Aimee Oteri has been involved in camping since childhood.  For 16 summers she has had the opportunity work at three of Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts day camps.  She has had the pleasure of directing Camp Virginia for 7 years.  During the school year Aimee has been employed as a middle school and high school science teacher for 6 years and is currently on the faculty of North Andover High School.  In her free time she enjoys reading, going to the beach and spending time with her husband and four year-old son.

• Simple Summer Science
  Are you looking to add some science to your camp program, but don’t want your campers to feel like they’re in school?  This hands-on workshop will give you tips and tools to add some simple science activities to your summer program.  Learn activities that can fit into your established programs of arts and crafts, nature, and outdoor cooking.  Designed for first time scientists.               

Alicia Skovera received her master’s degree from Hunter College School of Social Work in NYC.  She is currently the Director of Camp ABC and Off-Season Programs at The Fresh Air Fund where she has spearheaded the development of teen programs and strives to educate staff on the importance of creating a camp community that is inclusive of all people.  Prior to her work at The Fresh Air Fund, Alicia worked with people living with HIV/AIDS, and was a director at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in New York City where she provided counseling and consulting services.  Last year, Alicia was proud to celebrate 20 years of working with at-risk youth in camp programs.

• We’ve Gotta Talk About This! LGBT 101
  Did you know that LGBT means Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender? Why is this important for you to know? Come with your questions to further your journey toward greater LGBT understanding.  Included will be definitions, statistics, a self-evaluation, camp recommendations, and action plans.
• Make Your Camp More LGBT-Inclusive
  Have you ever wondered how you could be an agent of change in helping your camp become more lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender-friendly? Join me to find out just how affirming your camp is today and could be tomorrow. This workshop will include an in-depth evaluation and recommendations for your camp.
• Out at Camp
  This open and confidential forum allows LGBT staff and administrators to share stories, discuss concerns, and seek advice from others about being or not being "out" at camp.

 

Amy Willey is the Executive Director of Brantwood Camp in Peterborough, NH.

• At-Risk Youth Roundtable
  At this roundtable, you will have the opportunity to engage in a lively discussion about the special challenges and rewards experienced by camps that serve children who are considered at-risk. Whether your camp is considering the idea of involving at-risk youth in its program or your camp has been serving this population for many years, you are welcome to join the discussion. Come to this roundtable ready to share experiences, ask questions, and explore topics relevant to the needs of at-risk campers and their families.

 

Dr. Ann Gillard has been involved in researching and evaluating the developmental outcomes and processes of camps for over 4 years, and worked as a Girl Scout camp director for 6 years.

• Youth with HIV/AIDS:  Considerations for Camp
  What issues are faced by youth with HIV/AIDS?  How can camp support their positive development?  In this session, you will learn about a case study of a camp for youth with HIV/AIDS, and discuss ways to create successful camp experiences.
• Sugar, Spice, Snips, and Snails:  Girls and Boys in the Outdoor
  Get concrete suggestions on developing nature-based programs for boys and girls based on their social, biological, and cognitive needs.  This interactive session focuses on examining gender issues in the outdoors, promising practices in providing outdoor programs for girls and boys, and why it’s important to do so.
• Camp Program Evaluation:  A Pathway to Program improvement and Accountability
  Ann Gillard PhD, Assistant Professor of Youth Development, Springfield College
  How do you know if you actually do what you say you do?  In this session, you will learn various evaluation strategies, understand how evaluation relates to your goals, and develop a large model and evaluation plan for your camp.

 

Barry A. Garst, Ph.D. is an educator, researcher, presenter, and facilitator.  Currently the national Director of Program Development and Research Application with the American Camp Association, Barry is a former Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in youth development at Virginia Tech.  His background includes administrative and programming experience as a wilderness mental health counselor, outdoor day camp manager, and camp/conference center program director. 

Barry’s current work with ACA focuses on developing national educational alliances and partnerships, translating research into practice, developing educational delivery systems for camp and youth development professionals, and assessing and promoting the importance of camp and other nature-based experiences for healthy child development.  Barry also provides leadership to ACA’s Camp2Grow program and the Healthy Camp Study.

Barry is an active volunteer with ACA Virginias as a Standards Instructor and Visitor and he presents regularly at regional and national conferences in the areas of youth outcomes, benefits of nature, quality assessment, illness and injury prevention, risk management, leadership, and program evaluation.  Barry resides in Salem, Virginia, with wife Stephanie and daughters Savannah and Laurel.

• Camp 2 Grow:  A Cutting Edge Leadership Program for Camps
  Camp 2 Grow is a leadership and environmental stewardship program developed by the American Camp Association through funding from the Lilly Endowment.  Camp 2 Grow teaches fundamental leadership knowledge/skills to youth, and challenges them to apply what they learned to address environmental issues in their camps, homes, and communities.  Participants will review sample lessons and activities from the curriculum and learn how to join this exciting program.
• What’s New in Camp Sites, Facilities, and Programs?  
  Camp directors want to know, “How do my practices compare with those of other camps?” ACA has collected important information about camp business operations. In 2007, ACA surveyed camps across the US to learn more about their sites, facilities, and programs.  This session reviews the survey results, implications, and trends. 
• Are they Coming or Going?  Insights and Trends for the Summer of 2010 from ACA’s Camp Enrollment Survey
  A perennial question at almost any gathering of camp professionals is the discussion about the number of campers coming to camp and staff recruitment. This session will present the information gathered on summer 2008 and will present highlights based on general viewpoints, as well as differences based on camp type, affiliation, and geographic region. Implications will also be discussed for the trends in enrollment and staffing when compared to larger societal trends, such as shifting population demographics. Participants will be asked for ideas about the underlying reasons for the trends in enrollment and the effects on their camp.  
• Ten Strategies for Reducing Illnesses and Injuries in Camp:  Keeping Campers and Staff Out of the Health Center
  ACA is involved in a 5-year monitoring study of camp injuries and illnesses that affect camp program participation by staff and campers. Hear the national results of years 1-3 and learn strategies to keep staff and campers healthy.  This session is a must for directors, health staff, and risk managers.

Becky Gilles…Experienced in day, resident, for-profit and not-for profit camps.  Is the Camp Director & Youth Birding Coordinator at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary.  Becky is an standards visitor and is on the ACA NE Program Committee.   Becky has been working in the camping industry for over 25 years in both New England and in the Southeast.  She has a Master’s in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England.

• Campfire Cookin
  Bring your appetite because we are going to cook!  Combining various cooking techniques, we will teach you how to make your outdoor cooking more fun and creative while working with children.   Familiarize yourself with those old Coleman stoves, pie irons, reflector ovens, Dutch ovens, steaming, solar cooking, and more.  It’s time to bring your campfire cooking to a whole new level.

