040, they will be facing a human-centered economy where everything that can be automated will be managed by machines and AI. Researchers report that well-practiced core social-emotional skills and 21st Century learning skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, communication, creativity, and emotional regulation will be absolutely essential. Come and learn more about this critical context for camp and how to position your camp for the future with community partners, parents, funders, and other constituents.
Balancing Family & Camp — A Roundtable Brian Straka, AstroCamp/Guided Discoveries Chino A Every summer camp directors and leaders leave their homes, families, children, and animals to make magic happen in the lives of so many children and staff. But what about themselves and their family? Oftentimes it’s these people that are the most affected by such a “successful” and “amazing” camp experience. If you’re feeling burned out, stressed out, or anxious going into the summer trying to figure out how to balance our 18-hour work day with 24-hour jobs as dads, moms, husbands, wives, boyfriends, and girlfriends then come be a part of our roundtable! Let’s drink coffee and learn from each other about things we’re doing to deal with these two demanding but rewarding worlds.
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SCHEDULE — WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions cont.
The Problem with Girl Power: Why “Girls Rock” Isn’t Enough Erica Jameson, Jameson Ranch Camp Chino B In light of the past several thousand years of patriarchy, and the recent exposure of women’s issues, it’s time to think beyond Girl Power. Channel your inner Boudicca as we explore the ways to get females beyond the stereotype, and into the newest wave of practical feminism. Designed for both men and women, this workshop will be hands on, and will leave participants with strategies to implement in their summer programs.
From “Staff Appreciation” to Real Motivation Dave Brown, Mountain Camp Pueblo A How do we motivate our staff to do their best work? Traditional approaches often attempt to use incentives or “staff appreciation” to motivate people and improve morale. How well is it working? Can we do better? This workshop will help you to analyze your current “staff appreciation” practices in light of what recent research says about internal motivation. Part lecture and part workshop, we’ll use a structured questionnaire to discuss, brainstorm, and create some concrete goals for improving staff morale and performance this summer.
Terrific Training Tools to Make Staff Learning Stick & to Support Leadership Success Michael Brandwein Mojave Enrich your staff development! Michael demonstrates original, creative, and engaging activities and materials you won’t find anywhere else that you can plug into your existing training right away to boost staff performance and teach staff how to lead with success. Get fresh, attention-grabbing ways to motivate staff and keep them highly involved in training. Increase learning through participation and practice and teach skills that will be used by staff every day, including communication, relationship building, teaching, and leadership.
Silver Linings from the Ashes — Designing New Recreation and Challenge Events Sarah Burgess, Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center Sierra After suffering extensive damage to a zipline, high ropes course, low ropes course, and climbing tower in a wildfire of 2017, the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center (IROEC) is aiming high for a new and improved program area on “the hill” at camp. As a year-round programming facility, the IROEC values a diverse customer base of academic and recreation groups, and looks to serve even more youth with outstanding education and leadership development programs than our first challenge and recreation areas did. Explore with us how we aligned youth outcomes on a challenge course with accessibility and camp logistics.
Finding Your Yoda Gabby Coburn, Camp Stevens Ventura
As a current or aspiring professional in the camp industry, one of the best ways you can keep learning and growing is by surrounding yourself with mentors who challenge, inspire, and encourage you. In this session, we’ll discuss who to seek out, how to engage them, and what to do to maximize their impact. This session is great for people looking to re-invigorate their work or launch their career.
Teambuilding Light Jim Cain San Jacinto Author and teambuilding guru Dr. Jim Cain shares his favorite team and community building activities from around the world, especially those using minimal and lightweight props that you can easily fit into a backpack!
Vendor Hall 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Be sure to visit the vendor hall to make your purchases and meet the vendors. Last chance!
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SCHEDULE — WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 BREAKOUT SESSIONS 4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. YMCA Camp Kindred Meeting Jeff Merhige, YMCA Camp Widjiwagan Andreas YUSA Camp Overnight Camp Cabinet update.
What’s My Story?: Crafting a Narrative in an Era of “Selfies” Erica Jameson, Jameson Ranch Camp Chino A News is instantaneous. We get a lot of messages about what’s going on in the world. But how do we help our campers and staff make sense of who they are and where they belong in this myriad of information? By being intentional about our own lives, we can help campers learn to find their place in the world and find authenticity in their own stories.
Are You Popular? How “Likes” Online Are Affecting Our Real-Life Relationships Dave Malter, ProfessorDave.Camp Chino B Social media has become an inescapable piece of everyday life. . . for campers, staff, and your organization. This artificial reality is based on the value culture places on celebrity profiles and Instagram influencers and how many “likes” posts get from our followers. How has the idea of being “popular” online changed the actions and attitudes of our campers and staff? What can we do at camp to combat the effects of online activity and develop real, meaningful, and lasting community? Come prepared to discuss your views on technology and what you are doing to create a culture that values connections over likes.
Never Enough Time! Kasey Myers, Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp Pueblo A If you find yourself wishing you had more time in the day to get everything done that’s on your list, guess what? You don’t have more time! But, there is hope for us in the busy, fast-paced summer season if you bring your “organizational chart” to life and learn the challenging skills of distributing, delegating, and ditching the tasks that easily consume your day. Let’s discuss how we can perform our role at camp with as much efficiency and time management as possible, while guiding the most important part of our camp — the people! By attending you will come away with time-management strategies, communication tips, and other useful tools and tricks to help maximize the impact you have on any day at camp.
