Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Help Us Support DEI Initiatives At Camp
Check in on our progress and hold us accountable. Bring us new ideas, and tell us what you think.
If you have questions, feedback, or if you’re looking to provide us with additional resources, contact us at dei@ACAcamps.org.
DEI Steering Committee
- Roberto Gil — Deputy Director of Camping, Fresh Air Fund
- Sterling Leija — Executive Camp Director, Roundup River Ranch
- Beatrice Welters — Co- Chair of the An-Bryce Foundation and Founder of Camp Dogwood Summer Academy
- Meena Julapalli — Pediatric Dermatologist, Bluebird Dermatology
- Arthur Spriggs — Executive Director, S Carolina Camps & Retreat Ministries (UMCRM)
- Phil Liebson — Director, Bender JCC of Greater Washington
- Bev McEntarfer — Director, Camp Homeward Bound
- Andre Brewer — Director, Camp Lincoln For Boys
- Gwyneth Emigh — Director, Union League Boys and Girls Club
- Lisa Westrich — Former Program Development Director
- Les Peters — Executive Director of Youth Institute & Curriculum Development, YMCA of Greater Long Beach
- Mary Kay Park — Executive Managing Director, Far East Broadcasting Company-Korea
- Laurie Browne — Research Director, American Camp Association
- Henry DeHart — Chief Operating Officer, American Camp Association
- Tom Rosenberg — President/CEO, American Camp Association
Contact Henry DeHart if you have questions for this volunteer committee.
DEI Advisory Committee
- Jennifer Phillips — Keshet
- Andy Lilienthal — Camp Winnebago
- Brodrick Clarke — National Summer Learning Association
- Dan Davis — Camp Rockmont
- Edwin Rivera — Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission
- Eric Morin — Pine Forest Camp
- Helen Santos — Woodcraft Rangers
- Henry DeHart — American Camp Association
- Jessie Dickerson — American Camp Association
- Jorge Mendoza — Pyles Boys Camps
- Katie (PJ) Sweeney — Girl Scouts, Central Texas
- Laurie Browne — American Camp Association
- Lisa Fortenberry — Camp Harbor View
- Maggie Braun — WeHaKee Camp for Girls
- Prenicia Clifton — University of Wisconsin
- Rachelle Barrs — Milton Hershey School
- Rafael Alvarado — Keybees Camp
- Shari Sigoloff — Camp Thunderbird
- Tom Rosenberg — American Camp Association
- Vance Gilmore — Camp John Marc, retired
Contact Tom Rosenberg if you have questions for this volunteer committee.
Communications Work Group
- Gwyn Emigh, Facilitator — Union League Boys and Girls Club
- Maggie Braun — WeHaKee Camp for Girls
- Mary Kay Park — Far East Broadcasting Company-Korea
- Kelley Freridge — ACA Staff Liaison
- Kaley Amonett — ACA Support
Contact Kaley Amonett if you have questions for this volunteer work group.
Outreach and Representation Work Group
- Phil Liebson, Co-facilitator — Bender JCC of Greater Washington
- Helen Santos, Co-facilitator — Woodcraft Rangers
- Rafael Alvarado — Keybees Camp
- Lisa Fortenberry — Camp Harbor View
- Meena Julapalli — Bluebird Dermatology
- Arthur Spriggs — S Carolina Camps & Retreat Ministries
- Chet Tschetter — Diabilities Camp Professional
- Lisa Westrich — Former Program Development Director
- Vincent Irving — ACA Staff Liaison
The outreach and representation workgroup seeks to increase ACA and individual camps’ engagement with underserved communities and increase representation in camp staff, ACA staff, and volunteers. Workgroup members will serve one-year terms beginning in April ’22 with the potential to continue for additional terms. We are seeking workgroup members with knowledge of and a passion for camp and inclusion.
Contact Vincent Irving if you are interested in serving or have questions for this volunteer workgroup.
Education and Resource Work Group
- Jessie Dickerson, Facilitator — American Camp Association
- Andre Brewer — Camp Lincoln For Boys Eden Prairie
- Bev McEntarfer — Camp Homeward Bound New York
- Eric Morin — Pine Forest Camp Greeley
- Beatrice Welters — Camp Dogwood Summer Academy McLean
The purpose of ACA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education & Resource Work Group is to increase camp professionals’ access to and engagement with diversity, equity, and inclusion education and training in order to increase expertise and implementation of DEI best practices across the field. Workgroup members will serve one year term, with the potential to continue for additional terms beginning June ’22. We are seeking members with a passion for this work. Ideally, team members will have experience in this sphere (e.g., curriculum development, equity resources), but this is not required.
Contact Jessie Dickerson if you are interested in serving or have questions for this volunteer workgroup.