Inspired by her daughter's diagnosis with insulin dependent diabetes, Bonny Huston, RN, BSN, along with her husband Dan, founded Camp LADD in 1996, a day camp for children with diabetes in Cortland, New York. They ran the camp for nine years, after which time she began a career as a travel ER nurse for three years before heeding the call of The Barton Center for Diabetes Education Inc., in North Oxford, MA in 2008.  Bonny currently serves as The Health Services Manager, overseeing all the medical aspects of the various camp programs.  In her spare time, she is pursuing her Master's Degree in Nursing Education, which will be completed in the fall of 2010.

• Diabetes in Camp, Type 1 &2
  In this session, we’ll be discussing, diabetes in a camp setting.  Topics that will be covered are the importance of buddy systems, camp-specific 504 plans, emergency supplies, working with parents of campers with diabetes, how to be proactive with parents of campers with diabetes, taking diabetes care seriously without making the camper feel excluded, care of campers at activities/programs, nighttime checks and needs, emergency situations, food, and diabetes and your health care center.

Brent Reagor has served as the Public Health Director in Concord, Massachusetts for the last two years; prior to that he served as the Deputy Public Health Director for the Town of Acton, Massachusetts.  As Public Health Director, Brent oversees a staff of three tasked with a variety of responsibilities in the protection of public health and the environment, ranging from pandemic flu planning, to restaurant and septic system inspections, to promotion and education of community wellness initiatives.  Brent is a Registered Sanitarian, holds a BS in Environmental Science from Louisiana State University and numerous professional certifications in the environmental health field.  Brent also serves as the Vice-President of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association and represents all local public health agencies in Massachusetts on at least 5 separate statewide committees dealing with issues as varied as wastewater treatment facilities to the regulation of well drilling contractors.

• Communicable Disease Outbreaks
  Communicable disease outbreaks in residential and day camp settings are events, that without proper planning and preparation can cripple even the most well-run operation.  During this session, attendees will first be briefed on the basics of communicable disease outbreak planning for camp programs, and will then take part in a two-part “tabletop” exercise of an actual outbreak of Norovirus at a hybrid camp facility offering both day and residential programs.  Workshop participants will be expected to actively participate in the discussion-based exercise which is designed to highlight the need for effective communicable disease outbreak planning through interaction between the facilitators and the audience.  Participants will leave with session with materials to bolster existing communicable disease plans.

 

Dr. Christopher Thurber is a board-certified clinical psychologist, educator, author, and father. A graduate of Harvard University, Chris created ExpertOnlineTraining.com, the Internet’s most popular and respected educational resource for camp counselors and health care professionals. Chris and also co-authored the critically acclaimed Summer Camp Handbook and designed the ACA’s homesickness prevention DVD/CD set for new camper families, entitled The Secret Ingredients of Summer Camp Success.

Chris has more than 30 years of camping experience and has written numerous book chapters and scholarly articles on homesickness and children’s adjustment to separation from home. An award-winning contributor to Camping Magazine, Chris has also shared his youth development expertise on the Today Show, Martha Stewart, CBS Morning News, NPR, FOX, and PBS. His ideas on how to maximize the benefits of the camping experience for children have been featured in Time, Newsweek, USNews & World Report, Smart Money, Parents, Parenting, Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, Family Circle, Men’s Health, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and many local newspapers and magazines.

During the academic year, Chris serves as school psychologist at Phillips Exeter Academy, a private, coeducational, boarding high school. He and his wife, Simonida, an analytical chemist, live in Exeter, New Hampshire with their sons Danilo, born in 2002, and Sava, born in 2004. During the late spring and early summer, Chris conducts staff training workshops and executive coaching sessions with dozens of camps, schools, youth development professionals around the world. He is a favorite presenter and keynote speaker at regional, national, and international conferences. All of Chris’s professional work is guided by the principles of leadership-by-example and social connection. He also believes you should practice what you preach. This summer will be his 30th season at Camp Belknap, where he works as the waterfront director. Chris can be reached at: chris@campspirit.com. His website is CampSpirit.com.

• Preventing and Treating Homesickness: Putting Theory into Practice
  Unless you’re using ACA’s homesickness prevention DVD, roughly 20% of your campers feel moderate-to-severe homesickness.  These boys and girls are not having the camp experience you designed, they’re less likely to return, and most of them are never identified by your counselors.  It’s time to end the pick-up deals, needless tears, and crazy phone calls from parents and start preparing children to get the most out of your camp!  Learn to implement a systematic homesickness prevention program that works.  A fast-paced session with lots of handouts and practical tips
• Medication Holidays, Side Effects, and Other Psychopharmacological Nightmares
  Psychiatric medication management presents unique challenges at camp.  Participants in this intriguing workshop—co-led by mental health and medical professionals—will get facts about how common psych meds work, what their side effects are, how to effectively communicate with parents and prescribers, and which policies work for medication administration.  A must-see session for anyone with campers on psychotropic medications, such as stimulants, anti-depressants, and mood stabilizers.  Case studies and questions from last summer are welcome!
• Collaborative Problem Solving—Advanced Skills for Defusing Emotional Bombs
  Extend your conflict resolution skills beyond old-fashioned problem-solving.  In volatile situations, the traditional approaches of punishing (“appropriate consequences”) and brainstorming (“classic problem solving”) can actually backfire and escalate conflict.  Instead, this workshop uses powerful new tools to identify needs, communicate effectively, and resolve conflicts durably.  Also helpful for staff-staff conflicts and staff-parent conflicts.  Imagine never having to yell in anger; imagine changing someone’s behavior for good.
• Master Wellness Series: Director Stress Management
  Two entrepreneurial shoemakers took a trip to a remote land in search of new market. But none of the people they discovered in this new land even wore shoes!  Come find out why one of these shoemakers got an ulcer and the other became elated.  This hands-on workshop promises to reshape the way to conceptualize and cope with stress in all facets of your life, both personal and professional.  Participants will learn a variety of stress-management techniques and share camp-specific wellness strategies with each other.  Make this coming season your healthiest and most relaxed ever!
• Master Coaching Series: Appreciative Inquiry
  Organizations such as camps are full of different problems, right?  Effective leaders identify these problems, brainstorm solutions, and motivate participants to adopt a fix, right?  If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you haven’t adopted a success mindset.  The coaching technique of Appreciative Inquiry is a radically different “change management” approach that will reset your attitudes and behaviors by teaching you to capitalize on strengths and possibilities.  An essential skill for any leader, supervisor, director, or manager.