Practical & Powerful Techniques to Teach Campers Problem Solving, Responsibility, & Independence Michael Brandwein Mojave This is an internationally acclaimed session packed with practical and highly effective skills you can use immediately, every day, with all ages of campers, to develop responsible, independent, and resilient young people. Including: Teaching young people the exact words to say and questions to ask that excellent, persistent, and effective problem-solvers use; reduce “rescuing” of young people and increase the use of daily opportunities to practice responsibility skills to help them get what they want and need; Michael’s special three-step C.D.C. technique to help young people think more for themselves, with greater confidence.
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SCHEDULE — WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions cont.
But Mom, Camp Is a Real Job! Internships Stink! How to Help Staff Explain Camp to the Outside World Rasheed Anthony and Wendel Roth-Strong, Catalina Island Camp Sierra Everyone who has worked at or even been to camp can accept that it is a magical place where things are taught and kids and staff magically learn stuff. However, not many of us know how to explain that to Mom or Dad or the cranky college advisor. This session is here to help equip supervisors with how to help those staff as well as ourselves, explain and translate what it is we do at camp. You will be able to translate, “taking kids around to activities” to “managing, transporting, and safely monitoring, a group while minimizing disagreements.” Sounds way smarter, huh? Come learn how to help keep those solid first and second year staff returning staff and not lose them to an “internship.” Help them know that this is an “internship.”
Lock Down and Active Shooter Policies and Procedures Daniel “Hamms” Hammond, Pali Adventure Ventura Active shooter events are all too common these days. Students across the country are familiar with typical lock-down drills. Is your camp prepared for the unthinkable? If you are in the process of reviewing, revising, implementing, or improving your active shooter policies and procedures, this is the session for you. This session will help you to analyze your current policies and procedures while also learning and practicing skills and techniques that may one day save a life.
Idea Sharing: Mindfulness and the Camp Experience Andy Kimmelman and Brian Straka, Camp Ursa Major & Tumbleweed Day Camp; AstroCamp San Jacinto Join Andy and Brian as they dive into various mindfulness practices and share ideas on how to be more present at camp. This session will give you a great opportunity to learn from others and share your own methods of being a more mindful camp!
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The Power Of Play: The Missing Ingredient in Your Organization Clarice Connolly, PLAYOLOGY Santa Rosa Understanding the attitudes, aspirations and needs of the millennials that work for you is more important than ever. By 2025, millennials will represent 75 percent of the entire workforce. Currently there are three different generations working together in any company or organization on any given day. With all the focus on how to understand millennials, attention has moved away from the rest of the team — meaning now more than ever, team building is of the utmost importance in order to keep strong high performing individuals. If you are interested in learning how to keep your employees engaged, motivated and improve the culture of your organization while having some fun — then this is the workshop for you to attend! Leaders will walkaway: * Discovering the top myths holding you back from connecting with millennials * A real answer to the question “What is my organizations culture?” * With true clarity about why team building helps lower turnover and the costs associated with it * A new understanding of why passion, purpose and play are needed to create a culture that your entire team — especially millennials — thrive in. * Experiencing three different ways to use play to improve profits, morale, leadership and productivity.
ACA Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Ventura Have your voice heard! In Spring 2017, the ACA National Board identified the need for a statement on diversity and inclusion that can be used to inform and direct the Association’s work and strategic planning. The goal for this statement is to serve not as a directive or a set of standards, but as a “north star” for camps engaging in their own diversity and inclusion work, and for the Association as it works to position camp as a critical context for youth development in the 21st century. During this session, we are interested in hearing your thoughts on the following: 1. What terms and concepts should be included in ACA’s statement on diversity and inclusion? 2. What impact should an ACA statement on diversity and inclusion have, on individual camps and on the industry as a whole? 3. What questions might arise from camps in your region as ACA shares its statement on diversity and inclusion? 4. What, if any, challenges should we anticipate?
SCHEDULE — WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 & THURSDAY, APRIL 19 Vendor Hall Breakdown/Departure 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Superhero Social: Cocktails, Carnivals, & Games 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Ballroom
THURSDAY, APRIL 19 KEYNOTE 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Exploring Culture, Values, and Leadership Jami Winkel, The Relational Center Ballroom As life seems to get busier and our tasks overflowing, camps play an important role in disrupting the daily grind; offering a space to really connect with others and slow down. Camps also have a unique opportunity to influence young people and create not only lasting memories, but also to engage emerging leaders. This talk will focus on ways to support camp leaders to hone in on their values. We will explore dialogue and story telling practices that get people in touch with what they value as a camp community. We will link those values to culture building practices that camp leaders can use to create collaborative, empathic, inclusive environments, and develop leaders. Come with your team!
BREAKOUT SESSIONS 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Discover Your Story Jami Winkel, The Relational Center Ballroom This session will dive deeper into dialogue and storytelling practices. A group activity called Relational Public Narrative will be taught as a culture-building tool for camps leaders and campers. Specific prompts engage participants to reflect on and share with each other supports and values that lead their camp mission and vision. A specific way of giving feedback called “resonance” will be taught as a way to be an active and engaged listener. This is an experiential session where you will break into groups and practice.
