Mentees will have the opportunity in the application to select how they would like to be paired with two options. One option is to be paired in groups with similar camp roles/responsibilities (i.e., all program leaders or camp directors), or with peers that share a similar lived experience (i.e., BIPOC in camping, LGBTQ+ in camping). Geography will not factor into pairing, so mentees can expect to be in groups with peers from across the country. We will do our best to accommodate group requests, given the pool of accepted mentors and mentees, but we may not be able to accommodate all requests.

Group size will vary based on the amount of mentee and mentor applications received, but we anticipate between 4-to-8 mentees per group.

Scheduling: Meetings will be virtual. Each mentor group will set the times of their meetings based on group availability. As this is a professional program, these meetings will most likely occur during business hours, unless the group determines otherwise. Groups may likely include mentees from all time zones (PST, MST, CST, EST), and mentees should be prepared to be flexible in finding one hour a month that will work for the meeting. There will be a one-hour meeting per month from December 2024 – November 2025, excluding summer.

Format: Mentors will facilitate conversations among the mentee groups to determine group topics. In addition to group discussion, the mentor group may include discussing a book or article, guest speakers, or other resources shared by the mentor. 

This is a free program, but ACA membership is required. If you are not an ACA member, you may be eligible for your first year for free!

We encourage mentees to connect to upcoming national Emerging Professionals in Camping (EPIC) events – both virtual conversations and the EPIC Preconference event at the ACA National Conference. Learn more about EPIC events and resources here. We are also exploring providing a couple of virtual professional development opportunities exclusively for mentees throughout the program year. More information to come.

This is not a one–on–one mentor program. This is not an in-person mentor program. The conversation will not be led by the mentor, however it is the responsibility of mentees to be prepared to engage during the virtual meetings and to come prepared with questions and discussion topics. Mentors will commit to be available for one hour per month of virtual meetings and may have limited time beyond that, although some mentors may choose on their own to provide additional hours of support.

This is not an opportunity to gain feedback on accreditation and is not related to the accreditation program. The majority of mentors will likely be connected to an accredited camp, but not necessarily. 

This program is designed to be entirely virtual and will pair small groups of 4-to-8 mentees with 1 mentor. This program is not set up for two people to meet in person or isolated spaces.