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ACA Mid-Atlantic Camp Conference

All Available Sessions

Tuesday

-1/21/2025

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Tuesday

01/21/2025 8:30 AM
Check-in and Registration

-1/21/2025

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Check-in and Registration

01/21/2025 9:30 AM
Welcome and Icebreakers

-1/21/2025

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Welcome and Icebreakers

01/21/2025 10:30 AM
Opening Keynote

-1/21/2025

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Opening Keynote

01/21/2025 11:15 AM

Connect, Lead, Solve

Being a camp counselor may be straightforward, but it’s far from easy. Join us for an energizing keynote packed with practical tips to streamline and elevate your staff training this summer. Get ready to move, connect, and laugh—this is no sit-and-listen session. I promise it’ll be anything but boring!

Keynote led by Jack Schott: Jack is a staff trainer who empowers today’s young workforce with fresh, inclusive strategies. He co-founded Camp Stomping Ground and The Summer Camp Society and has trained over 10,000 camp staff and leaders, helping them connect with the next generation. Jack equips organizations inside and outside the camp industry to better understand and engage today’s emerging talent. Enthusiasm = Cool.

 

 

Lunch

-1/21/2025

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Lunch

01/21/2025 12:30 PM
Session 1

-1/21/2025

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Session 1

01/21/2025 1:29 PM
Cultural Competency - A Bridge to Your J1 Staff

-1/21/2025

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Cultural Competency - A Bridge to Your J1 Staff

01/21/2025 1:30 PM

Cultural Competency - A Bridge to Your J1 Staff

As camps increasingly hire international counselors, understanding cultural differences becomes critical to fostering an inclusive and collaborative camp environment. This session aims to equip camp staff with the knowledge and tools to navigate these cultural dynamics successfully. Drawing from anthropological studies and real-world experiences, we will explore key cultural dimensions, discuss their relevance in camp settings, and offer strategies for effectively managing cultural diversity.

Session led by Kelsy Melton: Kelsy has dedicated much of her life to culture exchange both personally and professionally. She has worked as a J-1 visa sponsor in the Intern, Trainee, and Camp Counselor visa categories. Her educational background is in international management, earning her MBA in France during which she took a Cultural Competency course that strengthened her foundation of cultural exchange. She has had the pleasure of living in 3 European countries, as well as extensive travel in neighboring areas.  

Session location: Upper Conference Room ( Reid Lodge)

Emergency Preparedness: How will your staff respond to emergencies large and small?

-1/21/2025

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Emergency Preparedness: How will your staff respond to emergencies large and small?

01/21/2025 1:30 PM

Emergency Preparedness: How will your staff respond to emergencies large and small?

Is your staff ready to respond to emergencies large or small? This session reviews basics on creating & rehearsing emergency procedures. Bring your camp’s emergency procedures and be prepared to discuss responses-what goes right and what goes wrong and learn how you can plan for the next time.

Session led by Maile Armstrong: Maile has worked in a variety of camp and business positions including director of youth camps since 1975.and has been responsible for planning and providing training sessions for camp staff, and for training Girl Scout. Camp Fire and church volunteers. She has been anAccreditation Visitor since 1976 and served as the Standards Chair and a Standards Instructor. She has taught First Aid & CPR since 1984. She now operates Armstrong Unlimited, established in 2006 specializing in First Aid & CPR/AED Training, program development workshops for staff and volunteers including Child Abuse Prevention, Bullying Prevention, Risk Management & Safety, and Emergency Planning and Response. She sells and services Automated External Defibrillators, providing guidance on placement and training, previously served as the Safety Manager and Disaster Planning Manager for The Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, and was the Chair of the Risk Management Program for Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline for two years.

Session location: Lower Conference Room

Program Planning for the Young (Camp) Educator

-1/21/2025

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Program Planning for the Young (Camp) Educator

01/21/2025 1:30 PM

Program Planning for the Young (Camp) Educator

Great programs start with great planning. Teaching inexperienced educators how to plan well can be a daunting task. Camp Timberlake has adapted the Natural Cycles model to create consistently great programming through a unified language around a simple and flexible model. This model will feel intuitive because it is, giving young educators a powerful tool. Participants will practice using the model and see how it can be used for a single activity or to plan an entire summer. 