A Summer of Mars! A West Coast Earthquake Mission to Mars Leslie Lowes, NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Andreas Need a unique theme for camp this year? The year 2018 is the summer of Mars! In May NASA’s Insight Mission launches from Southern California to Mars to study “Marsquakes”! During Insight’s trip to a postThanksgiving landing, Earth and Mars are on the same side of the sun, so Mars appears a bit bigger and brighter for next summer’s evenings. Engage your youth with NASA and related activities about earthquakes and safety, Marsquakes, rocket launches, Mars landings, and observing Mars. Enhance summer learning opportunities while having fun. Participants experience model techniques for training, delivery, and replication in their own settings, to increase youth engagement in STEM and in learning about quakes on Earth and Mars, and Mars travel. Participants will receive a free copy of activities from NASA-sponsored educational activity guides, suitable for use in afterschool and summer programs, along with supporting material such as posters.
LGBTQ Camper and Staff: Questions, Answers, and Solutions Jessica Weissbuch, Brave Trails Chino A Bring your questions, answers, and scenarios to this interactive, judgement free, Q&A session about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) campers and staff. Together we will brainstorm solutions to your specific needs.
California Laws and Regulations 101 Michele Branconier, American Camp Association Chino B Curious about the laws and regulations that guide organized camps? Attend this session to learn more about the basics. Minimum wage, organized camp regulations, meal tax, and more. Bring your questions.
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SCHEDULE — THURSDAY, APRIL 19 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions cont.
You’ve Got a Promotion, but I Thought We Were Friends Rasheed Anthony, Catalina Island Camp Pueblo A Being a supervisor at camp is a tough gig. Being a firsttime supervisor at camp is even tougher. But being a firs-time supervisor at camp where your friends are still general staff can be the toughest! While there are no easy answers, this session will help you become just who much more prepared for working with those staff that you worked side by side with the previous year. This will give you the chance to voice concerns, set up a cool simple plan, and even practice “laying down the law” with your best friend when they are caught sneaking out or just kicking back on the job. This session is geared toward first-year supervisors, but able to help strengthen second-year supervisors as well.
Radical Candor: How to Give Staff Clear Feedback Without Losing Your Humanity! Bob Ditter Mojave As camp professionals, your number one responsibility with staff may well be giving them clear and effective on-the-job guidance — walking the fine line between friend and authority; keeping that ever-elusive balance between fun and safety; working collaboratively with other staff; and giving their all while staying healthy. The problem is, few people enjoy giving critical feedback to staff, who enjoy getting it even less. In this powerful session, Bob will give us a clear and insightful, yet highly practical approach to guiding our staff. Starting with orientation and lasting throughout your season, you will use these skills and techniques over and over. This session will make you a better camp director.
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Keeping Your Staff and Campers Safe from Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Infections Jo Elis, Bay Area Lyme Foundation Ventura So you think you know everything about ticks and Lyme disease? Think again! Lyme disease is the fastest-growing vector-borne disease in the US today, outstripping malaria, West Nile virus and HIV/Aids combined. With an estimated 330,00 new cases annually in the US alone, keeping children and camp staff safe from tickborne infections is a new imperative. And children are the most susceptible demographic for contracting tickborne diseases. These infections can lead to serious and debilitating life-long illnesses. Bay Area Lyme Foundation is primarily a medical research organization, but we are committed to preventing new cases of Lyme through education and outreach into our most at-risk communities. Come to this session and learn the latest facts on Lyme, how to prevent it, how to recognize the symptoms, the correct procedure if you or a camper gets bitten, and get simple-to-understand, non-scary free materials to take away and share with your camp staff and colleagues. Also learn the latest from the cutting edge of medical science as we work to understand how to fight Lyme with new diagnostics and therapeutics. This is a session you won’t want to miss.
Parents: Without Them, Campers Would Not Exist! Marah Lyvers, M1 Consulting San Jacinto Ever had a positive interaction with a camper’s parent? Ever had a terrible one? We will learn and laugh and grow from our shared experiences working with parents and their children. Each of them are as important as the kids they send our way. Believe it or not, they actually want to partner with you on behalf of their child! Join me as we explore effective strategies for communicating good, bad and awkward information with parents.
SCHEDULE — THURSDAY, APRIL 19 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions cont.
Fishing for Fresh Ideas Kelly Espinosa, Ojai Valley School Summer Programs Santa Rosa Are your all-camp events getting stinky? Is your carnival/scavenger hunt/dance a little dead in the water? Need some “reel” help? In this deep interactive workshop, we’ll “hook you up” with a “boatload” of new ideas for your all camp events. Learn the eight essential elements of a large group event, a few fun new event formats, and the best ways to “catch” attention and build excitement! Before you’re done, you’ll be able to “clean” your existing events and/or carve yourself up some fresh new ideas. Take home 100+ themes, tons of brainstormed ideas and leave the workshop knowing that good things come to those who bait!
Lunch on Your Own 12:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
THURSDAY, APRIL 19 BREAKOUT SESSIONS 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Asking the Right Questions Elizabeth Martinet, Outpost Summer Camps Andreas Are there times you feel stumped when having a conversation with a staff, parent, camper, or even fellow director? Come join a conversation to learn about asking questions for different purposes and outcomes. We will discuss questioning strategies and go through some scenarios.
How to Fire A Friend Michael Jacobus, Summerland Camps Chino B Camp staff dynamics include friends who are now supervisors and multi-year relationships that carry on far beyond camp. Terminating employment of a camp friend is akin to kicking a family member out of the house. In addition to common best practices, this session will explore ways to make a very difficult situation a bit smoother, including how to identify challenges, documentation methods, and ways to break the bad news. Done properly, this can be an excellent growth opportunity for all involved.
