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Summer camps can be a magical (and natural) place for young people to develop character, our secret “superpower” and the part of our personality that other people tend to admire and cherish. Camp counselors and youth peers encourage and influence campers to test boundaries and learn life skills through their camp experiences, helping them build traits like resilience, integrity, gratitude and kindness.
Join us for a conversation with Bob Ditter, a well-known child and adolescent therapist who has worked with over 600 camps over the past 40 years, about what it means to foster character development at camp. Together, Bob, Lisa Fortenberry from Camp Harbor View and Chris Burke from YMCA Camp Takodah, will discuss what is important about character, explore what he sees as key elements of highly successful character development programs, and envision what character development can look like in camp settings like yours.
Bob is coming out of semi-retirement to join our 2025 New England Camp Conference, so you won’t want to miss this keynote session!
This session will include remarks from ACA, New England leadership, awards, and a dynamic keynote.
About Bob Ditter:
Bob Ditter is a highly respected child, adolescent and family therapist in Boston who has worked nationally and internationally with people who work with children. Since 1982 Bob has conducted staff and leadership training at over 600 camps throughout the United States and Canada.
Bob Ditter has written some of the best-loved and most influential camp leadership texts on the planet, including Summer Camp Rules, Next Generation Camp Leadership, Camp Matters – By the Experts, and In the Trenches. His articles in Camping Magazine, which span from 1986 to 2021, were some of the most popular and widely read among camp professionals everywhere.
Bob has been quoted in The New York Times, The Ladies Home Journal, Parent Magazine, USA Today and The Boston Globe, to name a few. Sports Illustrated called him “camping’s most articulate spokesperson.” He has also appeared on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and the ABC Evening News. He served as consultant to America’s Camp, the camp for the children whose parents were killed in the planes and Twin Towers in 2001. Bob retired from his camp related work in 2020 to focus on his psychotherapy practice.
Camp isn’t just for the kids – our camp parents, guardians, and caregivers are an essential (and sometimes overlooked) component as we plan successful camp programming for everyone each summer season.
Each year, we ask you all to share “hot topics” you’re encountering in the camp world. And, the past few summers, parent and caregiver engagement has been at the top of many of your lists. So, we are bringing you a unique opportunity to connect with the camper families of today – Yes, actual caregivers who enroll their kiddos in camp!
Join us for a panel discussion with diverse caregivers whose campers attend a variety of day and overnight programs, moderated by well-loved camp professional and parent (though her kiddo isn’t quite camp age yet), Emily Golinsky. We’ll dig into topics such as What challenges are they facing as they raise the young people of today? and How can camps be a true partner in strengthening relationships and meeting expectations of a summer program?
This all-conference session is designed to foster understanding at a higher level of what today’s parents experience with their children, our campers, so you can walk away with new insights and approaches to incorporate into your strategies and programs for summer 2025.
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