David Platt, Director of Finance and Operations, The Fenn School, Concord, MA:
I have been involved in camping for more than 25 years. Following college graduation, I became the Director of the Adventure Camp program and one of the coordinators of the School Program at Boston University’s Sargent Center for Outdoor Education. After receiving my Master's in Education from Harvard University in 1999, I came to The Fenn School. Working with Fenn, I developed and implemented the Summer Fenn Day Camp, now going into our tenth summer.  Following 15 years of camp directing, I recently took a position with Fenn School as Director of Finance and Operations.

• Crisis Management Plan Roundtable 
  Have you been putting off developing your camp's crisis management plan?  Do you need a sample of a plan and some time to ask questions?  Don't reinvent the wheel!  Come hear how others have documented their emergency response plans.  Come prepared to discuss your options and hear about some best practices.  You will leave with access to sample plans that you can easily adapt to fit your program.
  

Deb Stein has been an environmental educator for over 20 years and has been teaching at Drumlin Farm since 1994, where she helps children (and adults) catch crayfish, avoid ticks and spend entire days in forest and fields.   As a certified animal tracker, she spends her time away from Drumlin collecting data for local conservation organizations, monitoring animal activity on public and private land.  She has a keen interest in evolutionary biology, native ecosystems and hope that her teachings will inspire biophilia in another generation.

• Connecting Young Kids with Nature
  Connect your campers to the wider, wilder world around them by the use of stories, games, and other activities that incorporate and integrate nature into any activity. This workshop will help you to create a sense of place for children at your camp.  It will give you the tools to use your outdoor camp environment on a daily basis.  Most children can identify over 100 advertised 'brands' shown on the media and yet do not know the trees and animals that surround them in their neighborhoods.  We'll learn how to Bee Here,  dance the Bird Bop, along with discovering how many games can be played with 10 small sticks and the stories behind the games.

Doug Sutherland has been in the camp field for 10 years.  He is currently the Adventure Camp Director at Boston University Sargent Center where he started out as a counselor.  Originally from St. Louis, MO, Doug moved to New Hampshire in June of 1999 to work directly with children and adults in an outdoor setting.

• GPS Challenge
  Are you looking for teambuilding activities that will help your group bond and work together?  Would you like to get campers and staff familiar with the history or layout of your camp property or nearby town/city?  Join me in exploring the possible applications of GPS (Global Positioning System) technology for your program.  The Sargent Center has developed GPS-based programs for corporations and colleges, in urban and backcountry environments, and now right here in Manchester, NH.  Much of this program will be conducted outside, so make sure to dress appropriately. 

 

Ethan D. Schafer, Ph.D., received his doctorate in child clinical psychology from Case Western Reserve University in 2004, where he holds an adjunct faculty appointment.  His undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, with High Honors in Psychology.  He is in full-time private practice in the Cleveland area, working with children, teens and families, and consulting with two private schools.  He also consults with summer camps across the country. He is married to a very attractive, patient, and forgiving woman.

• Coping with Challenging Parents of Campers & Staff
  We’ll go over how to develop and set very specific rules and boundaries with different kinds of problematic parents, many of whom fall into two categories: the detached, ‘the-maid-packed-my-suitcase’ parent, and the Blackhawk helicopter parent, who wants special privileges and rules.  This workshop will focus on prevention and primary intervention.  It will not be a My Most Crazy Story contest.
• Panel on “Girl Issues”
  This will deal with the specific, gender-based problems that can arise in all-girl environments.  Think about relational aggression, sabotage – understanding various gender patterns and problem behavior and problem solving strategies.  Using a Q&A format, we’ll go through specific issues that crop up in that area and find gender-sensitive solutions.  Come with questions, and the members of the panel will use their various backgrounds and perspectives to offer suggestions.
• Strategies for Interfacing Effectively between Campers, Staff, and Other Professionals
  How do you solve a problem like Maria, especially if ‘you’ is a camp professional and ‘Maria’ is a camper?  This workshop will cover everything from documentation to how to gather and communicate information that other professionals would need about managing the behavior, treatment, and diagnoses of campers and/or staff.  This information could be educational in nature, or it could be in regard to emotions and behavior, or medication compliance.  What’s the best way to store and present that information so that it’s most useful?  How do you leave the diagnoses to the trained medical professionals, and how do you help your staff make helpful observations?
• Dangers of Self-Esteem
  Everyone tells Self-Esteem that it’s so important and makes everyone feel so good, but it’s not so great.  There’s far too much emphasis on Self-Esteem for Self-Esteem’s sake.  Basically, Self-Esteem could stand to be knocked down a peg or two, because if Self-Esteem is allowed to be overinflated, it can actually become quite dangerous, doing more harm than good.  Why can’t Self-Esteem be more like its older sibling, Actual Self-Esteem, which rewards people based on a result.  How do we reintroduce our campers to Actual Self-Esteem to promote positive development? 
• Training Your Staff in Behavior Management
  Give your counselors the tools to deal with a range of kids effectively: positive re-enforcement, an appropriate use of consequences, etc.  This transportable training module will allow you to leave the workshop ready to train your staff to help your campers. 

Garrett Colgan-Snyder is the Owner and Director of Camp Hawkeye.  He is currently on the Board ofDirectors for the New Hampshire Camp Directors'Association (NHCDA) and a member of the Emerging Camp Professionals Committee (ECP) for the American Camp Association, New England.  In addition to founding Camp Hawkeye, Garrett has helped to create the Hawkeye Campership Fund, a non-profit organization devoted to raising money to bring children from underserved communities to Camp Hawkeye, and is a founding member of Three Hours to Change, a committee to develop green initiatives in the Camping Industry.

• Your Partner and Camp (Panel)
  Working at camp is hard enough, and when we bring the one we love to share the experience with us, it can sometimes mean disaster.  Whether in a committed relationship, married, in a civil union, or engaged, working together is hard.  Roll in the time factor, the dearth of private space, and the emotional drain of a camp community, and even the best of us can strain our relationships or allow our personal lives to spill over into the camp office.  Join us for a panel discussion with three couples that have navigated these waters and come out successfully on the other side.  Learn the strategies they use to balance their relationships with the commitments of camp and get a first hand account of the dos and don’ts of Your Partner and Camp.

Gary Forster has worked with the staff and volunteers at more than 200 camps in 43 states, justsince 2001. Previously he served 18 years as executive of Camp Jewell YMCA(CT), past summer program director and property manager of Camp Tecumseh (IN), and holds an MS in Management from Purdue University and B.Archtecture from Kent State.  Contact him at gary@garyforster.com  and download handouts at www.garyforster.com

• Camp Marketing -- the Stuff that Works  

  All your efforts go to waste if kids don’t register.  And face it;  you get measured on filling your camp. So get the best ammunition.  Constantly updated, this is Gary’s best attended workshop because it gets results.

