https://www.acacamps.org/research

The ACA Research Team is committed to research and innovative, special projects that enhance the youth experience in the camp and other out-of-school contexts. We aim to expand the value and...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/scars-enchantments

I believe that when we become attached to a particular part of the environment, when we try to understand a place and feel at home there, we don’t just learn about that place, we learn about...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/five-essentials-supporting-staff-mental-health-well-being

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define mental health as “your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It can therefore affect every stage of life and impact how you...

https://www.acacamps.org/blog/new-kind-camp-culture

When international staff work at your summer camp, it's important to consider cultural differences such as context, social hierarchies, concepts of personal space, individualism versus collectivism...

https://www.acacamps.org/news/press-release/smbc-announces-building-resilient-futures-enrich-youth-through-power-outdoors

Inaugural Partners Include American Camp Association, Change Summer, and Outward Bound.

https://www.acacamps.org/blog/finding-diverse-organizations-campuses

In order to find more diverse camp staff applications, the Project Real Job Staff Recruitment and Retention Committee conducted research on how to find qualified staff. This project involved a...

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/it-personal-its-business

What folks really mean when they say “it’s not personal, it’s business” is that we shouldn’t take it personally. Yet when we’re in the midst of camp and also engulfed in a swirling cloud of everyone’...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/camps-transformation-economy

What do hibachi restaurants and summer camps have in common? Before I answer that, let me provide some context. Earlier this year, I dined at a hibachi restaurant for the first time. I sat up at...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/spoiler-alert-you-wont-be-around-forever

Whether you plan to be at your camp for another 2, 5, 10, or 20 years, it’s not too early to start your camp’s succession planning. Camps are unique businesses that closely reflect their owners or...