https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/four-simple-words-better-communication

One of the main challenges of being on staff at camp is the degree to which you suddenly have to communicate with so many people. Because you have decided to accept the awesome responsibility for the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/wanton-words-curbing-verbal-crudeness-cruelty-camp

I love language. The beauty of a poem, the lyricism of a novel, the passion of a political speech, the sentiment of a heartfelt toast, the humor of standup comedy, and the simplicity of a handwritten...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/place-share-investing-professional-development

For my camp, the ACA national conference (this year in Dallas, Texas) is always the highlight of our winter. Those of us who are experienced (please note that I am avoiding the word “old”) can get...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/truth-consequences-interviewing-skills-camp-professionals

Raymond (not his real name) is an experienced camp director on the East Coast. When it comes to interviewing staff, Raymond feels especially confident about his ability to "sniff out the good ones."...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/noticing-deficit-disorder-how-camp-can-restore-art-seeing-world

We are in the midst of an epidemic of visual impairment no medical doctor can fix — but which camps might cure. Back in the `60s, artist, researcher, and psychologist Rudolf Arnheim (1969) lamented...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/farm-dining-hall-camp-farm-program-long-history

In 1890, the folks who built the water powered grist mill just off Carson Creek, outside Brevard, North Carolina, never envisioned that one day the property surrounding the mill would become Gwynn...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/turning-camp-counselors-nature-specialists-pemi-nature-instruction-clinic

Introduction Richard Louv, in his book Last Child in the Woods, “links the absence of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation to some of the most disturbing childhood trends: the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/staff-retention-recruiting-revving-season

By this point in the year, you've processed your staff evaluations, and you've been thinking about those difficult decisions: "Should I hire her back?" or "This person just didn't cut it; is it time...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/recruiting-interviewing-hiring-ensure-best-best

Recruiting, interviewing, and hiring staff is the most important part of your job as a camp director. It is the single most time-consuming and, at times, tedious task you will undertake. However,...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/developing-keeping-great-counselors

It takes a great staff to make a great camp. Jack Weiner once said: "With the right counselors, camp could be held in a parking lot." When one looks at all of the possible aspects of camp in which to...