Fundraising and Camp Jeff Merhige & Dan Reynolds, YMCA Camp Widjiwagan Pueblo A In this session, Jeff Merhige and Dan Reynolds will teach the fundamentals of fundraising in the camp world. Examples will be shared, as well as the philosophy behind how to fundraise. In addition, participants will gain an insight on how they can fundraise and achieve their dream goals for their camp.
Staff Anxiety: Where It Comes From and How to Manage It Bob Ditter Mojave In a recent survey of camp directors nationwide, by far the number one concern regarding staff was their anxiety. Based on the latest research, Bob will provide practical approaches that will help you help staff better manage the anxiety that otherwise might interfere with their ability to be at camp and perform their best. This is a powerful and instructive session that will give you many ideas you can put into practice this summer! You may even pick up some ideas for managing your own anxiety!
Staff Training Models and Methods: Ropes Course Edition Rohan Shahan, ChallengeWorks Chino A In this session, we’ll examine ACCT and ACA recommendations and standards on Challenge Course trainings and explore different training models. Additionally, we’ll share best practices for these trainings, and co-create some documents required for operation!
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SCHEDULE — THURSDAY, APRIL 19 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions cont.
How to Demonstrate the Impact of Your Camp Traci Gillig, University of Southern California Sierra The purpose of this workshop is to provide guidance for camp leaders who would like to use research approaches to evaluate the impact of their camp program and share their findings with the camp community, funders, and others. The workshop will discuss 1) how camp leaders can conduct research on their own using surveys and other research methods and 2) how to identify potential research partners for a collaborative approach to evaluating your program. An existing partnership between Brave Trails and a University of Southern California researcher, as well as the outcomes of their research, will be discussed as an example of collaborative possibilities. Participants in this workshop will learn about multiple practical and collaborative approaches for conducting research, options for sharing research findings with various groups/audiences, and the potential impact such work can have both on improving their camp program and obtaining funding.
The Acting Out Behavior Cycle Tori Barnes, American Camp Association and Sheila Adams, Hayward Unified School District Ventura Do you find yourself in the middle of the camp season wondering what you can do to manage the challenging behavior of some campers? Camp is all about inclusion and fitting in, but sometimes our counselors are unequipped to respond to our campers with special needs. Understand what can cause challenging behaviors and implement the best tricks of the trade in your camp this summer.
11-Star Customer Service — Turn Crazy Ideas into Reality Nate Friedman, University of Utah San Jacinto Do you strive for a five-star customer service experience in everything you do at camp? If so, why stop at five stars? Have you ever thought about what a six-star experience would look like? What about an 11-star experience? Join us as we work through a thought experiment to see how crazy (or not) it would be to offer incredible customer service and added value throughout your programs.
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From Problems to Partners: Engaging Parents and Fostering Camper Success Savannah Scofield, Sierra Canyon Day Camp Santa Rosa Have you ever dreaded the phone call from “that parent”? Have parents become more of a problem than a positive in your life? In this interactive session, camp professionals will learn how to create the respectful, trusting relationships with families that are necessary to build partnerships that best support children’s growth at camp. We will discuss seven practical and easy to implement strategies for developing positive and long-lasting relationships that will allow you to have a greater impact on each child’s life. Join us as we evaluate our perspectives and prepare for a paradigm shift!
Imposter Sydrome: Are You Sure I Should Be in Charge? Sam Townley and Jae Crabtree, Outpost Summer Camps Pool Patio Your shirt says “director.” Your name badge says “director.” Your clipboard says “director.” Your brain says “ACK! I have no idea what I’m doing!” You may be experiencing the symptoms of Imposter Syndrome. Join us as we explore the self-doubt that can set in as you step in to a new leadership role, and how to beat it. Share your experiences, and participate in a discussion about ways to overcome the feelings of insecurity, and go into summer with a stronger sense of confidence and excitement.
Ice Cream in Hallway 3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Ballroom Foyer
SCHEDULE — THURSDAY, APRIL 19 THURSDAY, APRIL 19 BREAKOUT SESSIONS 3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Power to the People: Making Staff Training Work for Your Staff Dave Malter, ProfessorDave.Camp Andreas It’s time to start re-thinking the traditional ways in which we view staff training. This session will be full of new and innovative ideas to change the dynamic (and timing) of your staff training. The ultimate goal of this exciting, high-energy workshop is to meet the shifting needs of a new generation that is your workforce.
So You Have Horses at Camp? Let’s Do More than Just Ride! Gayle Paperno and Lauren Reiter, The Horse Camp Chino B Horses can provide more than just riding for your camp. Caring for and working with horses teaches your campers the skills of responsibility, time management, compassion, diversity. . . sound familiar? Come join us as we introduce you to the world of horses through riding and non-riding activities that will benefit all campers!
Creating the Perfect Day Jeff Merhige, YMCA Camp Widjiwagan Pueblo A
Using the Five Love Languages to Connect with Campers and Staff Dr. Kelly Jones and Sam Townley, Outpost Summer Camps Sierra Do you find yourself connecting easily with some campers, and struggling to connect with others? Do you form instant bonds with certain staff, and feel distant from others, no matter how hard you try? In his book The 5 Love Languages, Dr. Gary Chapman identifies the five primary ways people feel loved and valued. Looking at relationships using a “5 Love Languages” lens has helped our director team relate to campers and staff more intentionally and effectively. Come learn these specific strategies to help you notice subtle clues that point to the five distinct ways in which people prefer to connect. We will share how we have applied these concepts on our director team, with staff, and with campers at our summer camp and after school camp, and discuss how you can apply them at your program. Join us for a lively discussion to learn more about yourself and the groups of people you work with and serve.
