Event Sessions

Paradise 3 & 4

DEI has been the buzzword of the pandemic.  More popular than COVID, it’s everywhere, from the marches of Black Lives Matter, to the legislatures of “Don’t Say Gay.” But what does this all mean for camp?  I mean, “camp isn’t political,” and “we don’t have those kinds of issues” are what folks typically hear. 

Well, as Emeril would have said, “BAM! On your plate” comes this workshop where we look into the implications of DEI work in your space, how to make camp an inclusive JEDI-mindset community, and send you back to camp with actual strategies and dialogues to implement.  Join us for this fun, no-holds barred seminar to learn, laugh, and get the DL on DEI.  No Cap.

Danny Tobin, Pyles Boys Camp

Danny “Trek” Tobin is a lifetime camper having grown up going to summer camps from the time he was 4 years old. As a camper, counselor, and assistant director he brings over 25 years of camp experience to Pyles. Trek knows first hand the impact that summer camp has in the development of a young boy's life and is excited to bring that opportunity to as many boys at Pyles as possible. Trek is active in professional camp organizations such as the American Camp Association and works hard to promote the best practices for camps. Prior to making camp a full time career Trek received a degree in Theatre Performance from Chapman University and worked as an actor, director, and playwright in Los Angeles and New York. He has also worked in Outdoor Education and was a classroom teacher for 3 years. Most recently Trek was on the Year Round Leadership Team at Camp Kinneret. During his free time, Trek enjoys camping, hiking, biking, trips to the theatre, and rooting for his favorite hometown team, the Dodgers! GO BLUE! Trek and his wife Courtney “Coco” welcomed their son Jameson in May of 2020.

Erica Jameson, Jameson Ranch Camp

Erica Jameson is a third generation camp owner and director, running the Jameson Ranch Camp program for the past 11 years.  She’s been fighting for justice since grade school, where another student taught her what racism felt like.  Since then she’s been working on creating better relationships with community partners and helping more kids have a camp experience.  She has an M.A. in History, and also teaches at Southern Oregon University.

Paradise 1

Over the past two years many preschools/day cares have closed, leaving a gap in school readiness for 4 & 5 year old’s. Being prepared for Kindergarten isn’t about raising hands and sitting still, which is why day camp can be used nurture young children’s emerging physical, social/emotional, and intellectual growth before they enter school for the first time. This workshop will support participants with creating a developmentally appropriate Kinder Readiness element into their camp program.

Heather Slimp, Catalyst Camps

Heather Slimp is an experienced staff development facilitator and coach, with over 15 years of experience of training professionals working at private, non-profit, and agency-based camp and out of school time programs. She has been with Catalyst Family Inc. since 2011 developing research-based resources, facilitating trainings, and providing coaching to camp leaders and staff to promote the highest quality of strength-based, play-based programming for children and youth.

Paradise 2

This workshop makes the case for program quality and its importance in fostering youth engagement, skill development, and youth outcomes. Throughout it, you’ll learn about the common elements of continuous quality improvement and plan your next steps to support quality improvement in your camp! 

Paige Kennedy, Forum For Youth Investment's Weikart Center

Participating in Camp Fire programs for 13 years, Paige knows firsthand the positive and life-long impact quality programs can have a young person’s life. Little did she know that Camp Fire would also be the place she launched her career in youth development and her love for all things Weikart.

After nearly 7 years at Camp Fire Green Country, Paige turned her focus city-wide and was integral in the development of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s OST Intermediary, The Opportunity Project. At The Opp, Paige led the efforts in continuous quality improvement, professional learning, and data system development.  Now, as a Learning & Development Specialist at the Forum’s Weikart Center, Paige facilitates engaging training sessions that build and strengthen adult skills and provides coaching and technical assistance on continuous quality improvement efforts.

Paige has a master’s in public administration from the University of Oklahoma and lives in Tulsa with her 2 cats. She enjoys puzzles, camping, and naps.

Laurie Browne, American Camp Association

Laurie Browne, PhD, is the director of research at ACA.  She specializes in ACA’s Youth Outcomes Battery and supporting camps in their research and evaluation efforts.  Prior to joining ACA, Laurie was an assistant professor in the Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management at California State University-Chico.  Laurie received her PhD from the University of Utah, where she studied youth development and research methods.

