https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/feedback-without-fallout-guiding-your-team-compassion-clarity

Anyone who claims to love receiving feedback is either stretching the truth or blessed with nerves of steel. Feedback can be tough to hear. Most of us approach it with pride and vulnerability,...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/new-geographic-demographic-day-camps-hiring-staff-outside-your-area-code

If you’re responsible for hiring staff to work at day camp, you may be summing up today’s to-do list in one short phrase: Find more people! Far from being the second choice for those who don’t...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/it-personal-its-business

What folks really mean when they say “it’s not personal, it’s business” is that we shouldn’t take it personally. Yet when we’re in the midst of camp and also engulfed in a swirling cloud of everyone’...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/evaluating-bereavement-camps

Spending time in nature is often therapeutic and provides many benefits, such as improving cognitive functioning (Berman, Jonides, & Kaplan, 2008) and improving memory (Berto, 2005). Spending...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/commitment-how-do-we-earn-it-how-do-we-keep-it

An answer to this question of the century may seem counterintuitive, yet it is at the core of most camp communities: Relationships. More than ever, staff are looking for connection and belonging. So...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/continuous-improvement-program-quality-lessons-learned

Program quality (PQ) is essential to youth programs, and research shows that high-quality programs are directly linked to more positive outcomes. PQ refers to the environment that is created at...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/addressing-elephant-camp-little-pay-creates-big-challenges

Amazing growth experiences for young adults entering the workforce should not come at the cost of competitive wages.

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/ultimate-guide-staffing-your-kitchen

It’s not you. With a 3:1 ratio of available culinary positions to applicants, the labor shortage for kitchen staff continues to be a harsh reality. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/continuous-quality-improvement

In my decades-long career as a camp professional and outdoor educator, one of my favorite parts has been problem-solving. How can I, in whatever role I find myself, help make the camper experience...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/staff-recruitment-assessing-your-needs-making-connections

Staff recruitment — whether you call it a plan, process, or task — is an ongoing activity that needs constant attention, documentation, and planning.