Session led by Jarod Wunneburger:  Jarod  (goes by "W") is the Director of Camps at the Farm and Wilderness Foundation in Plymouth, VT. He’s been with TL since 2007 and is TL’s first BIPOC mixed-race director. He previously worked for the Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ suicide prevention & crisis intervention), taught special education and middle school math, and was a school administrator in the Bronx and Manhattan. He has a MA in School Leadership from Harvard and a MA in Special Education from St Johns. He's passionate about using the best teacher tools to coach staff and support campers. He sits on the board of an independent school in Vermont and currently training a Samoyed named Atlas to become a therapy dog.

Session location: Auditorium

Session 2

-1/21/2025

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Session 2

01/21/2025 2:44 PM
Beyond Smiling Kids: Writing Content That Connects and Converts

-1/21/2025

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Beyond Smiling Kids: Writing Content That Connects and Converts

01/21/2025 2:45 PM

Beyond Smiling Kids: Writing Content That Connects and Converts

It’s not enough to post pictures of smiling kids and hope for the best. To truly recruit the right campers and staff, your content needs a perspective. This session dives into the art of storytelling and strategic writing that attracts the families and team members who will thrive at your camp.

Session led by Jack Schott

Location: Auditorum 

K.E.O.L.E. - Keep Em Or Lose Em

-1/21/2025

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K.E.O.L.E. - Keep Em Or Lose Em

01/21/2025 2:45 PM

K.E.O.L.E. - Keep Em Or Lose Em

Once your campers are registered, it's your job to make sure they show up!  Parents and kids change their minds all the time.  They registered – now what?!  Walk away from this session with 18 great ideas to keep your campers and parents thinking about camp all-year-long, so when summer comes, they all come!  You have a job because of them - so KEEP EM OR LOSE EM!

Session led by Sam Bloom: Sam is the Director at Camp Hidden Meadows in Bartow, West Virginia. Sam’s 30 years of Directing experience includes EKC in Pittsburgh, Herzl Camp in Minneapolis, & BT Day Camps in Maryland. Sam has spoken to over 3000 participants at the Tri State Camping Conference, ACA Keystone, & Mid Atlantic Camp Conferences where he has spoken on the topics of Leadership Styles, Staff training and development, Customer Service, Crisis Management, Training for Teams and Creating Inspiration. 

Session Location: Lower Conference Room

Unlock Your Working Genius: A Workshop for Peak Team Performance

-1/21/2025

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Unlock Your Working Genius: A Workshop for Peak Team Performance

01/21/2025 2:45 PM

Unlock Your Working Genius: A Workshop for Peak Team Performance

 

Discover the power of the Working Genius framework, a revolutionary model designed to help individuals and teams thrive. In this engaging workshop, participants will explore the six types of Working Geniuses: Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity.

Through interactive exercises and group discussions, you'll learn how to maximize productivity and collaboration by aligning tasks with natural talents. Understand how diverse working styles can complement each other to drive success and gain practical strategies for applying these insights to your work and relationships.

Whether you're a leader aiming to empower your team or an individual seeking greater fulfillment in your work, this workshop will provide actionable tools to help you harness your unique genius and thrive in any professional environment. This workshop is particularly useful for members of an organization's leadership team. 

Session led by Tom Heck: Tom started his career working in a camp setting that served adjudicated youth. That work positively changed the course of his life. Tom has trained camp leadership staff across the US and his books are used by camp staff around the world. He is a former YMCA Senior Director and YMCA of the USA Faculty Level Trainer. 

Session Location: Upper Conference room

Camp Tour or Roundtable Hot Topics

-1/21/2025

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Camp Tour or Roundtable Hot Topics

01/21/2025 3:45 PM

Camp Tour or Roundtable Hot Topics

Join in for a camp tour or engage in roundtable discussions! You choose!

Break

-1/21/2025

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Break

01/21/2025 5:00 PM
Dinner Time

-1/21/2025

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Dinner Time

01/21/2025 5:30 PM
Evening Social

-1/21/2025

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Evening Social

01/21/2025 7:00 PM

Evening Social

details coming soon

Wednesday

-1/22/2025

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Wednesday

01/22/2025 7:30 AM
Breakfast

-1/22/2025

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Breakfast

01/22/2025 8:00 AM
Opening Session

-1/22/2025

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Opening Session

01/22/2025 9:00 AM

Helping Outsiders Become Insiders: Illuminating the Hidden Curriculum

In camp we build culture more quickly and effectively than anyone. It’s powerful and the cornerstone of what we do. We create an experience where participants feel like insiders and fall in love with our programs. On the flip side, having insiders means we also have outsiders. Let’s explore the Hidden Curriculum of our programs and how we can more quickly help more campers feel like they belong.

