https://www.acacamps.org/blog/most-important-question-you-can-ask-alumni-staff-applicant
The Most Important Question You Can Ask an Alumni Staff ApplicantWe love having alumni apply to work for our program. Following their years of participation as campers, we ask them to step away for a year or two before they can reengage as a staff member. We...
https://www.acacamps.org/blog/talk-set-success
The Talk That Set Up SuccessLike many camps that are hiring college-aged staff to work during the summer, over the past few years I have noticed an increase in staff that are being treated for (or have recently been treated for...
https://www.acacamps.org/blog/making-sense-mesh-partnerships-parents
Making Sense of MESH: Partnerships with ParentsAs we tackle mental, emotional, and social health (MESH) issues in our programs, we must use every tool possible to help the struggling person. ...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/camp-antidote-stress
Camp: An Antidote to Stress?At a recent gathering, a group of camp professionals were talking about stress. They mentioned how it seemed fairly pervasive among campers and staff, sometimes at debilitating levels. Then they said...
https://www.acacamps.org/blog/conversation-katie-how-one-camper-handles-mental-illness
A Conversation with Katie — How One Camper Handles Mental IllnessThe thing about mental, emotional and social health (MESH) is that you never know when, and you never know how, it is going to affect you...
https://www.acacamps.org/blog/want-improve-your-response-mental-health-challenges
Want to Improve Your Response to Mental Health Challenges?Camp professionals often ask what they might do to more effectively respond to staff and camper mental, emotional and social health (MESH) needs. This often arises from a desire to be as inclusive as...
https://www.acacamps.org/blog/moderating-childhood-stress-through-camp
Moderating Childhood Stress Through CampExposure to adverse childhood events (ACE) can lead children to drinking alcohol, smoking, illicit drug use, overeating, and other maladaptive behaviors (Stevens, 2015). These children can experience...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/mind-part-ii-what-staff-need-know-about-their-own-mental-health
With that In Mind, Part II: What Staff Need to Know about Their Own Mental HealthThink, for a minute, about the adults to whom you were most strongly attached as a child. Can you see their faces and remember how they treated you? Perhaps you see parents, teachers, coaches, clergy...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/mind-part-1-what-directors-need-know-about-staff-mental-health
With That In Mind, Part 1: What Directors Need to Know About Staff Mental HealthHiring young adults to care for other people’s children seems like folly, from a neurodevelopmental perspective. Nobody’s brain is fully developed, many activities are dangerous, the weather can be...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/expand-your-mesh-capacity-summer-begins
Expand your MESH Capacity Before Summer BeginsConsider these scenarios: A parent calls: “My child has ADD and takes medication for depression. Can she come to camp?” A counselor dashes into your office: “We need you at Cabin 5. A camper...