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by Peg Smith, ACA Chief Executive Officer
Change, can you ever be prepared? There are biological realities that
prepare people for alterations in time, circumstances, and events. Nonetheless,
our own human nature causes us to continuously seek balance. It seems
we demand a relative sense of stability in order to endure the ever-present
edge of chaos.
Although, today we can read in nearly every business article, journal,
or book that change is here to stay — our new norm, we still suffer
our own emotional trauma when confronted with an environment that appears
to be made of Jell-O®. As in the world around us, ACA has not been
immune to change. Some describe our advances as evolutionary and others,
revolutionary. In wave after wave, change has rippled through ACA, and
for some individuals, this creates a personal tsunami.
"Why?" you might ask. You might seek a deep and complex answer
to such a question, but in reality, the answer is as simple as ACA’s
opportunity to continue to have the privilege and opportunity to make
a better world for the children, youth, and adults we serve each day.
We must recognize the changes in the world around us and adjust accordingly
to remain relevant and strong.
Can we as a professional organization do anything less? Consider what
children, youth, and adults deal with today on a daily basis. We are subjected
to a cacophony of computers, cell phones, video games, iPods, and Palm
Pilots; yet if you listen carefully, there is an unnerving silence. Where
are the voices? Where is the bubbling of laughter? Where are the rollicking
groups of kids creating games and imaginary worlds amidst nature? Where
are the opportunities to confront, challenge, and embrace differences?
ACA must change. We must be better, do better, and act stronger if we
are to combat the madness of noise silencing the voices of our children
and youth. It is that madness of noise that is creating an eerie hush
of silence.
In that haunting silence, I hear the distant splash of a paddle, the
clopping of a horse, the ping of a rock climber, the rush of wind in the
sails, the splash of water, the crackle of a campfire, the song of birds,
and the smothered giggles of children and youth telling special stories
about the mysteries of life. Can these be silly insignificant moments
in time or do they carry the import of basic human contact? In a world
of wires, signals, and bandwidth what can be more fundamental to positive
human development than meaningful relationships with others and nature?
What a shame if those sounds, relationships, and opportunities become
something of the past. For every change we make, we are intentionally
taking action to preserve and advance the camp experience in an ever competing
world of noise.
The camp experience is human; humans together as they are meant to be
— sharing, struggling, negotiating, inventing, discovering, exploring,
challenging, questioning, failing, growing, and succeeding. Amidst all
the change, camp is, and will continue to be, a community of growth and
development. ACA is prepared. You are making a difference.
Originally published in the 2005 July/August
issue of Camping Magazine. |