Session led by Jack Schott

Exhibit Hall

-1/22/2025

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Exhibit Hall

01/22/2025 10:15 AM
Session 3

-1/22/2025

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Session 3

01/22/2025 10:59 AM
18 Ways to make your staff happy to stay not glad to leave.

-1/22/2025

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18 Ways to make your staff happy to stay not glad to leave.

01/22/2025 11:00 AM

18 Ways to make your staff happy to stay not glad to leave

Great programs may keep our campers involved...beautiful facilities may impress parents.... able leadership may keep things running smoothly...but our staff makes the difference in the summer. You need your staff! Walk away from this session with 18 CONCRETE new and improved IDEAS on how to create a common goal and how to build a community, constantly building your current and next generation of leaders.

Session led by Sam Bloom: Sam is the Director at Camp Hidden Meadows in Bartow, West Virginia. Sam’s 30 years of Directing experience includes EKC in Pittsburgh, Herzl Camp in Minneapolis, & BT Day Camps in Maryland. Sam has spoken to over 3000 participants at the Tri State Camping Conference, ACA Keystone, & Mid Atlantic Camp Conferences where he has spoken on the topics of Leadership Styles, Staff training and development, Customer Service, Crisis Management, Training for Teams and Creating Inspiration. 

Session location: Lower Conference Room

Navigating the Mental Health Landscape at Camp

-1/22/2025

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Navigating the Mental Health Landscape at Camp

01/22/2025 11:00 AM

Navigating the Mental Health Landscape at Camp

This panel will focus on equipping camp directors and leadership teams with the knowledge and tools to recognize early warning signs of mental health struggles among staff and campers. We will discuss why it is essential for camp leadership to be proactive in identifying and de-escalating potential mental health concerns. With anxiety, depression, and burnout becoming more prevalent, the ability to act early and offer support is crucial. The discussion will explore how proper training can empower leaders to foster a healthy, supportive camp culture and ensure that staff are mentally equipped to handle the emotional demands of camp life. We will also look at the detrimental effects that a mental health crisis occurring at camp can have and look at examples of how proper training can have a summer altering impact.

Session led by Dr. Brenda McBride: Dr. Brenda McBride is pediatrician with over 20 years experience at CHOP and 8 years as camp physician at Laurel South. She has observed a steady increase in mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and self-harm among both campers and the young counselors who are tasked with guiding and supporting them. Recognizing the vital need for leadership to be better equipped.

Session location: Auditorium 

The Neurodiversity in Everyone: Thriving in a Camp Setting

-1/22/2025

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The Neurodiversity in Everyone: Thriving in a Camp Setting

01/22/2025 11:00 AM

The Neurodiversity in Everyone: Thriving in a Camp Setting

Night time routines, getting ready for the day, bunk clean up, oh my! Creating an inclusive camp environment for campers with ADHD, Autism and anxiety may feel daunting, but practical strategies can help reduce challenges around transitions and improve social interactions.. While camp may feel like a welcome escape from navigating different learning styles and decoding emotional distress, understanding these approaches can enhance well-being across campers and staff. In this interactive, hands-on session, attendees will learn the basics of neurodiverse needs of campers, practical tips to support campers and will be able to role play and discuss case examples.

Session led by Rachel Singer: Dr. Rachel Singer is a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at Resnik and Associates in Rockville Maryland. She is a professor of psychology at the University of Maryland. Dr. Singer earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. She completed her predoctoral internship at St. Johns Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica and a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She regularly consults with camp directors and provides mental health trainings for camp staff. Dr. Singer specializes in individual, group, and family therapy using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Therapy with Response Prevention, Functional Family Therapy and SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) interventions. She is the author of Preventing Child Maltreatment in the U.S.: Multicultural Considerations. 

