https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/essential-staff-training-activities

You expect your staff to think on their feet — so why not train them on their feet? For more than three decades, I've been assisting camps, outdoor education centers, youth development agencies,...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/cyberbullying-camps-role-helping-girls-disengage-online-world

Author Rachel Simmons spoke with ACA about aspects of cyberbullying among girls and camp’s role in helping kids disengage from an online world where they must always be “on.” Recently, Simmons...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/family-camp-impacts-family-functioning

Introduction Families are a foundational structure of society that play a critical role in the health and well-being of communities. Every aspect of the American family is experiencing change,...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/creating-camp-narratives-enhance-emotional-growth-hiv-youth

Because of the ignorance and stigma which still sadly surrounds HIV, children born with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) experience additional psychosocial stressors beyond those commonly...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/what-now-understanding-supporting-campers-mental-health-issues

What's Going On? Are you finding youth more complicated and challenging to work with? Did you know that today one in five youth ages ten to twenty-four years is diagnosed with a defined mental...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/no-reservations-needed-please-be-seated-five-course-staff-training-smorgasbord

During the spring of each year, many camp directors are faced with what can seem to be an overwhelming task of planning for staff training. While it is tempting to use the same "recipes" from...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/kids-diabetes-non-diabetes-camp-setting

I'll never forget walking into the infirmary for my week as a camp nurse and hearing one of the outgoing nurses say, "I got the kid with diabetes again. Don't worry, you don't have one this week." In...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/tears-rain-disciplinary-debacles-summer-camp-lessons-learned

The sometimes heavy rain on the last and closing days of camp only accentuated the tears of sadness shed in this closest of communities. Some were tears borne of the profound sense of loss that the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/dont-let-your-camp-go-pot-impacts-policy-challenges-legalized-marijuana-youth-camps

Marijuana is now legal for recreational use in seven states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) and Washington, DC. It is still a federal offense to possess...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/yes-only-means-yes-until-something-better-comes-along-making-camp-best-offer-gen-z-staff

Staff sign a contract, then inform you the week before camp begins that they won’t be coming after all. Or staff commit to working the entire season only to tell (not ask!) you they are leaving for...