Stardate 2020: (Written From the Future)

The Edge

by Chris Strevel

Science fiction? I don’t think so! This glimpse into the future
is very real and attainable . . . and I don’t think we will have
to wait until 2020 to start experiencing the tremendous
advantages of a stronger professional development program and new designs
of an updated accreditation program.

While attending the University
of Tennessee in 1989 and looking for a summer job,
I saw an ad in the school newspaper for camp counselors. I applied,
interviewed, and got hired by Tate’s
Day Camp.

Almost immediately, I knew that I had
found my dream job. But — how could I possibly make a career by
being a camp counselor? After checking into the various programs that
the University offered at that time, I decided to stick with my chosen
major of Communications. I couldn’t really find the course work
that I was seeking to launch me on my journey to becoming a full-time
camp professional.

In the summer months while my friends and classmates
were lining up internships with advertising, marketing,
and public relations agencies, I headed back to summer camp. When classes
reconvened in the fall and we all got back together to discuss our summer
jobs and begin our studies, I felt that I had actually gained more “life experience” than
my classmates who had just completed their resume-building summer working
in topnotch business environments.

Not to mention, my memories were
much more interesting than theirs. They talked
about the demands of working with clients, meeting deadlines, and working
on an ad that got published in a national magazine.

I talked about working
with campers (and their parents), schedules that
didn’t always go as planned,
and how to deal with a five-year-old that constantly seemed to lose
his underwear when changing for swimming and then cry and scream and
run around the room with no clothes on until we could find it. Get an
ad published in a national magazine or solve the case of the missing
underwear, which one teaches you the most?

Although I completed my degree
in Communications and was very satisfied with my
formal college education, I learned much more from camp than I learned
from the classroom.

With the help and support of my camp’s owner,
I became very involved with the American Camp Association.
Attending my first ACA National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
continues to remain one of the most amazing and eye-opening experiences
that I have ever had. Finally, I had found the place, where at least
once a year, I could attend “cutting edge” educational sessions
and network with colleagues who had the same challenges
and opportunities that I faced.

I thrived on talking
to other camp professionals who had walked the
trails that I had not yet discovered and dealt with the challenges that
I had not yet encountered. I chatted with anyone and everyone who would
share their insights and experiences with me. I was young, but what
I may have lacked in experience, I made up for in enthusiasm.

Before
and after sessions; early in the morning or late
at night, I spoke with and learned from people like Jack Pearse, Jean
McMullan, Bill Key, Jack Weiner, Edie Klein, George Coleman, and Peter
Kerns just to name a few. At the time, I had no idea who these people
were and they definitely didn’t know me . . .
I just knew that they were pretty smart, and I wanted their knowledge
. . . and for some reason, they didn’t mind sharing it with me.

To fast forward, I quickly became as involved as I could with ACA.
I took a basic camp director course; became executive director of Tate’s
Day Camp (where I started as a camp counselor); continued to take pride
in maintaining our camp’s ACA accreditation; and I became involved
in my local ACA office, which resulted in opportunities to serve in
many local office roles over the years and then led to opportunities
to serve on some national committees and task forces.

Why did I do this?
Because I wanted the edge . . . and now, twenty
years later . . . I still want the edge. I want to be my personal best;
I want to provide unsurpassed programs and services to my campers, their
parents, and my staff; I believe that the learning process never ends
until the day we die; I believe that my job title is not camp director,
rather it is “provider of people development;” I am still as proud
of my camp’s ACA accreditation as I’ve always been; and
I am continually searching for the Edge!

Furthermore, I believe ACA
gives me that edge and in the near future, I think
ACA will launch a multitude of exciting and customizable programs that
will provide professional development to all camp professionals regardless
of age or experience level.

One of the smartest ladies I know is the
owner of my camp, Lou L Tate. Years ago she introduced
me to ACA because she saw the value to me personally and the value to
our camp. She started her business in 1968 and is what I would describe
as a lifelong learner and a lifelong educator. Even with all of her
many years of experience, she continues to attend conferences and training
events, and she does so with a notepad and pen in hand, capturing and
learning just like it was her first conference. She has taught me that “the edge” is not something you just
attain; it’s something that you must work to maintain.

In my opinion,
as ACA prepares to celebrate its 100th birthday,
I feel that the work accomplished in the next decade will set the course
for the next 100 years.

Captain’s log — stardate 3010: The American Camp
Association just celebrated its 200th birthday and continues . . . (how
would you complete this log entry?)

Chris Strevel is the executive director
of Tate’s Day Camp in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has served as president
of the ACA, Heart of the South and currently serves as chair of the
ACA, Field Service Committee. He is a member of ACA’s Education
and Accreditation Task Force and on the board of directors for the Association
of Independent Camps.

Originally published in the 2009 July/August
issue of Camping Magazine.