American Camp Association

ACA, SouthwestLeadership Summit 2015

Vision

Enriching Lives – Changing the World

Mission

The mission of the American Camp Association is enriching the lives of

children, youth and adults through the camp experience.

Three Values

1. - ContributionWe believe that the camp experience is essential to every child’s growth and education. We contribute to the lives of the children and adults who participate in our programs and to their families and our communities, and, in turn, we encourage them to contribute to those who are part of their lives and to the world in which they live. We contribute by working together to promote and articulate our association as a leading authority in child development through the camp experience.

Three Values

2. PeopleWe believe in all children and adults – and want everyone to have the benefit of camp experiences Through positive child development and partnering with parents, we encourage children to value their uniqueness and to understand and appreciate their part in the larger community. We help children develop self-esteem, character, courage, responsibility, resourcefulness, and cooperation. Quality camp experiences help children develop the healthy emotional and social skills necessary to grow

into strong, considerate, competent adults.

Three Values

3. The Natural World

We believe that each of us plays an important role in the stewardship of our environment—both natural and manmade. We help children grow into committed, responsible citizens by teaching them to appreciate, respect, and care for the world in which they live.

Goals (Ends)

• There will be greater public understanding of and support for the value of the camp experience.

• An increasing number of children, youth, and adults of all social, cultural, and economic groups, will have a camp experience.

• The camp experience will be of high quality.

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Three Growth Strategy Areas

• Professional Development• Public Policy• Membership and Customer

Development

Professional Development

• Research• Accreditation• Knowledge Center• Professional Dev. Ctr. (PDC)

– Conference(s)– Publishing/Titles– Online Courses &

Certificate Programs– College/University Directory– Nationwide Calendar– Endorsement– Continuing Educ. Credits

A Research Informed Enterprise

Shared Learning Space

Partnering for Education

• Cobranding• Use of our platform for partners• ACA Endorsement for CEC’s

Public Policy Agenda

• Protect the safety of children, youth and adults participating in the camp experience.

• Achieve recognition that camp is an expanded learning opportunity.

Public Policy Positions

• Camp Safety• Children and Nature• Children and Physical

Activity• Criminal Background Checks• Public Lands• School Calendars• Year-Round Education

Partnerships

• Forging government partnerships– US Department of State– CDC– FEMA– Department of Interior –

America’s Great Outdoors Week

– Department of Justice– FBI

Memberships

• Individuals (including free program)• Camp programs• Camps interested in accreditation• Businesses• Group membership models for

camps

Membership and Customers

• Camps & Individuals – Outreach to target markets – Having a positive effect on more camp

professionals who will have a more positive effect on more children and families

• Businesses – Products for higher quality programs that require less of the camp budget

Next on the agenda – Michele and Your Membership in ACA

Lunch – Talking with Others in Your State

Scanning the Environment

Macro Trends for the Camp Community

Trending

• Research• Camp Crisis Hotline• Focus Groups

Trends from Our Research

• Enrollment for most programs has increased to pre-recession levels of 2008 (except for most religiously affiliated programs)

• Need for developing staff training that intentionally connects with the camp’s desired outcomes.

• Funders are requiring benchmarks and evidence

Research Trends, cont.

• Market is changing. Families demanding different kinds of programs.

• While camps need evidence and data, most are not collecting their own data.

Camp Crisis Hotline Trends

• Growing need for help in developing communication strategies in the event of unexpected situations (ranging from minor infestations, such as lice – to real tragedy).

• A rise in the number of trans, transgender, and gender–variant individuals who are interested in working at camp or becoming a camper – and camps searching for help in understanding pertinent issues such as privacy.

• Increase in questions and issues regarding the reproductive health of female campers, and the implications of each state's age of consent laws.

Hotline, cont.

• A surge in calls from the parents of young-adult staff – and the parent attempting to insert themselves into the middle of the employment issues of their children.

• Growing challenges for camps in balancing social media to promote their community while developing enforceable policies that protect the camp and its campers and staff.

Other Top Issues

• Camp Security• Child Health and Safety• Child Abuse Prevention and

Identification• Health and Medical Issues• GLBTQ Issues

The Public

• More families need to understand the value of camp experiences

• More families need access to camp experiences

• More camp experiences need to be created

• More people need to understand the professionalism of the “job”

Small Group Discussions