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https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/signing-dotted-line-commitment-two-way-street
Signing on the Dotted Line: Commitment Is a Two-Way StreetCongratulations! You committed to working at camp this summer, and the director and/or team who hired you have been anticipating your arrival since you signed on the dotted line! It is completely...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/yes-only-means-yes-until-something-better-comes-along-making-camp-best-offer-gen-z-staff
Yes Only Means Yes Until Something Better Comes Along: Making Camp the Best Offer for Gen Z StaffStaff 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...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/project-real-job-moving-forward-together
Project Real Job — Moving Forward TogetherIn the early ’80s, I graduated from high school and made a simple but life-changing decision. It was May and I hadn’t yet made plans for the summer. My mom encouraged me to call my former camp...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/meeting-minds-camp-directors-higher-ed-college-students
A Meeting of the Minds: Camp Directors, Higher Ed, and College StudentsCamps need staff to run their programs; colleges/universities have various requirements for students regarding coursework and internships; and students are usually pulled between what they want to do...
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/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...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/there-reason-understanding-challenging-behavior
There Is a Reason! Understanding Challenging BehaviorI once worked with cat. Not a “meow” cat, although that’s how she identified herself to me. She was a thirteen-year-old girl who insisted she was a cat. You can imagine how hard it was for her at...
https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/healthy-camp-study-update-ten-promising-practices-healthy-camp
Healthy Camp Study Update: Ten Promising Practices of a Healthy CampSince the outbreak of H1N1 during the summer of 2009, camps have been diligently updating their health and safety protocols and practices for the management of communicable diseases. By accessing and...