Taylor Wycoff, American Camp Association

Ty Wycoff, MS is a recent graduate of the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Program at the University of Utah.  She has worked in the youth development field for over a decade as a counselor, program manager, researcher, and educator.  Ty currently serves as a Research & Evaluation Specialist on ACA’s Research Team.

Coral Reef 2

Holding on to exceptional camp counselors should be your #1 hiring strategy: the more great staff who come back, the fewer new ones you have to hire! As a leader at your camp, YOU can make the difference in making this happen. Why do great counselors return each summer, and how can you maximize your retention rate? Come learn practical tools, from hiring and onboarding to supervision and communication, that'll keep your top folks coming back year after year.

Andy Kimmelman, Tumbleweed Day Camp

Andy is the co-owner and director of Tumbleweed Day Camp in Los Angeles. He's also an SHRM Senior Certified Professional and an avid ACA volunteer, serving (among many other things) as a Standard Visitor and LCOL Chair for Southern California/Hawaii. Most of all, he's a cool dad.

Coral Reef 1

Navigating mental health at camp can feel like a balancing act as we try to have empathy, boundaries, AND high expectations... all while trying to stay afloat personally. What a challenge! In this session, we’ll reflect on our recent experiences, discuss Gen Z’s more open approach to mental health, and uncover some superpowers embedded within various disorders. Let’s learn and grow together as we continue the good work our larger community is doing in this area!

Kelly Jones, Outpost Summer Camps

Dr. Kelly Jones is a licensed clinical psychologist and Owner/Executive Director of Outpost Summer Camps in San Diego. Her favorite part of therapy and camp is groups and the fun and growth spurred by being part of an inclusive and dynamic community. Kelly specializes in group therapy and helping teens and parents with issues related to ADHD, anxiety, and social skills.

Meet at the Globe Fountain

It's time to open grandma's game closet and re-see some of the many toy and game classics (and new to you crowd favorites) in a new light. Using elements design, game-based, and experiential theories, we will deconstruct and play a wide range of existing mass-market games and re-envision them for use as purposeful and engaging tools for team building applications.  Everything from icebreakers to problem-solving activities and a fabulous feedback activity.

Michelle Cummings, Training Wheels
Michelle Cummings M.S. is the Big Wheel and founder of Training Wheels, a known leader in the Team Development industry.  She is an accomplished author and is a sought-after speaker and consultant on leadership, teambuilding, and experiential learning. Michelle has created a wide variety of facilitation, debriefing and teambuilding activities that have collectively changed the way trainers and educators work.

Paradise 1

In this session we will discuss the brutal truths we have learned about camp staffing through our various research projects. We will also offer suggestions on how you can address these topics to create an engaging, safe, and positive experience for your staff.
 

Dr. Laurie Browne, American Camp Association

Laurie Browne, PhD, is the director of research at ACA.  She specializes in ACA’s Youth Outcomes Battery and supporting camps in their research and evaluation efforts.  Prior to joining ACA, Laurie was an assistant professor in the Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management at California State University-Chico.  Laurie received her PhD from the University of Utah, where she studied youth development and research methods.

Taylor Wycoff, American Camp Association

Ty Wycoff, MS is a recent graduate of the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Program at the University of Utah.  She has worked in the youth development field for over a decade as a counselor, program manager, researcher, and educator.  Ty currently serves as a Research & Evaluation Specialist on ACA’s Research Team.

Coral Reef 1

Every year the California legislature and United States Congress pass thousands of bills. Some of them are intentionally aimed at camps. The vast majority are not, even though they have impacts on everything from the wages you pay to the kinds of roofs you can put on new cabins. This session will highlight the new laws that have come into effect in 2022 that will impact your camp.  
 