Indigenous Peoples Task Force
- Les Peters, Facilitator — YMCA of Greater Long Beach
- Tim Baumann — International Music Camp
- Vance Gilmore — Camp John Marc, retired
- Andy Lilienthal — Camp Winnebago
- Shari Sigoloff — Camp Thunderbird
- Andrew Corely — Sioux YMCA
- Andrew Leary — Leave No Trace
- Henry DeHart — ACA Staff Liaison
The Indigenous Peoples Task Force will develop educational resources to support individual camps in reducing or eliminating the misappropriation of indigenous cultures in their practices. A passion for this work is necessary, and direct experience with addressing the misappropriation of indigenous culture in the camp space is preferred but not required. Taskforce members will serve one-year terms, beginning June '22, with the potential to continue for additional terms.
Contact Henry DeHart if you are interested in serving or have questions for this volunteer task force.
Other Ways to Get Involved
ACA members can join the volunteer pool for DEI volunteer opportunities through ACA Connect. Not a member of ACA? Please consider joining today!
Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matters at Camp
Camp has always centered on the human experience, but as we look to the future, we must focus on expanding the reach, relevance, and impact of camp.
We have identified three core demographic challenges that existing camps must solve in the next ten years to achieve the growth necessary to remain thriving, relevant businesses that serve all school-age children of every race and cultural identity in the United States.
Primary Challenges
- With the establishment of camp as a highly beneficial developmental and educational experience, the field must continue to build capacity to more inclusively serve the more racially and ethnically diverse demographics of the youth population in the US.
- The field must work to close the gap in representation among potential camps, camp staff, and camp professionals and develop more diverse, inclusive, and culturally responsive programs.
- While communicating the educational and developmental value of camp experiences, the field of camp must focus on creative, diverse, and culturally responsive methods for providing the economic supports that allow for equitable access and affordability.
The American Camp Association (ACA)’s most recent data on staff and camper demographics indicate that 28 percent–30 percent of day and overnight campers are campers of color, while staff of color makes up 29% of staff at day camps and just 21 percent of overnight camp staff. These numbers are steadily climbing, and though we are heartened to see representation growing, we also know that more children and families in the US could benefit from the camp experience. Today, more than half of Gen Zers (individuals born after 1996) are racial or ethnic minorities. When we compare this number to the number of minority campers served by camps in ACA's data, it is clear that we are falling short.
Before the pandemic, more than 15,000 summer camps across the country currently serve 26 million campers each year. Yet after 15-16 months of isolation and traumatic disconnection of children from their peers, camps are seeing increased interest in camp from parents who have not considered camp for the kids before. However, with 76 million children of school age (5–18) in the US, many more children and youth deserve opportunities for beneficial educational and developmental outcomes from camp. To reach more children and ensure a future of sustainability for the camp field, individual camps must address the nation’s changing demographics by becoming more culturally aware and responsive. New families are actively enrolling in camp programs that they learn about through personal experience or word of mouth, and parents are increasingly seeking opportunities for their children to learn from others with different backgrounds and experiences.
We know that organizations reflecting diversity in both ethnicity and gender are 25 percent more likely to be profitable than non-diverse organizations (and brands) competing in the same category. Recruiting staff to meet industry-recognized standards or state and county regulations for diversity, equity, and inclusion offers camps an additional important benchmark. Recruiting and retaining diverse staff who feel seen, heard, and valued will increase interest in working at camp within camps’ hiring pool of 18- to 25-year-olds.
It is not enough to say that we want more diverse staff. We must acknowledge that we need more diverse staff to evolve our programs, practices, training, and policies to reflect the changing demographics of the US’s potential camper population. Including and welcoming camp staff of diverse identities is not sufficient to support belonging in a camp’s culture. True belonging in the camp environment comes from acknowledging our differences and providing the resources, time, and training that staff needs to address the belonging gap in a camp’s culture.
Finally, we must consider the quality of the camp experience for all staff and campers through a lens of social responsibility while addressing mental health challenges and trends in youth. We know through ACA research that camp provides a critical developmental and educational experience. As such, camp can be a powerful tool in addressing the inequities experienced by youth across the country.
The camp industry strives to enrich the lives of all children, youth, and adults through the camp experience. Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at camp is a growth strategy on two fronts. First, It Is a viable business strategy to ensure the economic sustainability and growth of Individual business models. It also, however, Is a strategy for providing the critical educational and developmental growth that children require to reach their greatest potential. A focus on diversity, equity, and Inclusion will ensure camps’ continued relevance and to meet the changing needs of families, while also being an important tool in addressing historical inequities. While every camp cannot strive to serve every child, every camp will significantly benefit from prioritizing and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in their programs.
ACA Commitment
Through this work, the American Camp Association commits to prioritizing and appropriately resourcing diversity, equity, and inclusion to increase the reach, relevance, and equitable access to camp experiences. ACA will endeavor to routinely evaluate our strategy, efficacy, and advocacy for a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable experience at camp. We acknowledge that as our focus on this work is implemented and evolves, we will identify data, bias, and cultural barriers that will impact and change our strategy for achieving the outcomes identified here.