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Visit the ACA Bookstore at the National
Conference
Stock up on all your staff training
needs. Plan to visit the ACA Bookstore
on site at the national conference. For
those traveling to Nashville, you'll
get the first peek at many new educational
books, training DVD's, tools, and
workbooks to support your work at camp. These
titles will be available online in mid
February. The
ACA Bookstore is made available through Healthy
Learning Publishing. Visit the ACA Bookstore
at the national conference and/or order
and view publications
and products online.
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 Register Today for the ACA National Conference
in Nashville!
Our conference crowd, including attendees and exhibitors, is growing by the day!
Plan to join us in Nashville for all, or a part of the 2008 National Conference.
Register online or by fax through February 8 and on site in Nashville, beginning
Monday, February 11.
Make the most of Tuesday at the National
Conference
Tuesday is the arrival day for most of
our national conference participants. Several
events and preconferences have been organized
to help you get the most out of this day.
The conference officially begins at 3:00
p.m. with the opening keynote lecture delivered
by Dr. Rick Rigsby. Check
out the full schedule. Here's
a snapshot of our preconference offerings – all
of which are offered as part of your registration
fee:
ACA Standards Course
8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Learn how to assist your camp in preparation for the accreditation visit by participating
in the ACA Standards Course. In addition to helpful information about pre-visit
preparation, the course offers valuable information about the on-site visit experience.
In addition to directors and administrators preparing for visits, persons interested
in becoming volunteer visitors are welcome to attend. Although there is no cost
to attend the course, pre-registration is required and space is limited. For
details, visit: www.ACAcamps.org/conference/standards.php.
Making Program Matter, Part II: Program Design to Intentionally Meet the Developmental
Needs of Your Campers
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Maggie Braun, Camp Wehakee
Cathy Scheder, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
ACA research reveals that youth programs are successful in meeting the developmental
needs of campers when Supportive Relationships, Safety, Challenging Activities,
and Meaningful Involvement are intentionally integrated into the camp's design.
Maggie and Cathy will introduce the four supports of youth development identified
by ACA research and demonstrate how you can effectively design your program to
integrate these elements into the many facets of your camp operation. This
highly interactive workshop will engage participants in assessing the camp experience
and integrating these components into their camp.
Personal and Organizational Change Necessities
for Successful Work With Diverse Populations
at Camp
12:15 p.m. -2:45 p.m.
Michael Shelton, Ph.D., Philadelphia Recreation and Parks System
Plan to participate in this highly interactive workshop designed to provide participants
with a concise protocol for outreach to new demographic groups, an introduction
of diversity training tools for camp staff, and the opportunity to take a validated
inventory to measure individualized strengths and weaknesses with a diversity
skills set. Attendance is limited to the first 35 participants to pre-register.
We are asking each organization interested to limit participation to two individuals.
There is no cost for this workshop. ACA is covering the cost of the Cross-Cultural
Adaptability Inventory (CCAI). E-mail Melany
Irvin.
The Ideal Camp Director: Myth or Endangered
Species?
12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Christopher Thurber, Ph.D., CampSpirit
Scott Arizala, The Camp Counselor
This specialized professional development
seminar will combine the talents of two
camp consultants who work closely with
dozens of camp directors each year. Chris
and Scott will cull their academic and
field experience to provide participants
with a framework and a set of tools that promise to vault your directing skill
and your happiness to the next level. Through signature strength identification,
mind-body connection, and cultural analysis, participants will learn the best
ways to achieve peak performance from themselves and their entire camp team.
Plan to participate in this lively, innovative,
and challenging session for experienced
directors.
THINK FAST! — How
to Get Swift Solutions to Perplexing
Problems at Camp
12:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Michael Brandwein, Educator, Author, and Consultant to Camps
Gwynn Powell, Ph.D., University of Georgia
Jennifer Selke, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Hit the ground running at conference by
learning and practicing this exciting new
set of consultive problem-solving techniques
(including the fantastic "tongue
depressor") to get great ideas out
of others -- taught by a terrific trio
of trainers. Immediately turbo-charge your
networking at conference. Get solutions
to your biggest camp challenges. Learn
super ways to use these methods with staff
and campers!
