ACA Winding Rivers Midwest Camp Gathering

Early Bird registration is available through January 12, 2024

• Conference registration includes opening keynote on Tuesday, March 5 through closing keynote on Thursday, March 7, as well as socials and networking events.
• The Wednesday commuter rate includes conference program on Wednesday, March 6, as well as lunch and dinner that day.
• YMCA Trout Lodge has a wide range of accommodations to fit any preference. Rates start at $99 per adult and include lodging, meals, and all free activities. See YMCA Trout Lodge tab for additional details and how to book your lodging.
• Not an ACA member? Join today for FREE and get the best rates for this event!

View Full Schedule with Session Descriptions

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

• 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Youth Mental Health First Aid Preconference
• 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Registration 
• 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Welcome & Opening Keynote - Celebrating the Rock Star Camp Counselor with Jason LeVasseur
• 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Educational Breakout Session #1
• 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Dinner
• 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Social - Open Mic Night with Jason LeVasseur

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

• 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast
• 9:15 a.m.  - 10:30 a.m. Morning Keynote
• 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Educational Breakout Session #2
• 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch
• 1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Educational Breakout Session #3
• 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Educational Breakout Session #4
• 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Roundtable Discussions
• 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Dinner
• 7:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. EPIC (Emerging Professionals in Camping) Get Together
• 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Social

Thursday, March 7, 2024

• 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast
• 9:00 a.m.  - 10:00 a.m. Educational Breakout Session #5
• 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Educational Breakout Session #6
• 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Educational Breakout Session #7
• 12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch
• 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Closing Keynote

Jason LeVasseur is an award winning musician and speaker who has shared the stage with The Roots, Ludacris, Train, John Mayer, J. Cole, The Dave Matthews band, and Maroon 5. He's also a 33 year summer camp veteran and is currently the program director at the camp he began attending as a 9 year old. Jason is an inspiring leadership speaker, a wilderness guide, a podcast host, a bad dancer, and a fan and friend to all of us at the ACA! His team-building expertise and ability captivate a crowd guides all of his keynotes and workshops, skillfully teaching his audience tools to strengthen their own relationships. His diverse experience in working with over 2,500 campuses, businesses, associations, and summer camps has given Jason a broad perspective on what is important for teams and team leaders to come together and succeed.

Opening Keynote - Celebrating The Rock Star Counselor

With over 25 years of experience as a performer and speaker and over 25 awards to support his work, Jason has helped thousands of audiences build great connections, grow their professional network, celebrate their own positive impact and influence, and have tons of fun along the way!!! Join, Jason at the opening keynote and celebrate everything about you that makes you an amazing Rock Star Camp Counselor. Jason will share stories, sing songs, and get you excited about the influential role that you play as an amazing friend, team member, and mentor!

Lisa Bergman (they/them) is a self-proclaimed camp junkie and loves facilitating team building and high ropes. They served 2 years in Peace Corps Lesotho teaching high school math and another 2 years in Peace Corps Response Malawi training STEM teachers and facilitating youth development via chess clubs and leadership camp. Currently, they are a masters student at Illinois State University studying Kinesiology and Recreation with an emphasis in community and economic development. Ultimately, they plan to return to Malawi and build a youth development center with a focus on agricultural education and team building.

Wednesday Keynote - Creating Inclusive Camp Environments: Navigating Ableism and Fostering Accessibility for Neurodivergent Individuals

Let's explore the critical role camp professionals play in creating inclusive and accessible environments for individuals with sensory sensitivities and neurodivergent traits. Understanding and addressing ableism is at the forefront of building a truly inclusive camp experience. We will explore the history of ableism and how pervasive it is in our everyday lives with a specific focus on how it appears in a camp setting and what we can do about it.

Kelly Schuna is the Co-Owner and Executive Director of Hidden Pines Ranch Day Camp, located in Stillwater, Minnesota. Kelly graduated from the University of Minnesota with an undergraduate degree in Communication Disorders and a master's in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. Kelly is passionate about coaching staff through growth opportunities, Brene Brown, vulnerable leadership, and the importance of creating intentional culture at camp. 