Andrew Moeschberger, ACA, Southern California/Hawaii Public Policy & Government Regulations

Andy Moeschberger is a Camp Director and the Chief Fun Officer at Gold Arrow Camp, in Lakeshore, California. Prior to working in organized camping full time he was a high school social science teacher for 14 years, specializing in Economics, Government, and Civics. He currently serves as the Government Relations chair for the SoCal/Hawaii LCOL. He is the creator of savenextsummer.com and an avid PEZ collector. During the pandemic he has learned to be a kindergarten zoom teacher and 2nd grade zoom PE teacher for his two daughters. He is a Gryffindor who found himself married to a Slytherin.  

Adam Bell

Meet at the Globe Fountain

Are you good at the games but not so good at the debrief?  Do you ask questions and get blank stares from your participants? This workshop will focus on 10 effective debriefing tools and techniques that are simple and easy to use. We will break each technique down and demonstrate different games or activities teaching the concept.  

Michelle Cummings, Training Wheels
Michelle Cummings M.S. is the Big Wheel and founder of Training Wheels, a known leader in the Team Development industry.  She is an accomplished author and is a sought-after speaker and consultant on leadership, teambuilding, and experiential learning. Michelle has created a wide variety of facilitation, debriefing and teambuilding activities that have collectively changed the way trainers and educators work.

Coral Reef 3

Camp has been significantly impacted by the combination of the pandemic, staffing challenges and changing parent and camper needs. Many camps, though, continue to operate “the way we always have”. The good news? The pandemic creates an opportunity for change with less resistance. We’ll look at how we do things and what we might need to change if we’re going to thrive in this new normal, exploring camp culture, program design and how to effectively identify and lead necessary change.    

Bria Cartwright. Ready 2 Imagine

With over 25 years of leadership experience in youth development, Bria Cartwright lead 4 YMCA overnight camps to significant growth in program quality, revenue and enrollment. She is an expert in shifting camp culture and programming to be more engaging, inclusive and intentional, while honoring camp heritage. Bria is the founder and Chief Imagination Officer of Ready 2 Imagine, a consulting agency focused on youth development, leading change and workplace culture.

Paradise 2

These past few years have been challenging - COVID, social unrest, the mental health of our campers and staff, hiring freezes and vacancies, basically LIFE. Everything feels hard. Some of the balls we are juggling simply need to be dodged, some need to be dealt with and tossed out, but some need to be held, especially youth protection. It might not be another legal mandate, but it is more necessary now than perhaps ever before.

Lindsay Bond, Praesidium

Lindsay Meyer Bond strives to make the world a better place.  Lindsay is the Director of Client Success for Praesidium. Before joining Praesidium, Lindsay spent many years as an aquatics director, a national leader in adapted recreational sports, a camp director, and wrote and implemented Ohio State’s youth protection policy. Lindsay also serves as the executive director of the Higher Education Protection Network. Lindsay earned BA, M.Ed, and MA degrees from The Ohio State University. Go Bucks!

Kassandra Wilsey, Cali Camp

'Blaze' returns to Big Rock Ranch for her 19th summer at Cali Camp. She graduated top of her class with a Masters Degree in Recreation Management from California State University Northridge. While not at camp Blaze continues the education of students at Cal State Northridge as a part-time professor in the Recreation Department teaching outdoor education, and environmental sustainability. Her energy and enthusiasm for children to learn through PLAY makes her a valuable leader on our team.

Coral Reef 3

Trauma-informed care has become increasingly necessary in the time of COVID, school closures, and increased stress on campers and staff. The founders of Project:Camp will teach the best practices and methods they use to provide trauma-informed care for children displaced by natural disasters, and how to implement these methods at camp. They’ll discuss the three primary tools to take a trauma-informed approach to your staff training and programs.

Mikey Latner, Project Camp

A former camp director with two decades of camp experience under his belt, Mikey founded Project:Camp with the idea that childcare professionals have critical skills to offer in times of emergency. In popping up day camps for children impacted by disasters, Mikey strives to use the model of camp as a vehicle to bring joy, safety and peace of mind to children and families. Mikey is a passionate advocate for the needs of families in the preparation, response, and recovery phases of emergencies.

Ozzie Baron, Project Camp

Paradise 2

Leadership can be a tricky balance of leader,  friend and mentor. We have all had mentors in our lives who have helped shape the person we are today. Learn how to become the mentor that your staff will respect and remember for a lifetime. This class will explore effective leadership techniques that will reframe the way you lead. Leave with 5 tangible take aways to implement with your staff right away! 

