As I reflect on the realities of the past few months, my heart continues to break for all the families, communities, and camps impacted by the terrible floods in Texas. This has been one of the worst camp tragedies to happen in my generation. While we all collectively continue to grieve, we should also be incredibly proud of our community’s response. As you might expect, there was and continues to be an outpouring of support from camp professionals across the country.
The specific, tangible support offered to Texas camps and communities was overwhelming, especially considering that it came during the busiest time of year for each of you. But the camp experience is centered on the idea of belonging, so it is no surprise that when some of us are in need, so many of you respond.
It feels appropriate, therefore, that this issue of Camping Magazine is dedicated to the ideal of belonging in a camp context. At the highest level, we are all working toward a future where every child has the opportunity for a camp experience. To come close to achieving that lofty goal, we will need to strengthen our understanding and practices related to inclusion and belonging. I hope that this issue of Camping Magazine can help us progress on that path.
In this issue you will find explorations of belonging at camp that start with the critical role a strategic plan can have in cultivating belonging. Enjoy, too, the celebration of Ms. Opal Lee’s Juneteenth legacy, which culminated this year in so many camp professionals joining her Walk for Freedom. You’ll also find strategies for including campers when it is not always easy, as well as reflections on barriers that might impede this work.
In addition, we look forward to sharing with you later this year the results of the ACA Engagement and Belonging Design Team’s work. This passionate group of volunteers from across the country, representing a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives, has been working to develop an Engagement and Belonging Framework that can guide ACA’s work in this area through specific goals and action steps. The rollout of this initiative will begin this fall.
As you all wrap up a busy camp season, I hope that you will find time to rest and reflect. At ACA, we are eager to provide spaces for you to connect, learn, and reenergize as we all begin to plan our path for the next camp cycle — a plan that I have no doubt will include even more people from wider backgrounds and cultures in the coming year.
As always, thank you for doing this important work.
Henry DeHart
Interim President/CEO
Camp is a place to create belonging and growth. These experiences are becoming increasingly crucial in our evolving climate that has brought unprecedented weather events across the country. With growing threats of displacement from wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and more, families across the country need camps, their summer homes, now more than ever.
That is why ACA created the Disaster Assistance Scholarship Fund. Through your generous support, families will be able to return to their trusted camps, even in the midst of being displaced by these natural disasters. The Disaster Assistance Scholarship Fund is creating the stability needed to ensure that camps throughout ACA are given the financial support they need to help their children always come back home to camp.