• The Eight Hallmarks of Great Camps  

  If you have never heard Gary's most requested presentation (it's been presented at all major camp conferences and for over 100 camp boards), this is your chance to learn the secrets of successful camps. And they are secrets, as much of what you’ll learn from this research-based work is “contrary to public  opinion.” And since it’s Gary, you know it’s delivered with great stories and great photos.

• POWER Hiring -- the Best Staff Selection Tool Ever  

  Every hire the wrong counselor? Can't find enough good ones?  This not only works; it’s fun.  It was created with a grant of $100,000 thanks to the AT&T Foundation, and they want it shared with every camp.  “Behavioral Interviewing” has been used by successful corporations for years, but most of us are just now hearing about it.  Comes with ready-to-use materials.

• This Old Camp – The Methods and Materials of Camp Buildings  

  What any camp director needs to know about camp maintenance in order to make good choices, and supervise staff, architects, and contractors.  And similar to the TV show, it includes images and stories of the crazy messes we almost always face, and how they’ve been handled by pros.

 

Ian Garner is the National Director of Camp and Youth Relations for Market Insurance Company.  He has been an ACA and ACA Pioneer of Camping Member for thirty years.  He is currently the Vice President of the ACA Virginias Section, and a Committee member for the ACA National Conference.  Ian has over 35 years of camp and youth experience including California Day Camp Director, Los Angelos City Youth Recreation Director, ACA Accreditation Standards Visitor, JCC Recreation Director, YMCA Resident Camp Aquatics Director, and Camp Development Consultant.  He has presented on safety and risk management trainings at ACA National Conference 2004-2005, ACA Camp West Annual Conference 2009, Tri State Camp Conference 2007, ACA Southeastern 2003-2007, AIC & WAIC Conferences, and 2009 ACA Mid States.

• Staying in Camp and Out of the Courtroom- Five Sure Ways to Get Sued When Working with Children and How to Prevent Them
  What’s going on in our camps to cause lawsuits?  What types of accidents and incidents are really happening in camps?  We will discuss some actual current camp lawsuits as well as some national statistical accident and loss trends in camp. This highly interactive workshop will provide training and recommendations for increasing camp safety.  Participants will be provided with information and training activities for teaching their staff safety prevention and awareness.
  

Jayne DiCandio is the Education Coordinator and Camp Director for the Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center in Canton, MA. She teaches and develops curriculum combining art with nature. She has been an educator for MassAudubon for over 9 years.

• Get Muddy, Make Art!
  Get your campers outside for art. Learn methods of making art more like play and use natural materials like mud, clay, sticks, and stones to make permanent and temporary art. We will also discuss ways of encouraging campers to see art in nature.  Objectives include combining art and nature, making art fun for all ages and abilities, being green use less manufactured materials, and helping kids see art in nature.

 

Jen Hargrave currently works and lives at the Hulbert Outdoor Center.  She is the Director of School Programs.  Jen has worked throughout her outdoor career across the country at different Outdoor Education centers and resident camps.  Jen is a life-long crafter, her main hobbies include scrapbooking, mosaics and knitting but she has gone though many craft life stages including stenciling, stained glass and embroidery.  During her years at Girl Scout camp she was the craft specialist and mentor.

• Coiled Basketry
  Come make a basket using a centuries old basket making technique borrowed from cultures where relatively flexible materials - reeds, willow, etc - were readily available.  We’ll use clothesline and yarn to make our colorful baskets of any shape and size.   Included in our baskets may be the figure eight stitch, the lazy squaw stitch, and the Mariposa stitch  Get yours started on Friday and work to perfect and finish it during the rest of the conference. 

 

Teambuilding guru Dr. Jim Cain is the author such outstanding books as Teamwork & Teamplay, The Book of Raccoon Circles and his most recent new release, Essential Staff Training Activities.  He is the creator of dozens of powerful team and community building activities and has assisted camp staff in 46 states and 17 countries (so far!)

• Essential Staff Training Activities
  Tips, activities, ideas, and suggestions for making your next staff training active, engaging, memorable, effective, and fun!
• Social Networking without the Internet
  Learn how to begin the process of social interaction without the internet.  Icebreakers, opening activities, group interactive games, and active learning all rolled into one.
• Back to Basics
  This workshop, designed especially for newbies to the teambuilding world, focuses on some of the basic, time-proven activities that you can use to create your own teambuilding program.
• Dancing in Lines, Squares and Circles
  Learn how to use music and dance to create a powerful community-building evening program for your camp.
• Teambuilding Puzzles
  Learn how to adapt puzzles and other challenges for your camp's teambuilding program.  Great for rainy days, cabin time, table games, and other small group activities.

 

Jim Wolfson is a life coach, teacher, mentor and guide who helps people connect with their core to make lasting changes.  After receiving his MBA from MIT, he spent 10 years as a mutual fund manager and department head at Fidelity Investments.  He then owned and directed Camp Wingate Kirkland on Cape Cod for 10 years.   He has an extensive background as a business leader, yoga and meditation teacher, public speaker and parent. Jim uses an inside-out approach to growth and change relying on intuition and common sense.

• Leader as Shaman
  Leadership mastery is so much more than strategy and management.   In our increasingly chaotic and out of control world, the Leader as Shaman is being called forth now.  He stays present and clear, and teaches others how to do the same.  He taps into the deep wisdom of the organization’s very essence, brings it forth, and shares it through story and ritual.  He dreams the world into being and helps others do the same, using ‘vision’ in powerful way.  Come learn a new map and a new way of being as a leader.
• Creative Listening
  When we listen deeply and fully to a person, they feel more whole in themselves, and more connected with us.   The skill of effective listening is complex and subtle, yet it can be learned readily.    And by asking effective questions, we can help our staff make their own connections so they can think more clearly and feel more empowered.  Learn how to quickly shift your energy so you can put aside your agenda and to-do lists, and be present with another person.   This session is hands-on.  Come prepared to practice!

John Erdman has 20 years of experience as a camp director and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center in Greenfield, NH.

• I’ve Got the Job…Now What?
  So you’re the new camp director.  What do you do now?  Where do you start?  Explore the challenges facing new directors and the common traps they must avoid.  Learn about the key tasks to be done and strategies for making your first year on the job a success.