Research Doesn’t Have to Hurt: Strategies to Evaluate Camper Outcomes Jodie Knott, Ph D and Emma Louys, Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern CA Ventura
In this session, Jeff will discuss how to train staff to higher expectations putting the kids and guests first in their thinking and performance. Participants will gain an understanding of the philosophy behind the perfect day/week and how to apply it to staff training and into their camp culture of customer service.
Researching camp outcomes can be relatively painless, cost-effective, and drive great outcomes for campers. This talk will highlight lessons learned from conducting four studies over the last decade of our therapeutic camp. Suggestions will be provided regarding how camps can build helpful partnerships, ask key questions that drive programming and utilize data to increase camper attendance and gain buy-in from stakeholders.
Camp Safety in the Age of #MeToo: Minimizing Unwanted Sexual Advances Among Staff Bob Ditter Mojave
BOOM: Best Outdoor Organized Missions (aka Scavenger Hunts) Kassandra “Blaze” Wilsey, Cali Camp San Jacinto
It’s a story that’s been unfolding for over a year: the riveting and, at time-explosive exposure of ongoing and often long-standing sexual abuse and harassment of both male and female victims by mostly men in various positions of power. Bob will provide us with the tools and the training approach that will help minimize the chances of unwanted sexual advances happening at your camp or among your staff, even on their nights and days off. Bob’s approach is nuanced and based on what the evidence shows us is the most effective way to minimize harassment. This is a practical, forceful presentation.
Looking for fun, new programming? Want to do a camp-wide scavenger hunt? Come learn about different scavenger hunt techniques and discuss how you can implement them into your program for an amazing experience your campers and staff will be talking about for years to come.
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SCHEDULE — THURSDAY, APRIL 19 & FRIDAY, APRIL 20 3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions cont.
This Is How We Dooo It: Summer Efficiency Roundtable Kevin Austin, Tom Sawyer Day Camp Santa Rosa Are you a new director, wondering how you’re going to get it all done? A veteran director, thinking there has to be a better way? Come be part of/listen to a conversation about making your summer smooth and efficient. Directors will be sharing their best tips and tricks on everything from arrival day to evaluations to clipboards.
Meet with Your Team 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
All Breakout Session Rooms Available
Dinner on Your Own/Street Fair 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Evening Social: SLC Variety Show 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Santa Rosa
FRIDAY APRIL 20 BREAKOUT SESSIONS 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Move Your Bus: Unlocking Your Team’s Potential and Accelerating Success At Your Camp Savannah Scofield, Sierra Canyon Day Camp Andreas Imagine your camp as a bus filled with people who either help or hinder your team’s ability to move it forward: drivers (who steer the organization), runners (who consistently go above and beyond for the good of the organization), joggers (who do their jobs without pushing themselves), walkers (who are just getting pulled along), and riders (who hinder success and drag the team down). It’s the team leader’s job to recognize how members fall into these categories, encourage them to keep the “bus” moving by working together, and know how to maximize the performance of each member of the team. In this interactive session, we will discuss easy-to-implement techniques that will inspire employees and team leaders alike to work harder and smarter and drive your camp toward success!
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It’s All Fun and Games. Period! Kassandra “Blaze” Wilsey, Cali Camp Chino B No seriously, it’s just time to play some games. Bring your favorite games and play some of mine!
The Importance of Downtime Amy Ingram, Monarch Day Camp Pueblo A Join Amy in discussing the middle child of intentional camp programming, “down time at camp.” This session will discuss the many benefits and drawbacks of down time, as well as provide a forum for learning and sharing ways to make the most out of those lulls in the day when no organized activity is set.
Strength-based Counseling: Exciting New Ways to Challenge Your Staff! Bob Ditter Mojave Based on the VIA Institute’s schedule of strengths, Bob will show us an inexpensive, yet powerful way to challenge staff and set up a way to guide them through the summer. This strength-based approach will also serve as a model for working more effectively with their own campers. This is a research-based method with a great set of tools you will want to incorporate in your work with staff (and campers and yourself).
Training Staff to Play the Old-Fashioned Way Melanie Hong, Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp Sierra It’s been said that all you need to run an incredible camp is a sand lot with the right people in it. As camp professionals, we are in the business of creative play. Yet more and more, the generation of staff that we are hiring have yet to experience old-fashioned fun — it is becoming a lost art. So how do we train “play”? Join us for an interactive and practical session on how to create an immersive culture of zany and engaging fun among your staff.
Culture of Excellence in the Workplace Jeff Merhige, YMCA Camp Widjiwagan Ventura In this session, Jeff will share how to create a work place culture of excellence and buy in. Sharing real examples of camp turn arounds and surprising growth. Jeff will share his formula for how to achieve a culture of excellence where staff works believing in the “Dream, Believe, Dare, Do” culture while instilling a kids- and guest-first philosophy at camp.
SCHEDULE — FRIDAY, APRIL 20 FRIDAY, APRIL 20 BREAKOUT SESSIONS 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Building a Culture of Collaboration Andy Kimmelman, Camp Ursa Major & Tumbleweed Day Camp Andreas Who’s on your team? This session shows directors and other camp leaders how to build a collaborative culture by creating exceptional teams. Great teams collaborate better, work more efficiently, and deliver better results. But how do we know who’s the right fit for which team, and how do we empower team members to collaborate? Come find out!
