https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/inclusive-camp-pathway-toward-friendship-between-campers-without-disabilities

In the summer of 2014, I was the association director of inclusion for the South Shore YMCA in Massachusetts, with oversight of the inclusive day camp sites. It was officially our first summer of...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/innovation-work-2024-eleanor-p-eells-award-winners

Each year, ACA’s Eleanor P. Eells Award for Program Excellence honors camps that embody the spirit of the award’s namesake through their efforts to provide exceptional programming that effectively...

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/2024-golden-quill-golden-lens-winners

The J. Wendell and Ruth T. Howe Awards recognize those individuals who contribute their talents to Camping Magazine. The Golden Quill Award is presented to the authors of quality...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/shellfish-allergy-least-encountered-most-dangerous

Almost seven million Americans have an allergy to shellfish based on consumption amount, age, and locale. Shellfish are aquatic animals with a shell or shell-like exoskeleton. The two major...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/thriving-futures-ahead-thanks-2023-eleanor-eells-award-winners

Each year, ACA’s Eleanor P. Eells Award for Program Excellence honors camps that embody the spirit of the award’s namesake through their efforts to provide exceptional programming that effectively...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/building-referral-machine

Algorithms change and consultants retire, change jobs, or are absorbed by other concerns. Most of it is outside of your control and will at times leave you feeling like a ping-pong ball. The constant...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/factors-exigent-fish-allergy-vigilance-proliferation-potency

Sixth-grader Cameron Jean-Pierre was celebrating New Year’s Day of 2019 at his grandmother’s home in New York City. Cod was cooking on the stove, its smell wafting in the air when the 11-year-old...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/inclusive-camp-making-summer-camp-joyful-place-everyone

Summer camp is a sacred community which, as a rule, has always been willing to find common ground in respecting and accommodating individual values and needs. The values and needs of campers with...

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...