ACA Winnekota Leadership Summit

Date

March 20-21, 2025

Location

University of Wisconsin - River Falls
University Center
River Falls, WI 54022
Winnekota Leadership Summit Logo

Cost

See pricing details below.

CECs

6.50

Please join us for the 2025 Winnekota Leadership Summit! Join fellow camp and youth development professionals for top-notch education and networking opportunities at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in River Falls, WI. Bring yourself, your full-time teams, and your seasonal leaders to this can't miss leadership summit. It promises to get you fired up for summer 2025!

Call for Proposals Now Open!

The conference planning committee is now accepting proposals for innovative and dynamic sessions for the Winnekota Leadership Summit. The program planning committee is seeking proposals on the following, but not limited to, topics: camp programming, camp policies and procedures, volunteer management, risk management, health and wellbeing, DEIB, interpersonal skills, staff training, and technology at camp. Lectures, hands on presentations, and panel discussions are welcome. The call for proposals closes December 1, 2024. 

Learn More & Submit a Session!

CampWell

CampWell is an interactive experiential, multi-day training program that guides participants to identify, understand, cultivate, and create a community of well-being at camp. The course will be offered as a preconference training to the Winnekota Leadership Summit. Upon completion of the training, participants will have the content and resources necessary to incorporate CampWell into their staff training in 2025. Registration information and additional details are below. The course is a collaboration between the Alliance for Camp Health (ACH) and American Camp Association

Register for CampWell

Registration and pricing coming soon!

  • Full Conference Registration - Includes keynote on Thursday through closing on Friday. Registration also includes socials, lunch, and networking events.
  • Not an ACA member? Join today for FREE and get the best rates for this event!
Type Early-Bird Regular
Member $160 $175
Non-Member

$195

$230
Additional person from same Organization - Member

$115

$135

Additional person from same Organization - Non-Member $145 $160
Retiree $100 $115
Speaker $100 $100
Student / Season Staff $100 $115

 

More information coming soon!

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 Wednesday, March 19, 2025

  • 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CampWell Preconference Training

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

  • 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CampWell Preconference Training
  • 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Character Academy Preconference Workshop #1 - Funding Character Development at Camp: Steps and Strategies for Successful Grant-Writing

Thursday, March 20, 2025 

  • 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Character Academy Preconference Workshop #2 - Character Development at Camp: What is is and How to Get There
  • 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Winnekota Leadership Summit Registration
  • 2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Welcome
  • 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Opening Keynote
  • 3:20 p.m. - 4:20 p.m. Educational Breakout #1
  • 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Educational Breakout #2
  • 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Social

Friday, March 21, 2025

  • 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Registration
  • 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Networking Activity
  • 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Educational Breakout #3
  • 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Educational Breakout #4
  • 12:30 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Lunch
  • 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Closing Keynote
  • 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Closing Activity

CampWell logo

Register Now for CampWell

CampWell is a skills-based training course that guides participants to identify, understand, cultivate, and create a community of well-being. CampWell is a collaboration between the American Camp Association (ACA) and the Alliance for Camp Health (ACH) and is supported by the H.E. Butt Foundation

The CampWell Training program aims to help all be well at camp and seeks to create consistent care across the spectrum of all summer learning spaces. As an immersive learning program CampWell is uniquely designed to help leaders shape programs that incorporate the tools, self-awareness, and understanding needed to enhance the experience and safety for all. 

CampWell training is limited to 20 camps/40 participants. Camps are encouraged to send TWO participants per camp. If camps wish to register more than two staff, contact Abbie Parker (aparker@ACAcamps.org, 765-349-3526).

  • $300 - Individual or First Person Registration
  • $200 - Second Person Registration

The CampWell training will include a pre-course Zoom session, in-person sessions, and a group excursion. 

  • Pre-Course Zoom Session: Date coming soon
  • In-Person Training Session: Tuesday, March 18, 2025 - 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CT
  • In-Person Training Session: Wednesday, March 19, 2025 - 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CT

Registration includes the full CampWell training as well as breakfast and lunch on Wednesday, March 19. 