Counselor-tested, Camp Director-approved Behavior Management Tricks Tori Barnes, American Camp Association and Sheila Adams, Hayward Unified School District Chino A Camper behavior have you at a loss? Everyone needs well-stocked bag of tricks to rely on to keep challenging behavior or conflicts with your campers at a minimum. In just 50 minutes, you’ll take away 25 counselor-tested, camp director-approved ways to help you make a positive impact this summer!
Supporting Your Best! Staff Appreciation Round Table Michael Heiman and Michele Branconier, American Camp Association Chino B Join Michael and Michele for a discussion on how to best support your staff this summer. Bring your ideas to share and your questions too! This will be an opportunity to put some new ideas into practice this season.
Happiness Is a Dish Best Made Yourself Stephen Smigielski, Pali Adventure Pueblo A Have you encountered any of the following problems at your camp: Staff that assume they are ready for a promotion and more responsibility only to struggle once they are at bat; a team that loses its energy half way through a summer; duties that nobody wants to be assigned to and openly bemoan; fair-weather counselors that do not seem capable of dealing with the difficult groups or realness of camp? You may be dealing with a generation of staff that are ill-equipped to strive for happiness. In this interactive workshop, we will explore what we as individuals and as a greater camp community can and should be doing to develop a generation that is ready to strive for happiness.
Trans Two: The Next Level Jessica Weissbuch, Brave Trails Sierra Camps have had exposure to learning more about serving transgender campers and staff, but what happens when you still face questions and challenges in this developing topic? This session will go beyond the basic transgender 101 and take the second step in learning about common situations camps might be dealing with. We will dive deeper into questions camps are experiencing as they become more inclusive of transgender campers and staff. Receive information on policy development, review case studies and identify resources specific to your camp, board, and stakeholders.
FRIDAY, APRIL 20 THE SLC CLOSING CAMPFIRE 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Not all heroes wear capes. Camp Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes even the smallest thing can help change a life. Come join us for what we hope will become a new closing tradition at SLC. Hear some inspirational stories from the front line and maybe even share one of your own. Our hope is this session will remind you the power of camp and empower you to leave SLC more motivated than ever before.
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SPONSORS & VENDORS Vendor Showcase: Wednesday, April 18, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Throughout the day on Wednesday, our sponsors and vendors will be available in the Ballroom Foyer to meet you, highlight their products and services, and answer your questions. Please spend time with our vendors on Wednesday to thank them for their support and find out what great products and services they can offer to make your job easier and your camp better! We would like to think or vendors and exhibitors for helping to make the Spring Leadership Conference a can’t-miss event!
Thanks to Our 2018 Sponsors!
Mission Partner
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VENDORS 413 Strengthgear
709 S Bois D Arc Ave. Tyler, TX 75701 903-939-8536 • FAX 903-939-9047 www.413sga.com To be the best graphic design company in the decorated apparel and gift industry, providing creative design, personalized care, and dependable product delivery for our customers.
California Camp Realty
26312 Sugar Plum Way Ramona, CA 92065 760-703-2681 www.californiacamprealty.com California Camp Realty was established in 1985 with the mission to preserve California’s diverse camp heritage. We only broker camps with existing Use Permits. We can buy, sell, or lease your camp. We can also broker established camp businesses. The owner, Cory Jones, is an ACA-certified camp director, accreditation visitor, and standards instructor and is committed to preserving camps. A portion of commissions is donated to ACAaccredited camps. CA BRE 01943556/Brokers CA BRE 00929625
Camp Leaders
Smaller Earth, c/o WeWork 7th Fl. Austin, TX 78705 866-803-7643 • FAX 203-621-3364 www.campleaders.com/us Camp Leaders is the expert in international staffing for summer camps, providing top-notch candidates and unparalleled customer services. Camp Leaders is part of Smaller Earth, an organization which facilitates opportunities that inspire people to go further; our goal is to impact 20 million people by the year 2020.
CampBrain
366 Adelaide St. E Ste. 411 Toronto, ON CANADA M5A 3X9 866-485-8885 • FAX 416-485-7262 www.campbrain.com At CampBrain, we are passionate about management and online registration software for camps and conference centers. Since 1994, we have served more than 1,100 organizations with our fully-featured software that is accessible from anywhere. Our team of over 35 people is dedicated to providing personal, caring support and building beautiful, intuitive software.
CampMinder, LLC
5766 Central Ave. Ste. 200 Boulder, CO 80301 303-444-CAMP x107 • FAX 646-478-9661 www.campminder.com CampMinder is a user-friendly, customizable, and secure web-based system. Designed with guidance from many of the country’s finest summer camps, CampMinder utilizes the industry’s best practices to streamline operations. See why CampMinder has been called “a necessity for camps that want to compete.”
CampSite
67 Froehlich Farm Blvd. Woodbury, NY 11797 516-336-6512 • FAX 516-575-6934 www.campmanagement.com Camp Management Software that is intuitive and userfriendly for administrators and parents. Online camper registration, self-service parent dashboard, custom forms and reporting, program management, transportation, billing and financial suite, and much more. Let CampSite be your one-stop shop!
Central City Bed
2 NW 2nd Ave. Portland, OR 97209 503-784-9263 www.centralcitybed.org Central City Bed provides durable, sustainable, bedbugresistant furniture products to camps, dormitories, and housing providers nationwide. Made from 99.99 percent recycled steel our patented beds are ideal for long term use in camps and are easy to clean. Central City Bed is a social enterprise of Central City Concern, a nonprofit agency working to end homelessness and poverty.
Challenge Works, Inc.
