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As a camp professional, I, like you, have literally thousands of affirming anecdotal stories — the camp experience is not discretionary. And, if anyone needs more evidence, ACA's outcomes research confirms what each of us already knows. Our CEO, Peg Smith*, has been telling the world that opportunities for growth and development exist in natural settings that promote experiential learning, improve social skills and physical fitness, teach children to take calculated risks in a safe environment, and expand the creative mind.

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Family camps have become increasingly prevalent over the past several years. The number of camps offering family programs has exploded since the early 90s; reports of increases in family camps range from 215 percent (Sweet 2007) to 500 percent (Tevis 2005) in the last sixteen years. More families are seeking opportunities to spend time together (Shaw and Dawson 2001), and camp providers are responding to this desire by providing more family programs.

Published Date:

Dear Bob,

We are a coed resident camp operating in the mountains. It seems that every summer we have campers who aren’t really ready for the demands of group living in what is the intense social and physical environment that is our camp. We have found that some parents want to send their children because they believe we can help them make the friends they’ve never been able to make at home.

Without being too confrontational and scaring away what might otherwise be great campers, how do we determine whether a child is truly ready for the community living that is our camp?

Published Date:

Imagine finding a jar full of old coins buried in the yard, and tossing them out because Italy (Rome) doesn't issue denarii anymore! I bet that you didn't know that you, too, have a treasure. It's probably closer than you think, and you won't have to use a shovel. Remember that avalanche of rolled-up drawings that attacks from the back of the storage closet? There's your irreplaceable treasure, chock full of knowledge and information. If they're not where they can work for you, you just don't know what a treasure they are.

Published Date:

Speaking or writing about risk management without mentioning insurance is difficult. The two disciplines are independent in theory, but "glued together" in thought and practice.

Insurance is one of the first tools camp risk managers can deploy in their arsenal of weapons to combat risk. Insurance is the weapon of choice for camp risk managers when the risks are too unpredictable, or the stakes are so high with such significant financial impacts their organizations simply couldn't win the battle on their own without some help.

Published Date:

For many, hope has always been an important element of "survival." The power of hope has often been chronicled. Hope is a feeling, a form of positive thinking often considered therapeutic. Hope can transform people from despair to one of possibilities. Yet, today, we find that we are in need of something stronger than "hope." A feeling of future well-being is not enough. Many, today, seek "well-founded" hope. We want our hope to be convincing, reasonable, defensible, and legitimate.

You Are Your Own Story

Published Date:

With Mark Victor Hansen, author, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and co creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, tells how and why the stories of our lives can be motivators for change in every area from personal transformation to corporate management and fund development. With warm-hearted wisdom, wit, and creativity, he shares insights in an engaging interview with Camping Magazine, in which his experiences as a visionary thinker link us to the great possibilities of our own human potential.

Published Date: 2010-01-01

Described as one of the world's foremost high-altitude mountaineers, Luis Benitez gives Camping Magazine a personal account of struggle, valor, and resilience as he rose above his own physical limitations to gain world-wide fame in a merciless sport that claims the lives of many and offers reward to a very few. The reward?

Published Date: 2010-01-01

Many summers ago, as a young cabin counselor with new campers and programming to do, the last thing on my mind was the history of organized camping. I had places to go and people to see — and besides "that was then; this was now!" Boy, did I have a lot to learn!

Published Date:

Fred Miller has more than three decades of experience as a senior executive and consultant working in the areas of governance, strategy, and organizational effectiveness. With a long camp history that includes attending camp as a child; working at camps as a counselor, program director, and assistant camp director; and serving as chair of the American Camping Foundation and on the American Camp Association (ACA) National Board, he is a strong advocate of the camp experience and a long-time valued friend of ACA.

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