John Latimer is currently in his second year as the Director of Camps & Programs at The Barton Center, and works with all of the programs of The Barton Center, including Clara Barton Camp, Barton Day Camps, and Camp Joslin. He started out as a camper at Camp Seale Harris (AL) when diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.  He progressed through the program at camp, eventually serving as counselor, then Adventure Director, and finally Camp Director in spring 2005, when he left to run Camp Joslin. John has also worked at various other diabetes camps in the country, gaining experience for his camping career.  He is the Board Secretary of the Diabetes Education & Camping Association. Prior to becoming Camp Director of Camp Joslin, John also worked as a nationally certified Cytogenetic Technologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, in the Clinical Genetics department. John currently lives in Charlton, MA, with his wife, Sarah, their 4-year old son, Josiah, and 2-year old daughter, Susan.

• Diabetes in Camp, Type 1 &2
  In this session, we’ll be discussing, diabetes in a camp setting.  Topics that will be covered are the importance of buddy systems, camp-specific 504 plans, emergency supplies, working with parents of campers with diabetes, how to be proactive with parents of campers with diabetes, taking diabetes care seriously without making the camper feel excluded, care of campers at activities/programs, nighttime checks and needs, emergency situations, food, and diabetes and your health care center.

For six years at Camp Pemigewassett, Josh Fischel edited Bean Soup, a comedic record of the camp season, read-aloud weekly and printed in the winter.  He writes the newsletter and website for ACA New England, and has been published in publications like The Believer, the Nashua (NH) Telegraph, and Amherst magazine.

• Not Just Letters Home:  Developing a Writing Program at Camp
  Getting kids and staff to provide a record of the camp season while having fun besides can be a tricky process.  We’ll try various writing prompts, talk about ways to share it, and how to use writing (and reading it) to set the tone for your camp season.  A fun and interactive session.  Bring something to write on and something to write with; we'll give you something to write about.

 

Kaela Vronsky, Mentoring and National Center Director at Partners for Youth with Disabilities, has nearly 14 years of nonprofit management experience.  She is a recent arrival to Boston after spending five years directing programs at a nonprofit organization in Antigua, Guatemala.  Before that she spent 8 years managing youth development programs in Western Massachusetts.  She has served as mentor, trainer, coordinator, and founder of mentor programs over the course of her career.  She received a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Peace and Conflict Studies from Guilford College in 1994 and a Master of Arts degree in Sustainable Development Management from the SIT Graduate Institute in 2005.

Melanie Marzolf, Mentoring and National Center Associate at Partners for Youth with Disabilities, has extensive experience counseling youth with physical, cognitive and behavioral disabilities at a residential treatment facility in Virginia. As a Social Work Intern, Ms. Marzolf worked at the Children's Advocacy Center and Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation where she engaged in advocacy, program development and community organizing with underserved populations.  Melanie earned her Master of Social Work degree from Boston University in October 2008 and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the College of William and Mary in May 2004.

• Successful Inclusion of Youth with Disabilitie
  This workshop will provide participants' with an overview of the ways in which consciously including youth with disabilities positively impacts programs.  Preparing for the participation of youth with a wide range of abilities allows organizations to better serve identified and unidentified youth with disabilities already enrolled in their programs, as well as attract new youth.  Furthermore, the spirit of empowerment that drives inclusive programs will help build the confidence, character, and interpersonal skills of participants with and without disabilities. Workshop participants will be offered practical tips for inclusion and guided through a self-assessment and action plan process. At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:  Better serve identified and unidentified youth with disabilities already in their programs; gain a greater understanding of the overall concept and positive implications of inclusion; assess the current level of inclusion in their programs with the help of an "inclusion checklist"; develop an action plan to incorporate inclusion principles into their current programs; and apply practical tips for inclusion

 

Karyn L Martin, Director of Council Initiatives and Research, Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass

• Outcomes, Evaluations and Surveys - Oh My!
  How to get the information you want and need without overwhelming your campers and their adults... how to develop a long-term evaluation plan that works for your camp ... and how to use the information you collect in understandable ways.

 

Marla Cohen, Education Coordinator, Mass Audubon, Stoney Brook Natural Summer Day Camp

• Style from Salvage - Wearable Crafts from Recycled Items
  These days, everyone’s looking for creative ways to stretch their budget. This class will show you how to take discarded “trash” like cardboard, paper, newspaper, buttons, puzzle pieces, and plastic bags, and reconstruct and refashion them into stylish wardrobe accessories.  Whether you use up what you've got or make something out of a found treasure, these ideas will cost you next to nothing. Participants will gain new ideas regarding recycling throw-away items, use their creativity to make recyclables into clothes and accessories, and learn how to make yarn out of plastic bags.

 

Michael Brandwein / educator, author, speaker, (michaelbrandwein.com) is one of the top experts and trainers of persons in the fields of camp, education, and recreation. He has made presentations in all 50 states and on six of the seven continents. Michael is the number one national bestselling author in the camp field, with four consecutive bestsellers, Training Terrific Staff (Volumes 1 & 2), Super Staff SuperVision, and Learning Leadership. Michael wrote and presented three 1999 Emmyâ award-winning television programs on communicating with children called Parenting Puzzle. He is a frequent keynote speaker for national organizations that serve youth, families, teachers, and others, including the American Camp Association (ACA) and the National Recreation and Park Association, among many others. He has served on the national board of directors and executive committee of the ACA and has received two national honors from ACA for his training of directors and staff throughout the world. Michael’s camp experience includes everything from front-line counselor and supervisor to camp administrator. His Juris Doctor degree is from the University of Chicago. Michael lives in the Chicago area with his wife Donna, a professional sign language interpreter, and their two sons David and Benjamin.

• YES, IT’S FUN—BUT IT’S A REAL JOB: Solid Solutions to Increase Staff Professionalism and Responsibility
  These are practical and powerful techniques to get staff to take this fun job seriously and act professionally at the same time. It discloses the one surprising secret that often unconsciously undermines our own efforts to create a professional camp culture. It includes identifying and communicating what professional behavior actually is and has a special focus on how to use staff training to build and enforce the best expectations even before campers arrive. Take home specific strategies and training tools that really work.
• SUPERB SUPERVISION: Doing It & Teaching It to Others
  This session is for both the staff supervisor who wants to develop outstanding skills and for the person who wants to train supervisors. One of the most important things we do is train our leadership team, but tools on how to do this are rare. This session fills that gap by providing new tools and training activities that you can use immediately. You’ll be able to explain clearly what staff leaders are supposed to do when “walking around” and provide them opportunities to actually develop and practice these skills so that they are ready to support staff and lead them in positive, confident ways.
• CDOS: How to Boost Staff Performance through One-On-One Coaching
  Staffs need coaching and expert guidance to reach their highest levels of performance. Training during orientation is not enough. This session demonstrates and provides immediate practice in how camp supervisors, administrators, and team leaders can work one-on-one with staff, even after campers arrive, to raise staff performance levels, set and achieve specific goals, communicate expectations firmly but positively, solve problems with confidence, and lead staff to be their best. Plus: How to get staff to accept coaching with a positive and constructive attitude to get the most out of it.
• TEACHING STUFF THAT STICKS: Making Sure that Staff Really LEARN During Orientation
  Each year we pack more and more into our training—but how much does staff really “get”? This session provides lots of specific training activities and superbly effective teaching methods you can use right away to increase learning, participation, teamwork, and retention during orientation so that staff are really ready to meet challenges and accomplish great goals.