123 Sunset Ter. Scotts Valley, CA 95066 831-234-4710 • FAX 831-440-1676 www.challengeworks.com Challenge Works, Inc. is a full-service challenge course company, and an ACCT PVM, located close to Santa Cruz, California. Specializing in design, installation, inspection, and maintenance, of course, components based in trees and poles, climbing towers and walls, and practitioner training and certification services, as well as equipment sales. Delivering exceptional service since 1997.
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VENDORS CircuiTree
1353 Lake Shore Dr. Branson, MO 65616 417-266-3343 • FAX 417-266-4319 www.circuitree.com CircuiTree’s express purpose is to empower camp and conference centers around the world with the tools, knowledge, and expertise they need to be successful. The camp and conference environment has proven over and over to be the perfect setting to effect change in kids, youth, and adults. With CircuiTree’s software, standard operating procedures, best practices, and multiple disciplines, your organization is sure to excel in its mission.
Dr. Praeger’s Purely Sensible Foods
Nine Boumar Place Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 206-240-4132 www.drpraegers.com Dr. Praeger’s Purely Sensible Foods produces delicious vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free burgers; vegetarian chicken items; vegetarian meatballs; vegetarian sausage patties; edamame; and fish products. Our products are all natural and contain no preservatives, GMOs, or saturated fats. All of our products are low in sodium and cholesterol. They are high in fiber, are OU kosher, and are produced in a nut-free facility.
Essensa
555 West 57th St. New York, NY 10019 212-901-1278 www.essensa.org Essensa is a national group purchasing organization that provides strategic procurement solutions and operational support to reduce costs and increase efficiency for camps and other commercial markets. We serve as a true business partner to our members and supplement our industryleading purchasing program with a consultative approach, in-depth analytics, and vast supply chain expertise. Essensa works tirelessly to help members make smarter purchasing decisions that deliver savings and value.
Fin Fun
3018 N Holmes Ave. Idaho Falls, ID 83401 844-434-6386 www.finfun.com
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IENA
699 Washington St. Ste. 203 Hackettstown, NJ 07840 888-724-4292 • FAX 888-724-4292 www.iena.org IENA are a designated J-1 Visa sponsor. Our international camp staff program is directed by ex-camp professionals. With owners with a hands-on approach, you will have round the clock access to friendly, Experienced professionals and the highest quality of people waiting to become your next camp staff.
Markel Insurance
4600 Cox Rd. Glen Allen, VA 23060 800-431-1270 • FAX 804-527-7904 www.campinsurance.com What do you get when you choose Markel Insurance Company as your camp insurance partner? The Counselor, our camp insurance program offers your camp unparalleled protection, expert claims resolution, and extensive safety resources. The Counselor is back! He’s as safety-conscious and vigilant as ever, and he’s just as cute. Take a minute to view his latest campersaving adventures by clicking on the video below. He’s guaranteed to make you smile!
Nido Structures
4405 Barrow Ave. Unit B Austin, TX 78751 512-763-0649 www.nidostructures.com Nido Structures is an Austin, Texas-based company that provides a free-standing portable hammock village that holds 16 and lightweight single stands for campers of all ages. Come hang with us!
QuestSpecialty Corporation
PO Box 624 Brenham , TX 77834 713-896-8188 www.questspecialty.com QuestSpecialty Corporation is a manufacturer of cleaners, disinfectants, and personal protection products. Our Minimum Risk Insecticide program positions us as the market leader in providing non-toxic solutions to infestations of ants, cockroaches, fleas, bed bugs, and lice. We are the sole US manufacturer of a hospital grade, fogging disinfectant that provides area disinfection up to 6,000 cubic feet, making this the premiere solution to keep cabins free from multiple pathogens.
VENDORS Regpack
1212 Broadway Ste. 1000 Oakland, CA 94612 855-377-7707 Used by hundreds of camps in the US and worldwide, Regpack is the online registration and applicant management tool with the power and flexibility to work you’re your process. Take easy online payments, gather information, and communicate with your members from an interface that makes sense. Data sharing, statistics, and amazing reports, plus you can create pricing structures, like family discounts, enrollment quotas, and payment plans. Capture more applicants and take faster payments with Regpack!
Signature Research, Inc.
PO Box 6022 Douglasville, GA 30154 770-577-8048 • FAX 770-577-8053 www.signatureresearch.com Signature Research, Inc. is a full-service challenge course and climbing tower company. We design, install, inspect, and train. We construct climbing nets and carry hardware, program equipment and rope. ACA Business Affiliate since 1971. Forty-seven years!
SOUNDBOKS Inc.
800 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 200 Los Angeles, CA 90017 626-678-4531 www.soundboks.com The SOUNDBOKS is the world’s loudest and bestsounding battery-powered speaker. It was designed to help summer camp counselors more easily plan awesome events. One speaker is powerful enough for events up to 300 people in size. The battery lasts 40 hours on average and takes three hours to recharge. The speaker is water, drop, and weather resistant. There are absolutely no wires and it takes five seconds to set up (we got rid of all the unnecessary features that you never typically use on a speaker). At 27 pounds, it’s light enough that anyone can carry it. Purchase one today for a 10 percent discount and a free rechargeable wireless microphone.
stickersandmore.com
1648 E 675 S Washington, IN 47501 888-644-7745 • FAX 812-644-7745 www.stickersandmore.com Since 1995, stickersandmore.com has been providing custom screen-printed T-shirts, banners, stickers, and more to over 3,000 clients nationwide. Free shipping, in-house graphics, 24/7 online ordering, quality product, and a great price.
