by Sara Morrison
You've just attended one of the many springtime American Camp
Association (ACA) conferences. You connected with other Young Professionals
(YPs) like yourself — others who are students today, working as
camp counselors and supervisors, and planning to be the camp administrators
of tomorrow. Others who are changing positions, organizations, and their
minds faster than change can actually happen. You may have attended a
session on the needs of YPs or a YP welcome meeting. You realized that
YPs need resources, support, and connections to help us fly ahead into
the future. And you thought to yourself, "We need a Young Professionals
Group in our area!"
But Where Do You Start?
I found myself asking this question after attending the April 2005 CampWest
conference. At the conference, a forum was held concerning the needs
of YPs in the western states. Needs discovered at this forum included:
- Networking opportunities
- Cheaper options for membership and events attendance
- Access to resources to develop camps (i.e., program, training,
and facilities)
Seeing the energy and enthusiasm of seventy-five plus so-called YPs
inspired me to ask the question, "What are we going to do now?" Now
that we know what YPs need and want, should we just sit around and wait
until summer is over? No way! Immediately, I sat down with Dot Mains,
the ACA Southern California-Hawaii YP representative, and made a plan
to conduct events in San Diego using the information gathered at the
forum.
Dot and I developed a plan that included a place where YPs could gather
together fairly regularly to discuss topics relevant to them. Some of
our discussions revolved around the relevance and value in the events
and program developed for these YPs. We looked at costs, location, and
topics of discussion, as well as how to promote the value of these activities.
Knowing that camp staff and administrators are busy year-round, promoting
an additional group to belong to was going to be a challenge.
The first group that gathered together in San Diego at our local TGIFridays
consisted of six camp professionals, including Dot, Meredith Eisz (ACA
Southern California-Hawaii education director), myself, plus three others.
This small but intimate group began
discussing what YPs in San Diego needed out of a group like this. It
seemed clear from the start. This group's purpose was to network
YPs in the camp industry together. I made it my goal to develop social
networking opportunities through group gatherings that were convenient
in time, location, and price so camp professionals in San Diego had a
place to turn for advice and to share on a regular basis.
Creating Networking Opportunities
The structure of the original socials were very focused and structured.
I created a list of questions and discussion points for each social and
directed conversation to meet the outline. Over time the structure of
the socials became looser, with preparations limited to only developing
a general topic or theme for discussion. Conversation now flows, meeting
the needs of the individuals in attendance.
Our group in San Diego consists of about forty-five individuals and
growing. The average attendance of events is much lower with an average
of five to six people attending each. We continue to invite others into
the fold, sharing information and stories with other YPs eager to learn
and share.
Organizing Events
The following are several tips to start developing networking opportunities
in your area:
Talk to your ACA local office's YP representative. Let the representative
know about your interest in organizing events for YPs in your area. As
you embark on developing a sustainable group, your local YP representative
may have suggestions and resources for you.
Pick dates, times, and locations. Double check with your ACA local office's
education calendar as well as local camp community events and YMCA meetings,
so your events don't conflict. Choose a time of day that is convenient
for most people. (In San Diego, events are typically held during dinner
or early evening.) You could also choose a time paired with an event
that would attract a specific attendance.
The location should be convenient (near camp offices, actual camps,
or universities). Here is a list of ideas for places to convene:
- Restaurants
- Bowling alleys
- Camps
- Neighborhood park (BBQ anyone?)
Wherever you choose, be sure the environment is conducive to holding
conversations, but make it fun. Have a camp tour, play some games, or
just chat about life for a while.
Collect information on potential YPs. "Okay," you think, "but
where am I going to find people to attend my events?" Start with
your local ACA office, and ask for information (e-mails and phone numbers)
of individuals who have attended particular educational events such as
New Director Orientations, Standards trainings, staff development/training
days, or supervisory training days. Often these individuals are new to
the camp industry or new in their positions and are looking for networking
opportunities and resources to help them in their jobs.
Distribute event information to po-tential YPs. Create a calendar of
events for long-range planning. E-mail invitations to the event as last-minute
reminders. Personally, I use www.evite.com to
track attendees. Phone calls forge direct connection to help encourage
people to attend your events. Encourage individuals to spread the word
among their friends and coworkers who may be interested. Be sure to state
that ACA membership is not a requirement to participate.
Draft a list of topics that could be discussed. What are the hot topics
in your area? Try the following possible topic areas:
- Staffing (training, issues, salaries, paid versus
volunteer)
- Career opportunities (job openings, career options)
- Personal camp stories (as a camper, as a staff member)
- Budgets
- Standards
- Camper issues
- Facilities
You can design the event around a particular focus, or you can let the
conversation flow from topic to topic freely. The people attending these
events are looking to gain particular information. Some are hoping to
find new program ideas, while others want to learn how to handle staffing
issues. Remember, the YP group and events are set up to meet the needs
of its members.
Have patience and stick to the plan. Be prepared to sit alone for the
first few events or have only a few individuals attend. Try not to be
discouraged. Building a group takes time. Continue to talk up events
as a thing not to be missed. Try not to cancel events even with low enrollment,
as some individuals may show up without notice. Also when building the
reputation of a professional/social networking group, canceling events
says to people that this is a group that may not be worth joining. To
become consistent, you need to start somewhere even if it is with just
a few individuals.
Follow up after the event. Send everyone an e-mail about all of the
exciting conversions and activities that happened at the event. This
helps people get excited about the next event and helps to validate the
standing of the YP group.
What's Next?
We are currently building the reputation of our YPs group within San
Diego's
camp community, as well as developing a roster of potential YPs. Many
camps in San Diego are just beginning to understand the importance and
relevance of the information and opportunities that the YP group has
to offer. Once a sustainable group has been established, we can look
toward making our next move.
The next step in developing and maintaining our YPs group will be to
form partnerships with local universities. The plan is to target recreation
and park departments as well as environmental and outdoor education departments
and clubs within local universities to promote and connect students with
ACA.
Promote the benefits of becoming an ACA student member by showing:
- Careers in the camp industry
- Opportunities for professional development
- Resources within your area
- Networking with other camp professionals or individuals interested
in pursuing a camp career
By combining a camp job with a membership in ACA, students can become
connected with a professional association that gives all the resources
needed to succeed in their job.
Promoting student-membership benefits within individual camps to counselors
and staff is another way to reach out to people who may be interested
in pursuing a career in camp. Since most staff only hear about ACA in
regard to accreditation, bringing in an ACA representative to speak to
your staff during training or during an end-of-camp celebration can help
broaden the perspective of what ACA is truly about. The Young Professionals
group can be there as a support to those individuals who are looking
to continue with camp as a profession during the off-season.
So now that you have the idea, get out there and make the connection!
The development of San Diego's Young Professionals group is just
one way that ACA is able to reach out and meet the needs of individuals
making their start in the camp industry. Adapting and modifying the process
to meet the needs of individuals in your area remains critical for the
program's
success. The contacts you make through a Young Professionals group not
only provide the stepping stones for you in your career path, but they
also benefit your organization.
Originally published in the 2007 May/June
issue of Camping Magazine. |