Keynote:

• Camp is an InCamparable Experience: Maximizing and Communicating the Unique Power of Camp
  We know that what we do is important, but how do we communicate this importance to current and prospective staff, parents, campers, supporters of camp, and others? How do we explain how camp “works” to get people to understand what makes it such a unique experience that delivers such a strong and lasting difference in campers and their communities? This exciting session demonstrates some immediate ways we can maximize the power of camp and more effectively communicate this power to others.

 

Michael Votto, M.Ed , Brooks School Day Camp, CIT Coordinator.  In addition to be a part of the BSDC leadership team for the past four years, Mike has been a teacher, and coach for the past 12 years.  His experience includes both public and private education. Currently, Mike teaches fourth grade in Andover, MA. His high-energy approach, combined with his commitment to excellence, has been a wonderful attribute in the successful leadership of our CIT program.

• Embracing and Developing CITs / Youth Development Professionals
  CITs can be the FUTURE for your camp, so how do we foster a positive, meaningful relationship with them? We will identify the pivotal role a CIT plays throughout the course of our 3-year program at Brooks School Day Camp. Participants will learn the training model that we use to provide a nurturing environment for these teens, ages 13 - 15.  We will discuss both the rewards and challenges of this leadership program.          
  

Nat Saltonstall is currently the Director of Beaver Summer Programs in Chestnut Hill, MA and has been leading day and resident camps for over 15 years. He has served ACA New England in a variety of capacities that include Board Member, Vice President, and Committee Chair.

• Extended Day Roundtable
  Is your camp struggling for activity ideas during extended day programs?  Join this roundtable to discuss the challenges and triumphs your program faces in offering extended day programs. If staffing a challenge, how does your camp handle staffing the extended times?  Come share what age-group activities, snacks, games, and crafts work well at your camp, and get ready to learn new ideas from others.

 

Nat Shed has been camp director at a day camp and at two residential camps for over sixteen years.  He is currently the director at Friends Camp a Quaker camp in South China, Maine.  

• Keeping Campers Emotionally & Physically Safe Trainer
  This workshop will cover effective methods to prevent a variety of abusive behaviors at summer camps.  It will include an overview of types of abuse and will cover particular situations that counselors, unit leaders, nurses, and directors could face during any summer camp session. Participants will learn about expectations, supervision, boundaries, and emotional safety. This workshop will explore the early warning signs of abuse situations.  We will also delve into the gray areas between the actions and words that can lead to unacceptable conduct, on the one hand, and clearly inappropriate behavior, on the other.

 

Nancy Hartmann, Brooks School Day Camp Director, Nancy has been a camp professional for over 25 years working with the Girl Scouts, YMCA, and private independent non-profits. In addition to her commitment to camping Nancy has combined her energy and passion as an American Red Cross Aquatic Instructor for the past 30 years. She has found many ways to be inclusive, have fun and be safe with aquatics.

 

• Water Games
  Come enjoy a splash of fun! Join us while we enjoy aquatic games for all ages, Toddlers to Seniors!  We promise we won't make you eat crackers and try to whistle after sprinting 25 yards, but we will have a session stuffed with ideas and activities. We encourage you to jump into your bathing suit for this session. All are welcome and no swimming experience is necessary to enjoy this fun.
• Sticky Situations for Visitors
  Accreditation Visitors will have a chance to discuss and support each other on techniques for handling those "awkward moments" during a site visit, such as misinterpretations, surprises, and working with disgruntled staff.  Come share your experiences and questions. Together, we will discuss how we can still up hold the education and value of the Accreditation Program when faced with the unexpected.

Nancy Tucker, comedian, graduated from the University of Hartford with a degree in Biology and Art and went on to teach biology and work as a veterinary nurse. Though she eventually chose music as her profession, both jobs still inspire much of her music, comedy and love of all life on Earth.

Nancy is the recipient of countless awards and national recognitions, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Connecticut Songwriter of the Year Award, a Gold Parent’s Choice Award, Gold National Parenting Publications Award, a Seal of Excellence from Creative Child Magazine, and a Children’s Music Web Award (the only award decided entirely by children). In addition, she holds a patent for an invention that turns the guitar into a percussive instrument, and she was the first place winner of the 2002 Connecticut Comedy Festival, a month-long competition of 100 contestants from the Tri-State area sponsored by Connecticut Public Television.

Nancy’s parody, Everything Reminds Me of My Therapist, was recently chosen for a Dr. Demento 30th Year Anniversary Compilation CD, featuring the funniest songs of the past three decades, to be distributed internationally. Nancy has recorded and released nine of her own CDs. She has been performing and recording music and comedy professionally for 30 years.

 

Rebecca Lopez is the Executive Director of the New York District Kiwanis Foundation, Past Director at Horizons for Youth, Camp Anna Behrens, Camp Hoffman, Willamalamo Teen Challenge Camp.

• Behavior Management Through the Application Process
  Have you ever been into the first or second day into a session and realized that your campers have special needs you never knew about?  Learn to alleviate this surprise by incorporating “telling” questions into your application, thus setting yourself and your campers up for a positive, fulfilling summer.
• Not All Needs Are Visible
  Learn to be an educator of kindness by differentiating a child from their disorder and behaviors.  Teach staff and parents that not all special needs are something that you can see.

 

Rick Schwartz has been working with nonprofits for more than 30 years, from several angles. He has been a political journalist, a legislative staff director in human services, senior staff for a statewide arts agency, vice president of a major foundation, and a strategic planning consultant. You can read about him at www.schwartztalk.com. More important, he's the father of two seasoned campers and wears his 100th anniversary Becket YMCA Camp sneakers daily with pride.