Trinity/HPSI
PO Box 1674 White House, TN 37188 615-672-0229 • FAX 615-855-1800 www.trinity-usa.net Free membership in Trinity/HPSI gives you very substantial foodservice savings through outstanding group purchasing agreements with SYSCO, U.S. Foods, Gordon Food Service, Food Services of America, Feesers, Springfield Grocer, HFM, Martin Brothers. Often much greater percentage savings on propane, athletic supplies and sporting goods, batteries, computers, credit card processing, drug testing supplies, first aid supplies, kitchen equipment, janitorial, office and facility supplies, furniture, light bulbs, mattresses, linens, paint, pool chemicals, and much more from great vendor partners such as American Hotel Register, SupplyWorks, In The Swim, Farmer Brothers Coffee, ECOLAB, Grainger, HD Supply, Lowe’s, Office Depot, Sherwin-Williams, Staples, Staples Technology, Ferrellgas, Suburban Propane and many more.
Upshot Adventures
5 Cypress Point Ct. Chesterfield, MO 63017 231-412-7769 www.upshotarrows.com We are two fantastic adventure companies looking to work closely with camps and rental facilities. With our years of experience in the camping world, we have ways to bring value and adventure to the wonderful work your camps and facilities are already doing. Looking forward to working with you on making more adventure!
WAIC — Western Association of Independent Camps PO Box 854 Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678 949-407-9242 • FAX 877-257-2207 www.waic.org
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MEET YOUR ACA TEAM Danielle Pinney – Standards Manager — Western Region Danielle’s camp career began 30 years ago in college, when she was first hired as a camp counselor for a Southern California Girl Scout camp. She started attending ACA events in 1989 as a second-year resident camp staff member. Her first-ever event was Camp Staff Training Day in Griffith Park! She was asked to be an ACA volunteer in 1997, when she was trained as an associate visitor and joined the ACA, Northern California Board of Directors. In 2008, she was hired as the Northern California section executive and in 2014, she transitioned to the standards specialist for the Western Region. Danielle lives in Sacramento, California, with her husband, Robert, and her four-legged “favorite” son Koa, a 125-lb. Saint Bernard. Her son, Nick, is in his freshman year at Colorado State University. In her spare time, she loves to camp with her “old” camp friends, spend time at Lake Tahoe, and walk her dog.
Michele Branconier – Western Region Director Michele has been a youth development professional with a focus on camping for close to 30 years. Working in a variety of roles, from camp director to executive director, at agency and private independent camps has allowed her the opportunity to work in a profession she is passionate about. Her current role with ACA has allowed her to work hand in hand with volunteers and staff to deliver ACA services in the West. She also works with the Volunteer Engagement Committee to support ACA volunteers nationwide. On the personal side, she is married to an educator and former camp director, Dave. They have three kids; Michael, a freshman at Loyola Marymount University and a first-time camp counselor (this summer), Tommy, and Bella. Her family resides in La Quinta, California, just down the street from this conference. She is excited about joining everyone at the Spring Leadership Conference for education, networking, and relationship building. Welcome to Palm Springs.
Raina Baker – Membership Manager — Western Region Raina has been lucky enough to call camp a part of her life since she started attending camp at the age of six years old. She quickly knew that camp would be a place that she would be a part of for as long as she could. She has held various positions working for agency and private camps, nonprofits and for-profits, as well as seasonal and year-round organizations. In her current role, Raina has been supporting the membership of ACA since 2015 and loves the opportunity to connect with everyone who has their boots on the ground doing amazing things for youth development and education. Although many of her years were spent as a camp director at a horse camp within the Southern California/Hawaii local office, she now resides in her hometown in Washington state. She is a certified master instructor and clinician for CHA, and is always happy to chat about all things horses. She is married to her best friend Mark, and has a wonderful horse named Wyatt and a sweet corgi named Cricket. She enjoys being a resource for all of ACA members and volunteers, and is always available for any reason!
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MEET YOUR ACA TEAM Tori Barnes – Membership Manager — Western Region Tori is thrilled to join everyone at the Spring Leadership Conference this year and looks forward to saying hi to current, new, and future members! She is here to help if you are looking for information on what ACA can do for you or your camp, or how to make the most out of your membership. Her love of camp began 20 years ago, and she is fortunate to be working in a field that brings her such joy. She worked in day camps in Southern California for a couple of years before finding her niche at resident camp with CITs and then as a camp director for a decade. Before joining ACA’s staff team, she was most recently the director of camp operations for a large nonprofit in Northern California. Tori grew up in San Diego, but now calls the Bay Area home. You can find her in the redwoods or along the coast in her spare time. She is lucky to be supporting all ACA’s members and camps right here in California.
Brandon Mitchell – Professional Development Manager — Western Region It is a pleasure to join you in attending the Spring Leadership Conference. As the western region professional development manager, Brandon hopes to support you in continuing to enhance and educate the unmatched value of the camp experience. He looks forward to a successful and fulfilling conference He lives with his beautiful wife in Mentor, Ohio. They are Dad and Mom to Paddy, their beloved golden retriever, and Max, their adorable cat. They maintain a healthy lifestyle by doing CrossFit and enjoy traveling, backpacking, cooking, reading, and spending time with their families and friends. If you need anything at all, throughout the conference or after, please feel free to reach out to Brandon.
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CONFERENCE NOTES
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AMERICAN CAMP ASSOCIATION 5000 State Road 67 North Martinsville, IN 46151-7902 800-428-2267 ACAcamps.org/springleadershipconference