Register for CampWell

Upon completion of the training, participants will have content and resources necessary to incorporate CampWell into their staff training in 2025. Participating camps will also receive ACH's MESH Resource Guide and slide deck for use during staff training and a complimentary ACH membership. This is a $200 value in addition to the course content.

Winnekota Leadership Summit registration is separate from CampWell registration, but we encourage all CampWell participants to join us for the 2025 Winnekota Leadership Summit March 20-21. By registering for CampWell you will receive a 10% discount on your conference registration. A coupon code will be emailed to you once your CampWell registration has been completed for your use on the Winnekota Leadership Summit registration.

What People are Saying about CampWell

We can prove with our 90% retention of staff that they feel well taken care of here. Our staff feel safe, supported, and connected. Without CampWell, our staff would quit. They were leaving and not coming back, and now they're here. -Camp Behavioral Specialist (LCSW)

What we liked about CampWell is that it wasn't a reaction to the mental health challenges, it was a holistic approach to well-being. It offered a path forward where we felt like we could build skills to actually prevent challenges from happening and give our staff and participants some resilience and skills in order to help them face challenging times. -Camp Executive who has been part of the CampWell program for two years. 

Check out the Character Academy Preconference Workshops! These workshops are free for members and $48 for nonmembers. Not an ACA Member? Join today for FREE! 

Wednesday, March 19th - 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Workshop #1: Funding Character Development at Camp: Steps and Strategies for Successful Grant Writing

The purpose of this workshop is to equip participants with the skills to successfully apply for grants to support their camp mission. With a specific focus on the Character at Camp grant program, participants will learn the steps and skills necessary for applying for basic grants, including how to find grants, how to tell if they're aligned with your needs, components of a basic grant application, and what happens next if you do or do not receive a grant.

Thursday, March 20th - 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Workshop #2: Character Development at Camp: What it is and How to Get There

The purpose of this workshop is to understand what character is (and what it's not!) from the perspective of science of learning and development. With this knowledge, participants will identify specific character development goals for their campers and staff and develop a road map for achieving those outcomes through staff training, program design, and parent and community engagement.

Please note that lunch is not included. There will be a break for lunch before the Winnekota Leadership Summit begins. 

Register for the Character Academy Preconference Workshops

 

Sarah Lagrotteria

Sarah Lagrotteria (MA, Stanford) runs the Just Bloom training program, based on Dr. Angus Fletcher's pioneering theory of creativity, which has been called "mind-blowing" by Malcolm Gladwell, "life changing" by Brené Brown, and was awarded the 2023 Commendation Medal for groundbreaking research with US Army Special Operations.

In 2019, Sarah was honored as one of 50 women nationwide as a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow for women in business. Just Bloom's training methods have been featured in Harvard Business Review, including in the 2024 Best of HBR: How to Lead Now. Sarah offers her narrative-based workshops privately through Just Bloom and in partnership with the Columbus Museum of Art.

UWRF University Center

 The Winnekota Leadership Summit will be held at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls in the University Center. The University Center is in the heart of campus and is a vibrant and welcoming gathering place where meaningful connections and lasting memories are made.

Hotel Information

Lodging arrangements will need to be made on your own. There are many hotel options that you can check out between River Falls, Wisconsin and Hudson, Wisconsin. 

A block of rooms has been reserved at a discounted rate at the Radisson Hotel River Falls. From the Radisson you can venture on foot or drive a short distance to the UW-RF University Center. Use the link below to reserve a room or call directly at 715-425-1045 and let them know you are with Winnekota. Book by February 19, 2025 to guarantee the discounted rate. 

Radisson Hotel - River Falls Booking Link

 

Sponsorship opportunities:

  • $3,000 Title Sponsor*
  • $2,000 Keynote sponsor*
  • $1,500 Meal sponsor*
  • $1,000 Session sponsor
  • $500 Snack/Break sponsor

All sponsorships come with a table and logo recognition on signage at the event, and the events web page.

Sponsorships with an (*) also include two minutes to address the participants.

Please contact Kim Fitzgerald, kfitzgerald@acacamps.org with any sponsorship inquiries.

Thanks to our sponsors!

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