• Fundraising in Times of Stress: Tips to Calm You Down
  Fundraising is fundraising, in times of stress and not. We'll discuss the essential types of donors and what motivates them, in good times and bad. We'll discuss prioritizing the "basics" when money is tight. And we'll ask which, if any, messages change for camps when the economy does.
• 50 Ways to Love your Donor 
  Conduct a self-audit of how you appear to donors. We'll go over a simple yet surprising checklist of things you do that have an effect on donor attitudes. Based on the workshop leader's national audit tool.
• How to Interact with the People that Matter
  A fun and interactive workshop that can lead into strategic planning. Do you know all the important people in your "neighborhood"? Exactly what you want them to do? How to get them to do it? Introducing a new way to organize your work.
• The Five Absolutely Essential Communication Tools
  Every nonprofit -- including every camp group -- has to stay in meaningful contact with its key constituencies. Yes, every age group responds to different communications, but the 21st century (so far) has made five tools essential. We'll discuss them.

 

Sarah Leshay and Elaine Richardson, Lifelong campers and Girl Scouts, this singing duo grew up at summer camp. From campers, to CITs to staff, Elaine and Sarah have attended Camp Green Eyrie, Virginia, Winnetaska, Favorite, Cedar Hill, Wabasso, and Menotomy. Through the years they held a variety positions at Resident and Day Camp, including: Unit Counselor, Unit Leader, Lifeguard, Waterfront Director, Operations Director, CIT Director, and Assistant Camp Director.

During the year, Sarah is a High School Science Teacher and Robotics Advisor in Bedford, Massachusetts and Elaine is an Outdoor Educator, in Freedom, New Hampshire. Girl Scout camp made both Sarah and Elaine who they are today and they look forward to sharing the singing part of that with you today.

• How to Infuse New Songs into Your Camp
  Learn how to use songs to create structure and bring routine into a camp day. Repeat songs, action songs, travel songs, and formal ceremonial songs all create a camp atmosphere that you and your campers will love.

 

Scott Arizala is one of the leading experts and premier trainers on kids, staff and the experience of summer camp.  He has been involved with camps and youth development for over twenty years as a camper, counselor, administrator, teacher and consultant.  He has been the director of traditional resident camps, day camps, single gender camps, and is currently the Camp Director for Dragonfly Forest, a resident camp for kids with serious illnesses and disorders in the Philadelphia area.

Scott is on the Board of Directors for the American Camp Association Oregon Trail section and serves as the Education Chair.  He is a pioneering contributor to Leadership Essentials, the world’s leader in online training for camp staff and is the author of the book on summer camp and youth development, S’more Than Camp.

As a professional speaker and educator, he has given keynotes, workshops and educational sessions at numerous professional conferences, training events, and with organizations.  He is currently the CEO of The Camp Counselor, a consulting and training company working with hundreds of camps and thousands of staff & administrators across the country.

• You're Fired! & Other Difficult Management Conversations
  As a summer camp director or supervisor, most of your time is spent managing young people.  This session is about the best practices and principles for having the most difficult management conversations.  Letting someone go, discussing bad choices, and working through personality differences are just a few examples of conversations that happen all time.  Be prepared and know what to say, how to say it, and how to teach other supervisors this essential skill.
• I’m The Boss of You!
  One of the hardest transitions at camp is from staff member to supervisor, manager, or director.  Often with very little training, camp superstars are supervising their peers, friends, and others (who think they should be in charge).  This session is based on the best ways to train them, supervise them, and monitor their experience and growth.  This is the group that drives camp… are they on track?
• Family, Favorites, & Friction: Camp Group Dynamics
  Camp is an experience of group work and group dynamics.  Family, favorites, and friction represent the three categories of camp group dynamics that staff members struggle with the most.  Family is the group we are or aspire to be, favoritism is the process that corrupts this group, and friction is often what's created as a result.  Learn how to teach staff members how to work towards the idea of family, control expressions of favoritism, and deal with the friction, whether it is bullying, cliques, outcasts, or campers acting out.
• Deciding What to Choose When Choosing is a Choice: Campers’ Choices & Control
  At camp, we have an opportunity to give campers control and to develop their skills in decision making and good judgment.  There is a delicate balance between too many choices and too few.  Learn how to create that balance in your camp program and through all the important interactions between staff and campers.  Through developing campers’ opportunities for control, you will fulfill your mission and the promise to parents, by actually doing the values and characters that we put on our brochures and websites.  From behavior management to program development, this session is about taking your camp experience from great to phenomenal.
• You Can’t Be That Mad! Validating the Emotional Lives of Campers
  My experiences and feelings for me are just as real as yours are for you.  Why would that be different if I was a camper?  What we say and how we say it says a lot to a camper.  Learn how to teach and embrace a new way of thinking about and speaking to campers that respects their experiences and enhances their ability to express themselves.  Connect the ability to control their own behavior directly to the way staff respect their feelings through interactions.  This session will change the way you train your staff and how you talk to everyone.

 

Stacy Wilbur is the Public Relations and Media Relations Manager for Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, where she has held the position since February 2006. As the Public Relations and Media Relations Manager, Ms. Wilbur is responsible for all media and communications for 45,000 Girl Scouts, 17,000 volunteers in 178 communities in eastern Massachusetts. Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts has received coverage in many major media outlets including NBC’s Today Show, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, all Boston television stations, and many community newspapers. Ms. Wilbur began working in public relations in 2001 at Regan Communications where she handled accounts such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Mohegan Sun, and the Boston Celtics.

• Media - Get Your Camp into the News
  Have great camp programs and don’t know how to get them the proper attention they deserve? Join Stacy Wilbur, Public Relations and Media Relations Manager for Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, to learn how to publicize your camp. Stacy will give you a brief overview on how the media works, what is considered newsworthy, and 10 helpful hints on how to get your camp publicized.
  

Stephan Lockney is a YMCA Sr. Director, Community Psychologist, and most importantly a father,   He earned his B.A. in Clincal Psychology from Franklin Pierce College in 1995 and his M.A. in Community Psychology from U-Mass Lowell in 1997.  He has been involved with camps and youth development for over twenty-five years as a camper, counselor, administrator, trainer, and consultant.  Stephan started in camping at age 7 and spent his next 6 Summers at  Camp Mononomac in Rindge, NH.   As a young teenager Stephan attended

Camp Bement for 5 years where he held the positions of CIT, Cabin Head, Christian Education Director, and Unit Leader.  Stephan left resident camp in 1994 and started working at a 35-acre Day Camp known as YMCA Camp Harrington in Boylston Massachusetts as the Adventure Director.  Upon graduation from graduate school Stephan took the position of Youth/Camp Director for the Farmington Valley YMCA and Camp Massaco.  In 1999 he left Farmington Valley to come home to Central Massachusetts and became the Director of YMCA Camp Harrington. 

