Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The world has 206 sovereign states — are you maximizing the opportunities for diversity at your camp?

Growing up in the 1980s and ’90s, something I looked forward to every year was attending summer camp. After spending winters mostly indoors, the perfect reprieve from school was...

As leaders interacting with the next generation we have a choice. We can spin our wheels trying to understand why they aren’t where we are, where we believe they “should be,” or we can consider the uniqueness of the moment we are all living through and sense the necessary shift to foster a feeling in all the areas of our work.

For generations, a camp director’s focus on safety meant protecting campers from physical harm. In today’s reality that is still a necessity though insufficient. Safe space at camp has now evolved beyond mere physical safety.

When bias is discussed in wilderness risk management, it is often explored from the perspective of decision-making. Heuristics are the processes by which we make decisions using mental shortcuts that are influenced by an individual’s unconscious — and sometimes conscious — biases. When these biases influence us to make a poor or potentially dangerous decision, this is referred to as a “heuristic trap.”

Providing access to camp is only the start. An important part of an inclusive camp experience is creating a sense of belonging.

Sustained engagement along the journey to making camp accessible for all will take courage.

We’ve made some amazing progress with regard to diversity in our camp populations — race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, nationality, physical ability, mental ability, and more. And while this progress is wonderful, it does not live up to the truest potential of coexistence.

Join Us! The American Camp Association is proud to present the 2023 Sustainability and Access Summit: Cultivating the Path and Planting Seeds of Opportunity for youth of color...

This tool is designed to help you and your camp identify the work you already do to make your camp an inclusive space.