Kassandra Wilsey, Cali Camp

'Blaze' returns to Big Rock Ranch for her 19th summer at Cali Camp. She graduated top of her class with a Masters Degree in Recreation Management from California State University Northridge. While not at camp Blaze continues the education of students at Cal State Northridge as a part-time professor in the Recreation Department teaching outdoor education, and environmental sustainability. Her energy and enthusiasm for children to learn through PLAY makes her a valuable leader on our team.

Coral Reef 1

We plan, we practice, and we hope beyond hope we never ever have to actually deal with it…  however … are you really prepared for the “this is not a drill” moment? Summer 2018 brought a fast moving arson fire to Idyllwild, CA and put the AstroCamp leadership team’s plan and practice to the test. We went from a regular camp day to evacuation mode in less than 40 minutes. Join this session as we dive into successful quick evacuation practices and in the moment tips of how to prepare, communicate, execute, and follow up in that emergency moment. Let’s collaborate to make yourself and camp team feel more confident for the “this is not a drill” call!
 

Andy Balendy, Astro Camp

Diana Huff, Astro Camp

Diana Huff discovered her calling for youth development and specifically the power of summer camp in 2010 when she attended the ACA Spring Leadership Conference. She served as the day camp Summer & After School Program Director for 7 years at a local private school organization in Orange County before pursuing her long-time dream as an overnight camp director at AstroCamp. AstroCamp is an overnight outdoor science adventure program located in Idyllwild, CA.  Diana is very active in volunteer work for the ACA as a Standards Instructor, Accreditation Visitor, and co-chair for the Spring Leadership Conference.  Important facts: Diana is a Hufflepuff, Brené Brown Fan, and Food & Travel Enthusiast.

Paradise 1

Growth and acceptance are prominent themes of the evolving world. Residential youth summer camps have both the excuse and the platform for addressing the shift away from the binary standard most Camp Directors grew up with. In this session, find a safe space to consider your current practice and the room it holds for changing the binary narrative. Learn how the slow shift can start with a simple renaming of the norm and buy-in from camper families.

Tiffany Maisonet, Camp del Corazon

I began volunteering for Camp del Corazon in 2005 while studying to become a scientist. Volunteering evolved into program development, joining the leadership team in 2008, amidst starting a career in medical research. Having teachers as parents, it was easy to find myself being pulled towards education, shifting from scientist to science teacher in 2012. My classroom and camp blend and lend to each other in perfect harmony, both rooted in passion for child development, expression, and humanity.

Meet at the Globe Fountain

You got the call: It's time to step into a leadership role at camp. You were a rockstar counselor, so this should be easy right? Supervising friends, managing up, self care, and coaching others will present an all new set of camp challenges and often a bit of a let down as you get behind the scenes and realized just how hard these roles actually are. Join this session to begin planning your approach to the challenges you might face so you can jump in once camp starts and find success faster. 

Gabby Coburn, Camp Stevens

Gabby is a youth development professional with 15 years of year-round camp administration experience. She started her youth development work with the Girl Scouts in their day and resident camp programs and currently serves as the Program and Operations Director at Camp Stevens which is a summer camp, outdoor education, teambuilding, and retreat facility.  She is passionate about community building, equitable work environments, and meaningful inclusion in the camp industry. 

Coral Reef 2

Orientation is madness.  Arguably the hardest time of the summer, when you’re mandated, tasked, and stretched to teach those who serve how to do so.  In this workshop you’ll learn the tips and tricks of organization, creating good flow, and some incredibly important strategies to take training to not only the next level, but to the one after that!  Filled with Dad jokes, handouts, and teamwork, this workshop will build leadership, creativity, and intention for your staff, creating a more positive space for your campers.

Erica Jameson, Jameson Ranch Camp

Erica Jameson is a third generation camp owner and director, running the Jameson Ranch Camp program for the past 11 years.  She’s been fighting for justice since grade school, where another student taught her what racism felt like.  Since then she’s been working on creating better relationships with community partners and helping more kids have a camp experience.  She has an M.A. in History, and also teaches at Southern Oregon University.