As a speaker, trainer, educator, he has given workshops, seminars, and educational sessions at numerous conferences, YMCA training events, and with several community organizations. He is a Sr. Director with the YMCA of Central Massachusetts, the Harrington Center Director, and Head of the Day Camp Mission Impact Team for Central Massachusetts.  

Stephan lives in Boylston at Camp Harrington with his wife, Jackie and 3 year old daughter Alexis (their 2nd child, Liam James, is due in March of 2009 and they are very excited about the new addition to the family!).  Stephan and Jackie combine to have over 30 years camping and youth work experience as they both work with children, attended camp, and have run Summer Camps in the communities they lived in.  Jackie is a Masters candidate in experiential education at Plymouth State and serves as the Physical Education and Behavior Specialist for Touchstone Community School in Grafton Massachusetts.

• Where the Wild Things Are…
  Day camp counselors are in the trenches every day with our campers.  It is imperative that, as administrative staff, we give them the knowledge (behavior management and essential job functions), skills (games, songs, & transition activities), and tools (resources for playing with kids) to help create a magical world for the kids they work with. Come for an interactive and fun session where, like Max, you can learn how to make your kingdom fun for everyone!
• Got Cups?
  Speed Stacking is one of the fastest growing sports (yes, sports) in America today.  In over 22 thousand elementary schools, kids are speed stacking in PE, working on their hand-eye coordination, quickness, and ambidexterity. Camps are now catching on to this simple, inexpensive, and addicting sport. Come to this interactive and fun session where you can experience the sport for yourself!

 

Steve Maguire is a veteran in the fields of education and summer camp. He has been teaching, coaching and working with camps for the past fifteen years. Upon graduation from Plymouth State University in 1997, Steve began working as a middle school teacher and coach. 

 He has been a full time public school teacher, entering his 12th year teaching in the fall of 2008. He has also served in various summer camp roles from general counselor to camp director, earning his first director job at age 26. Three years ago, Steve started Maguire presentations, and has since presented for such nationally recognized organizations as the American Camping Association, National Parks and Recreation Association, Independent School Health Association, Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association,  as well as various other camps and secondary schools.

 Steve is a remarkably dynamic speaker. His ability to engage the emotion and minds of his audience members is a powerful combination. His presentations are known for their clear organization, humor and pragmatic outcomes.

• Don’t Change Seats on the Titanic: 7 Traits that Destroy Every Administrative Team
  Every administrative team has flaws.  However, there are some choices that administrative teams make that actually make them worse, not better.  It’s like changing seats on the Titanic, the view may change, but you are still going down!  Come join Steve as we explore how to avoid these pitfalls and be sure your admin team isn’t sinking.
• Blah, Blah, Blah! Are you Seriously Still Talking?: 29 Do Nows to Improve Your Staff Training.
  I always get asked a version of this question: “What are your ideas for staff training?”  What’s my first bit of advice? PLEASE STOP TALKING!  Your staff isn’t listening!  Harsh? Maybe.  True?  Definitely.  Come join Steve as we learn some pragmatic “DO NOWS” that you can incorporate into you staff training for 2010.  This session will teach you how to stop talking and start doing to make your staff training educational and dynamic. 
• Standing in an Elevator: How to Avoid 14 of Camps Most Awkward Moments with Kids and Staff
  Remember when you sat in most classrooms on the first couple days of school and NO ONE was talking to each other?  Remember the awkward silence as kids shuffled to find their seats?  Well, camp has plenty of awkward moments for kids and staff.  Come join Steve for this funny and creative session that will help avoid some of those awkward moments and make them easier for everyone.
• The Definition of Insanity: 12 New, Unique, and Fun Program Ideas to Improve Your Camp
  Before he was a professional speaker, Steve was quite a creative program director.  Come join him for this first time session where he will share his secrets to great programs (both day and evening).  You will leave with 12 of the most interesting and fun program ideas that you can use immediately in the summer of 2010.  Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result!  Time to mix it up!
• Let’s fight!  9 Techniques for Better Conflict Management for Staff and Kids
  In most cases, the honeymoon period ends and conflicts begin at camp.  Come join Steve as we explore some ways to diffuse, pre-emptive strike and break down conflicts that happen between all of you major players at camp.  (kids, staff and administrators). 

 

Susan Caplan has worked as a Teacher/Naturalist at Mass Audubon’s Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary for over twelve years, leading the Creative Arts camps.  She is also the Feature Writer for Kids’ Crafts at Suite101.com.

• Leaf Art: Combining Nature and Art
  Whether or not you are teaching tree or leaf identification, leaves are a great starting point for dozens of craft projects.  In this hands-on class, you’ll try a variety of art and craft techniques that incorporate leaves and inexpensive art supplies.  Learn how to create nature-inspired mobiles, masks, wall art, photo frames, clothing decorations, and more. 

 

Terri Mulks has been a Camp Director since 1997 for YMCA and Mass Audubon.  She is a YMCA Camp Director Trainer, AMC Youth Opportunities Program Instructor, and presented at the 2007 ACA Conference.

• It’s OK to Get Dirty! Keeping the Outdoors in Camp!
  Do you feel that the outdoor component of your camp is becoming less and less?  Discuss the reasons why campers and their parents are hesitant to get dirty and spend time in the great outdoors.  Walk away with information on how to convince all members of the family that it’s okay to get dirty. Environmental education activities will be shared. 

 

Terrie Campbell, Executive Director, Camp Howe graduated from the University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia and worked as a counselor of teens and families before coming to the states. Terrie is a lifelong camper and has spent the past 22 season working at camp. She has held the many different positions within camps, both in Australia and the US working for camps operated by the Australian Government, Girl Scouts, YMCA and 4H. Terrie is both a Visitor and an Instructor Trainer for the American Camp Association and currently serves on the ACA New England Standards Committee. She believes in the positive impact of the camp experience for all youth, especially in the inclusive environment of Camp Howe.

• Inclusiveness in Camp
  Creating an inclusive community for all youth with a focus on accommodating youth with disabilities successfully. With the rise in mainstreaming in schools, parents are seeking inclusive summer options and there are too few camps opening their gates. The intent of this workshop is to discuss the implications for camps, costs, and considerations, and to open up to discussion for camps that are already doing it (most camps are with differing levels of success). I would like to get a panel together of different camps that are doing it – Howe, Ag. Village and a few of the “Let’s all play Programs (day camps) so we have differing levels of history (old and more recent) variety of disabilities supported. I think focusing in on low cost easy accommodations as most think it is too hard, too expensive or they can’t do it….. So looking at ways to overcome the obstacles that stand between the camp and the child!

 

 

 

 

2010 Conference Sponsors