NE Newer Camp Director Resource Community, October 2022 – May 2023

ACA New England Office, Lexington, MA   Visit Website
Thursday, October 06, 2022 - Thursday, May 04, 2023   Export to iCalendar Eastern Standard Time

For camp professionals with 1-4 summers of camp director experience

(Both day and resident camp directors are welcome! As space is limited, we can only accommodate one director per camp at this time.)

We know that building community with colleagues from a variety of camps throughout New England will help you feel supported as you move forward in your camping career.

Join us for a series of monthly facilitated discussions (October to May) where you’ll have the opportunity to share ideas and resources, get feedback, troubleshoot challenges, and explore opportunities in a safe and professional space.

While topics are flexible based on the group’s needs/interests, discussions in prior years have included (but were not limited to) the following:

  • Building & supporting your team: recruiting, hiring, compensation & benefits, retention, training, evaluation
  • Behind-the-scenes: risk management, budgeting, technology, marketing
  • Being a leader: time management, hard decisions
  • Mental, emotional, and social health (MESH): policies, best practices, resources, self-care
  • Camp culture and tradition: exploring the “why,” innovating
  • Parent engagement: handbooks, communication, recruitment

While we may ask you to spend 10-15 minutes thinking about a prompt or doing a brief exercise before each meeting, we know your time is valuable, so most of the “work” will take place during session meetings.

For 2022-2023, we will offer a hybrid series with two in-person sessions (October and April), one meet-up at the New England Camp Conference, and six Zoom sessions on the following Thursday dates and times:

  • Thursday, October 6, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm, in-person (outdoors; no virtual option), ACA, New England office, 80 Westview Street, Lexington, MA
  • Thursday, November 3, 10:00 – 11:30 am, Zoom
  • Thursday, December 8, 10:00 – 11:30 am, Zoom
  • Thursday, January 5, 10:00 – 11:30 am, Zoom
  • Thursday, February 9, 10:00 – 11:30 am, Zoom
  • Thursday, March 2, 10:00 – 11:30 am, Zoom
  • March 30, 31, or April 1, in-person meet-up at the New England Camp Conference for those attending, exact day and time TBD
  • Thursday, April 13, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm, in-person, ACA, New England office, 80 Westview Street, Lexington, MA
  • Thursday, May 4, 10:00 – 11:30 am, Zoom

Emily Golinsky, Founder of Bright Moose Training, Consulting & Advocacy, former Executive Director at Camp Starfish and a member of ACA, New England’s New Camp Director Workshop faculty, will facilitate the sessions. Her role will be to encourage participant-led discussions, provide resources, offer observations and insights, all while keeping the conversation and session flow going!

This series is not designed to be a how-to, but more an interactive discussion-based opportunity for directors looking to build their professional network and resource sharing as leaders. If you are looking for more skill-based sessions, please reach out to ACA, New England as they may be able to help you identify other opportunities to meet these needs.

Trying to decide if this is a good fit for you? We’d say yes if your job responsibilities include at least a few of the following: overseeing staff teams, including HR functions and training; establishing policies for your camp/organization; setting and managing a budget; creating parent handbooks; and being involved with strategic business decisions for your camp/organization.

 Price LevelCost:
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Registration: NE Newer Director Community Series Registration
 Member$249.00
 Non-Member$299.00
ACA New England Office   Visit Website

80 Westview St
Lexington, MA 02421-3129
781-541-6080

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Additional Information

About the Facilitator

Emily Golinsky is the Founder of Bright Moose, LLC, which provides training, coaching, consultation and professional development to camps, organizations and individuals guided by the motto “Help Others Shine Bright!” Her professional background includes over two decades of year-round and summer camp leadership in both day and residential environments for children in crisis, special needs youth, and traditional campers, including 15 years as Executive Director at Camp Starfish (NH). Emily is a regular presenter at conferences and is active in ACA, New England, where she is a Lead Visitor, conference committee member, and member of the Faculty for the New Camp Directors Workshop. Emily is on the Board of Directors for NHCamps and is a contributor to Camping Magazine, ParentingNH, the Project Real Job Blog, and the Day Camp Pod. She holds a BS in Health Psychology and an MS in Camp Administration and Leadership. She is also an education advocate for youth with special needs and a certified Adult Mental Health First Aid Instructor. Emily’s sense of humor and genuine warm connection to individuals comes through in her facilitation style. Fair warning: she is an avid collector of terribly awesome puns.

Registrations are non-refundable, but may be transferred to another eligible individual prior to the start of the event.

Participants will receive 15 Continuing Education Credits (CECs) for their full participation. 

Please note: We do not want cost to prohibit a camp professional from joining our event. Should the price of this series be a barrier, please reach out to Kerry Salvo, kerry@acanewengland.org to discuss financial assistance options.

Contact Us

Questions? Reach out to Kerry Salvo, ACA, New England Director of Education and Professional Development, at kerry@acanewengland.org or 781-541-6080 ext. 104.