New Director Orientation

The ACA New Director Orientation (NDO) is a course for seasonal or newer camp directors, assistant directors, program directors, and others moving into camp leadership positions. The NDO is an interactive course that includes activities, lectures, and discussions in a group problem-solving environment designed to address real-life situations at camp. This course covers five critical areas to help directors and supervisors develop the skills they need to be effective leaders. The core areas to be covered include:

1. Leadership and supervision
2. Camper and staff development and behavior
3. Staff training
4. Risk management
5. Evaluation and assessment

In addition to building skills, this curriculum incorporates introspection, perspective-shifting, and awareness building. This course has been influenced by years of iteration, internal and external research, and feedback from new directors.

This NDO course will be offered in a hybrid model with participants needing to complete online pre-coursework, participate in a two-hour virtual course meeting, and attend the in-person training. Participants will be enrolled into the online/asynchronous NDO course and will be contacted by instructors prior to the course to be given instructions on pre-coursework, the virtual meeting and the in-person meeting. 

• Registration Closes: January 1, 2025 - Early registration is encouraged to allow adequate time to complete online-pre-coursework. Registration includes course materials and lunch on January 14th. 
• Pre-Course Virtual Meeting: Thursday, January 9 - 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. CT
• In-Person Training: Tuesday, January 14 - 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. CT