Session location: Upper Conference Room

Exhibit Hall

-1/22/2025

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Exhibit Hall

01/22/2025 12:00 PM
Lunch

-1/22/2025

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Lunch

01/22/2025 12:30 PM
Exhibit Hall

-1/22/2025

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Exhibit Hall

01/22/2025 1:45 PM
Session 4

-1/22/2025

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Session 4

01/22/2025 2:14 PM
Caring for Every Camper: Mental Health & Suicide Prevention in Camp Life

-1/22/2025

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Caring for Every Camper: Mental Health & Suicide Prevention in Camp Life

01/22/2025 2:15 PM

Caring for Every Camper: Mental Health & Suicide Prevention in Camp Life

The 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that 42% of high school students felt sad or hopeless for at least two weeks, with 10% of females and 20% of LGBTQ+ students engaging in suicidal behaviors. While camp offers a magical reprieve, many campers continue to struggle with their mental health. As they adjust to new surroundings and bunk life, responses can vary greatly. This session will equip camp staff with the tools to recognize when campers may be struggling, use appropriate language around mental health and suicide prevention, debunk myths and learn effective response strategies. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss case studies in a safe and non-judgmental space. This course will leave attendees with practical tips for identifying warning signs, how to respond and how to train all staff members during orientation.

Session led by Jillian Meinhardt: Jillian, a licensed clinical social worker in DC, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia, is The Bari Group founder, providing therapy for children and families, education consulting services and workshops. After last summer as the seasonal Wellness Director of Camp Danbee, Jillian has joined the full time team as Wellness Director, where she will provide mental health training for staff, coordinate with families and outside therapists and ensure that every camper and staff member is thriving emotionally, mentally and physically at camp. Jillian has recently spoken on the topic of Suicide Prevention at the NASW National Conference and will be presenting at the National Center for School Mental Health Annual Conference in December. Jillian began her career as the Clinical Team Leader for the Sheppard Pratt Therapeutic Lower and Middle School, leading programs, supervising staff and implementing suicide prevention policies. This will be Jillian’s 18th summer at camp! 

Session location: Upper Conference Room

Coaching as a System: The tools & habits supervisory staff need to support their teams

-1/22/2025

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Coaching as a System: The tools & habits supervisory staff need to support their teams

01/22/2025 2:15 PM

Coaching as a System: The tools & habits supervisory staff need to support their teams

Camp magic isn't enough. As staff move into leadership and supervisory roles they must be provided the tools and systems to grow as leaders. Management and support are big topics; however, there is one habit that can be adopted that can make all the difference: coaching. In this session we'll go over 7 powerful coaching questions, a systemic way of determining tracking who needs coaching, and a planning model to develop individualized coaching plans.

Session led by Jarod Wunneburger: Jarod  (goes by "W") is the Director of Camps at the Farm and Wilderness Foundation in Plymouth, VT. He’s been with TL since 2007 and is TL’s first BIPOC mixed-race director. He previously worked for the Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ suicide prevention & crisis intervention), taught special education and middle school math, and was a school administrator in the Bronx and Manhattan. He has a MA in School Leadership from Harvard and a MA in Special Education from St Johns. He's passionate about using the best teacher tools to coach staff and support campers. He sits on the board of an independent school in Vermont and currently training a Samoyed named Atlas to become a therapy dog.

Session location: Auditorium 

Virginia Department of Health & Overnight Summer Camps

-1/22/2025

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Virginia Department of Health & Overnight Summer Camps

01/22/2025 2:15 PM

VDH & Overnight Summer Camps

Are you permitted to operate an overnight summer camp in Virginia? Should you be? Are you aware of upcoming regulatory changes to the Virginia Overnight Summer Camp program? Learn more about the Virginia Department of Health’s involvement and engagement with the summer camp industry, proposed regulations and the regulatory process, and provide feedback on how to increase and improve agency and industry partnerships.

Session led by Briana Bill: Briana is an Environmental Health Coordinator with the Office of Environmental Health Services at the Virginia Department of Health. With a focus on tourism and transient regulatory programs, Briana is the agency lead for the overnight summer camp regulatory program. She also oversees other regulatory programs including campgrounds, hotels, and public pools. She is excited to engage with industry stakeholders and explore the benefits and impacts of summer camp on public health.

Session Location: Lower Conference Room

Closing Session

-1/22/2025

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Closing Session

01/22/2025 3:15 PM