Young Professional Spotlight
All Young Professionals are encouraged
to come and take part in these events:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. — Young
Professionals Gathering
Come and learn about all the exciting changes
and developments that are happening with
the ACA Young Professionals! We will
be reviewing our goals for the upcoming
year, talking about great new opportunities
to get involved, and answering any questions
that you have.
2:00 – 2:45 p.m. — First-Time
Conference Attendees
If this is your first time at a national
conference, be sure to stop by to meet
Peg Smith, the CEO of ACA, as well as ACA's
National President, Ann Sheets. Find out
about special events and networking opportunities
throughout the conference as well as learn
how to get the most out of the conference.
6:45 p.m. — Join
the YP's at Rusty's!
We will get together for some self-hosted,
fun networking, food, and drinks at Rusty's
located in the Magnolia section of the
Gaylord Opryland Hotel.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13
8:30 – 10:15 p.m. — ACA
Concert Event with The Warren Brothers
After a fabulous exhibit hall reception
with food and drinks, the night will still
be young. Join us in the Tennessee
Ballroom to hear a fabulous concert with
the Warren Brothers and David St. Romain.
The Warren Brothers are best known for
their reality TV show on CMT Barely
Famous.
They were also the judges in last summer's
television show Nashville
Star. They
have written songs and opened for many
famous country singers including Faith
Hill and Tim McGraw.
The event is free, and a cash bar is available.
Check out details at www.ACAcamps.org/conference.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14
6:30 p.m. — Night
on the Town
Join camp professionals for a “Night
on the Town” in downtown Nashville.
One fee of $26 includes transportation,
dinner, and gratuity to one of three restaurants
featuring local cuisine. The organization
is done for us – just pick which
restaurant you want to dine at and board
the coach bus for a great evening! To
register and find out more about this fun
event, go to www.ACAcamps.org/conference.
Save Plenty of Time for the ACA Exhibits
With
more than thirty new exhibitors and our
largest exhibit hall to date, you'll
want to carve out as much time as possible
to spend in Ryman B1-B3. Thursday's
schedule is designed specifically to make
the most of this opportunity. Plan
in advance by reviewing the list
of exhibitors confirmed to date. Special thanks to
our generous, Premiere Sponsors, CampMinder
and Markel Insurance Company and our
co-sponsor of conference bags, New Dimensions.
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Preconference Opportunity! New Director
Orientation
Welcome, welcome . . . . Is camp somewhat
new to you? Are you a supervisor
who has just hired a new team member to
fulfill a leadership position in your camp?
Are you returning to the camp arena again?
This educational opportunity is aimed at
seasonal or new camp directors, assistant
directors, program directors, or persons
that have been in other administrative
positions. The course examines several
aspects of the director's job with the
primary focus on the summer operation.
Employing interactive methods, topics
ranging from risk management to camper
behavior to staff orientation are covered.
Participants will be under the tutelage
of seasoned camp professionals with their
own experience in day and resident camp
operation. Participants will engage in
small- and large-group activities throughout
the day. Additionally, attendees will have
an opportunity to chart out their additional
professional development opportunities
by discussing the program offerings at
the ACA National Conference.
Course will be held at the Opryland Hotel
on Monday, February 11, 2008, from 10:00
a.m.-6:00 p.m. CST. Preregistration is
required. Course costs include materials
and lunch. Cost of the course $40
for ACA members; $50 nonACA members. Questions?
This is a great value that is possible
because we are able to use our conference
venue. Please
contact Kat Shreve, director of education, kshreve@acacamps.org.
Registration
available online.
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ACA Regional Conferences Listed Online
Check out ACA's Web site for a complete
listing of ACA regional conferences with
live links to ACA local office Web sites
for more information.
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ACA Basic Camp Directors Course (BCDC)
April 6-10, 2008
JCYS Camp Henry Horner – Ingleside,
IL
Additional courses will be listed
online as details become available.
Registration
is available online. You'll need
to choose the specific geographic course
you would like in order to get the registration
form.
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