https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/camp-preparation-life

To say that expectations and pressures for high school students have increased is an understatement. The competition to get into the best universities dominates the minds of teenagers and parents...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/safe-space-trauma-informed-trauma-infused-what-know-how-help

Across the land, schools and summer camps have embraced a movement to better understand trauma and how it affects a child’s ability to learn and self-regulate their behavior. As that knowledge...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/nice-save-place-share

It’s free play, the 30 to 45 minutes of magical time at camp when nothing and everything happens. I walk from the dining room to the main campus after dinner and stop to watch five 9- and 10-year-old...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/compromise-can-turn-crisis-value

Many camps did not operate this past summer because of COVID-19. There were serious consequences for all as a result. Children lost the opportunity for summer fun and engagement;...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/assessing-summer-health-outcomes

How did it go? After 2020's "different" summer, we stepped into 2021 with hope. More camps opened, some staff were COVID-19 immunized, and protective behaviors — such as masks, physical distancing,...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/excellence-research-practice

In 2015, ACA, with the help of the Committee for the Advancement of Research and Evaluation (CARE), created the Eleanor P. Eells Award for Excellence in Research in Practice. This award is designed...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/mesh-mechanics-spur-personal-development-campers-staff

We can support mental, emotional, and social health for the entire camp community by taking it one step at a time. 

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/can-we-do-even-better-when-it-comes-mental-health

Running a camp is one of the world’s most awesome responsibilities. Awesome, because what’s a cooler job than running a camp? Also awesome because the responsibility is so big that it can be...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/professional-development-self-care-dynamic-duo

The past few years have been a blur in so many ways. A time warp of self-sacrifice, constant vigilance, planning — and an overall nightmare for health care. It’s been a time for fast-paced learning,...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/preventing-burnout-caring-your-staffs-mental-health-while-camp-session

A camp job is hard work. Camp is so worth it, as evidenced by all the positive outcomes research has shown campers achieve. But that does not make the job any easier — especially for the teenagers...