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 Dear Camp Friends:
The season
of anticipation is upon us. We have celebrated
the end-of-year holidays with our families,
and now we anticipate summer experiences
with our extended families — campers,
staff, and parents. This is the season
of interviews, program planning, and facility
review and spruce up. This is the
season when campers and staff use the vision
of camp to carry them through until the
magic day arrives. In the midst
of all this, it is also the season of camp
conferences, offering time to step away
from all of this anticipation for a short
time to visit with colleagues, learn from
experts in related fields, and to share
what you know.
Many of us
have just returned from the ACA National
Conference. We were inspired by four great keynote speakers. Each one
spoke to a specific phase of our complex camp experiences. Ned Hallowell
gave us words and descriptions to interpret the crucial value of camp experiences
to parents and others. Linda Perlstein
gave us enchanting insight into the growth
and experiences of middle schoolers. Pat
Williams of the Orlando Magic shared some
positive insights about productive teams. And sending us home, Joe Hubbard
challenged us with some inspirational leadership ideas for today's economic
times. I
have been surprised by the number of folks
who are still buzzing about these speakers
(to the point of quoting them in conversation).
An incredible
range of educational offerings featured
everything from a professional seminar
for mental health professionals and presentations
by some of our camp friends to opportunities
to share new techniques and games that
engage and teach campers. And in
between were inspiring and challenging
presentations by our great colleagues,
outstanding presentations by first- time
presenters, discussions of strategic research
findings (which fueled momentum for upcoming
research projects), and informative seminars
led by folks willing to share what they
have learned in camp.
The good news
is that there are still more
regional conferences to come this spring.
Each of these conferences and local educational
events will freshen your approach as this
time of sweet anticipation for the new
camp season flows through the spring. Take
a moment to learn something new, to visit with colleagues and share a tip or
two with others — you will
return to your preparations with renewed
energy and insight. Remember that
beyond the excitement of preparations,
beyond the excitement of staff training, and beyond the excitement of opening
day are the three key developmental gifts that we give to campers and staff. Camp
experiences provide participants with the opportunity to connect
with nature,
to participate in human powered activities, and to benefit
from personal and primary relationships. Each
of you can continue to tell the story about
the lessons learned at your camp (and every
camp), which include teamwork,
independence, self-esteem, and leadership.
Enjoy your
preparations as much as you will enjoy the great summer camp experience.
Peter Surgenor
ACA President
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