Closing Keynote - Take Your Staff Coaching Frustrations from "Why Me" to "Yes Me!"

Did you spend a lot of time this summer coaching your seasonal staff on what you felt like are essential "life and emotional intelligence skills?" Do you feel like there's been a shift in the training that your staff need? That the learning/teaching/coaching is much more then "how to work with kids and be a camp counselor" but equally "how to be an employee and co-worker?" If you are like many camp professionals this can be exhausting and frustrating. But what if we saw this as an opportunity for camp to be part of launching fantastic young adults into the workplace, that can bring the things they've learned at camp to their future workplaces and roles as leaders? Don't we all want to be the best boss/supervisors that your staff will work for, that in turn will be fantastic bosses/supervisors someday? This session will provide an opportunity to shift our mindset from frustration to "We get to do this!" We will look at how we can be intentional in our own camp to build these essential skills for the future in our staff and impact the world far beyond our camp properties. You will leave with tangible takeaways to implement at your camp for coaching staff for growth in communication, giving & receiving feedback, authentic & vulnerable leadership, problem solving, conflict management, agency and servant leadership.

Breakout Sessions Include:

• Mastering the Art of Persuasion - Recruiting Staff
• Gathering and Implementing Staff and Family Feedback
• Building a Leadership Development Program That Delivers
• Emotional Regulation Tools
• Building Resilient Camps
• Inclusive Team Building
• Survival of the Fittest: Bringing Survival Skills to Camp
• Development 101
• Tour of YMCA Trout Lodge
• Breathe! Using Yoga to Ground Any Activity
• Ropes Course Documentation: Don't Get Tied Up in a Sticky Situation!
• Coaching Staff Through Conflict, Difficult Conversations & Challenges (Brene Brown Style)
• Games Galore!
• CLIFF Communication: Effectively Communicating With Others By Changing How You Think Before Engaging in the Conversation
• Dutch Oven Cooking
• Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Board
• ACA Accreditation Conversation
• What's In It for Them? Attracting, Hiring, & Retaining Seasonal Team Members
• Gotta Catch 'Em All: Integrating Values at Camp

More sessions and information to come!

Full Schedule with Session Descriptions

We are excited to be at YMCA Trout Lodge, a stunning outdoor retreat nestled in the heart of the Ozarks, located in Potosi, Missouri. Trout Lodge boasts over 5,200 acres of rolling hills, lush forests, and serene lakes. 

YMCA Trout Lodge has a wide range of accommodations to fit any preference. Reserve either a rustic cabin or cozy lodge room where you can relax, recharge, and enjoy modern amenities. 

Lodging Information

• Accessible rooms for an inclusive and comfortable stay.
• Rates include lodging, meals, and all free activities. 
• The meals included with your stay start with dinner the day you arrive until lunch the day you depart.
• Maximum occupancy: 5 per guest room, 6 per loft room, and 10 per cabin.
• Check-in time is 5:00 p.m. & check-out time is 11:30 a.m.

Lodging Rates

• $99 per adult (ages 18+) per night
  • Rates go up to $112 per adult per night after February 5.
• Rates are per person plus additional flat fee per night for loft rooms ($30 per night) and cabins ($100 per night). No additional fee for a guest room.

Contact YMCA Trout Lodge to reserve your guest room or cabin today!

To reserve call 888-FUN-YMCA and let them know you are with the ACA, Winding Rivers Midwest Camp Gathering. 

Reserve your room by February 5, 2024. Rooms reserved after February 5, 2024 will be accepted on a space available basis. 

Youth Mental Health First Aid Course

• Tuesday, March 5, 2024
• 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
• Hosted at YMCA Trout Lodge

The Youth Mental Health First Aid Course is designed to teach individuals how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. 

This course is blended, there will be a required 2-hour online portion prior to the in-person training on March 5.

Registration includes Youth Mental Health First Aid Training and course materials.

Register Today!