Spring Leadership Conference

I am very excited about the Spring Leadership Conference scheduled for April 14- 17, 2010 in the beautiful city of Palm Springs. While the destination is an attraction in itself it is not the only reason you should bring your staff team and attend the conference.

This conference will provide your leadership team the opportunity to build yourselves- much like you build your counseling and program staff teams during your own camp orientation.

• Help your staff learn valuable skills for training, coaching and supervising other staff.
• Come and network with camp peers from Southern California, Hawaii and beyond!
• Gain cutting-edge information regarding children and youth in the 21st century.

Who should attend?

• Developing Directors
• Seasonal Directors
• Program Directors
• Assistant Directors
• Staff Supervisors
• Middle Managers
• Students interested in camp as a career

Of course, if you are an experienced director, you should plan to attend too! You are able to attend the conference free with a team of 6 from your camp. And you are invited to register for the Experienced Director Day option on Friday.

The conference chairs, John Beitner and Maria Horner have put together an incredible conference committee. Program and activities are in the process of being planned- some of our industry favorite speakers will be presenting new material and as mentioned on the website, we have Ashley Merryman helping us to understand some of today's best science on raising children. If you haven't purchased her book, Nurture Shock, New Thinking About Children co-authored with Po Bronson I encourage you to go and buy it today! I am almost done reading it and I highly recommend it. be sure to check the website often, it will be updated as speakers are added to the schedule. http://acasocal.org/springconference Po and Ashley also have a blog you might want to check out http://www.nurtureshock.com/

If you know of a vendor who might be a good fit for our exhibit hall, please let me know, michele@ACAsocal.org we want to fill our exhibit hall with great resources. We are also looking for conference sponsors.

Along with an excellent program the committee is planning an opportunity drawing - a chance to win fabulous prizes and social activities to provide greater networking opportunities.

Be sure to check out the hotel too- it is definitely a destination: http://www.hotelzoso.com/index.php and you can't beat the $100 per night room rates.

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a healthy New Year!

See you in Palm Springs,

Michele

Father's Day and Camp

I have the privilege of getting all ACA’s email and communications and I do everything I can to ensure that I’m caught up on what’s happening. I feel very fortunate to have a relationship with ACA, an organization whose mission I truly believe in.

This week is “Father’s Day,” my first as a father. Since ACA’s Public Service Announcement (PSA) a couple weeks ago – “Because of Camp…” - I’ve been reflecting on what Camp and Father’s Day mean to me.

For those who don’t know my Dad, Wally Wirick, has been in the camping business for as long as I can remember. My first job was washing dishes at camp. Since then, I’ve had many, many camp jobs and even better camp memories.

However, this weekend, as we all say “Happy Father’s Day” to our Dads, I thought I’d share the camp experience that has meant the most to me.

My parents, like many before and many since, separated when I was in second or third grade. As a young kid, I had a hard time figuring out what happened and why Dad was living far away. As time passed, the daily interaction with Dad got less and less and when we did see him, it was always movies, parks and fun and games, but not much understanding.

Although we lived in the San Bernardino Mountains, my school had a week of Outdoor Education for all 5th graders. But, when my 5th grade rolled around the camp we were supposed to go to abruptly closed. We were told we couldn’t go this year and that all that jogging we had been doing for months in our jog-a-thon would go to something else.

Upon hearing this news, I raised my hand and told the teacher that my Dad was a Camp Director and maybe we could use his camp.

Dad made it happen. His camp didn’t have OE, but he put together a barebones team and somehow got us through the five miles of dirt road (that was muddy from the snowmelt and the buses constantly got stuck) to camp.

It is not that Dad and I hung out all week…he was busy running a camp. But, what I remember seeing was that Dad was providing a great experience for me, and my friends and all the other kids who where there. I remember looking around and thinking that he does this for all the kids who live down the hill. It was important work.

Camp helped me reconnect with my Dad. When—of course—he embarrassed the hell out of me at camp fire, I remember feeling as connected to him as the days when he would come home from work find his little tow-headed kid with a glove, baseball and an extra glove, dying for a game to catch.

As my first Father’s Day quickly approaches, I wonder what role camp will have on my relationship with my son Henry.

Quiet Times

The calm before the storm. I know most people with school age children would not agree that this is a "calm" time. Seems there are more parties, events and "to dos" these first 2 weeks of June than there are during the holidays. I know my calendar is pretty full. 

But to a large group of adults this is really the "calm' before they launch into a tremendously busy summer. That group of adults? Camp Directors. Right now many of them are putting last minute touches on their training schedules, they are copying the

ir staff manuals and prepping for parent night. 

The staff has been hired, supplies have been ordered, logistics have been figured, schedules are developing, and the anticipation is rising. Today the anticipation is about the staff who will arrive shortly. The team building is about to take place, the songs, skits and camper lists will be distributed, soon after the staff arrive, storm, norm and form the campers will come! 

Children will disembark from buses, boats and cars. Parents will kiss their precious angels good-bye, leaving them in the hands of capable, enthusiastic staff, whether for a day, a week or a month- they know their children are in for an incredible experience. 

Camp - if you haven't enrolled your child today- do it! They will have fun and learn life lessons all at the same time!

Make it a Great Day!

Michele

Because of Camp

If you haven't viewed the new ACA Public Service Announcement titled Because of Camp I encourage you to. 

If you went to camp as a child, worked at camp as an adult or now send your own children to camp you will connect to the message. 

I had the good fortune of attending camp as a child, working at camp as a young adult and into adulthood and now my boys attend camp each summer. (You can bet our daughter will be going when she is old enough).  

Camp changed my life in countless ways, here are just a few. 

Because of Camp, as a camper, I made life long friendships with girls from all over the United states, gals who shaped many of my beliefs and who provided me with perspective I may not have gained elsewhere. 

Because of Camp,  as a counselor, I learned how to plunge toilets, settle conflict between 8 year old girls at bedtime and that a summer camp experience lasts far beyond the paycheck earned!

Because of Camp, as a mom, my husband and I have found partners to help us raise our children.  In addition to providing our boys a chance to take safe risks the camp experience provides our boys the opportunity to make friends with people they may not typically meet and to develop positive relationships with caring adults who make each day fun! 

Camp is more than sweet memories, it is a place where children develop and hone life skills, make lasting friendships and most important - they get to be children!  

Please view the PSA and share with me How your life has changed, Because of Camp...

 

Make it a great day!

Michele