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https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/moments-truth-things-you-say-things-you-do
Moments of Truth: The Things You Say and the Things You DoKevin Kevin was nine years old when his parents sent him to summer camp in Minnesota. He was overweight, not athletic, not very confident — and more than anything, not wanting to be there!...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/four-simple-words-better-communication
Four Simple Words to Better CommunicationOne 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
Wanton Words: Curbing Verbal Crudeness and Cruelty at CampI 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
A Place to Share: Investing in Professional DevelopmentFor 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
Truth and Consequences: Interviewing Skills for Camp ProfessionalsRaymond (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
Noticing Deficit Disorder - How Camp Can Restore The Art of Seeing the WorldWe 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
Farm to Dining Hall: A Camp Farm Program with a Long HistoryIn 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
Turning Camp Counselors into Nature Specialists: The Pemi Nature Instruction ClinicIntroduction 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/recruiting-interviewing-hiring-ensure-best-best
Recruiting, Interviewing, and Hiring to Ensure the Best of the BestRecruiting, 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/staff-retention-recruiting-revving-season
Staff Retention, Recruiting, and Revving Up in the Off-SeasonBy 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...