Inclusion & Belonging

Each year, the American Camp Association conducts rigorous industry research to help better understand the camp industry and to support camps in their work. The Site, Facilities, and Programs Survey is one of three surveys administered on a rotating basis every three years (the others are the Business Operations Survey and the Staff Compensation and Benefits Survey ).

How do camps incorporate social justice into staff training programs? Five passionate, experienced, and insightful camp leaders discuss their professional and personal development as social justice practitioners and share insights for other camps to enhance and refine their strategies and philosophies to create greater inclusion for staff and all members of the camp community.

I used to roll my eyes at the mere mention of the word diversity. Four factors explained my defensive rejection of the topic. First, I resented the shortsighted practice of...

An interview with Nick Teich, founder and CEO of Camp Aranu’tiq. Camp Aranu'tiq of Harbor Camps is a nonprofit program serving transgender and gender-variant youth and their families. Camp Aranu'tiq is for those who feel they do not fit into the norms our society has prescribed for gender. This includes those who have "transitioned," those who happen to express their gender differently than others, and those who may experience teasing or bullying because of their gender.

I got a Nakamichi cassette deck for Christmas in 1983. It had two kinds of Dolby noise reduction, auto-detection of tape substrate (normal vs. chromium dioxide vs. metal), manual...

How do camps incorporate social justice into their programming for campers? Five passionate, experienced, and insightful camp administrators took their time to share their camps' approaches to this topic.

Color television was invented in the early 1950s, and in the mid-tolate 1960s, my family didn't have one yet. My parents had seven children and were committed to putting us all...

I'll never forget walking into the infirmary for my week as a camp nurse and hearing one of the outgoing nurses say, "I got the kid with diabetes again. Don't worry, you don't have...

Inclusive summer camp experiences can make a positive impact on transgender children.

The death of a loved one is a reality that each of us must face at some point. The experience of a loss invokes a myriad of feelings for adults and children alike. Some will...