Preliminary Schedule & Session Descriptions

Below is a preliminary schedule of events for the conference.
Educational Session Schedule
This will be updated regularly... check back often!

Monday, September 24
9:30 am - 2:30 pm Pre-Conference Session with Jim Cain
9:30 - 2:30 pm Board Meeting
Standards Course (pre-registration required, no cost, lunch on your own)
Noon - 5:00 pm Conference Registration
3: 15 - 3:45 pm Newcomers "Get to Know You"
4:00 - 5:45 pm Opening Keynote/General Session/Awards
Riverboat Cruise and Dinner
9:30 - 10:30 pm (after riverboat cruise) Accreditation Visitor Reception

Tuesday, September 25
Beginning at 8:00 am Conference Registration
8:45 - 10:00 am Educational sessions
10:30 - 11:45 am Educational sessions
Noon - 6:00 pm Exhibit Hall
Lunch on your own
2:00 - 3:15 pm Educational sessions
4:00 - 5:15 pm Educational sessions
“Cocktails” and Conversation in Exhibit Hall
Dinner on your own (join up with a group!)
7:45 - 9:30 pm Auction//Dessert Reception
(you won’t want to miss this!)
9:30 pm CAMPFIRE and Songs!

Wednesday, September 26
8:00 - 9:15 pm Breakfast and Membership Meeting
9:30 am - Noon Closing and Keynote Speaker

Current list of presenters and topics - in progress
(In alphabetical order according presenter's last name)

Jessica Andrews - Exploring Prejudice and Creating Safe Spaces - At a young age most people learn how to recognize differences more quickly than similarities, and how to dislike others who are not like us. This session will include activities and discussions exploring cultural diversity and prejudices in a safe environment in order to learn how to create safe spaces in your programs or organizations. Bring an open mind, as we will discuss critical diversity issues such as racism, heterosexism and sexism.

Craig Bell (AKA Cast Iron Chef) - Dutch Oven Magic - Learn the basics of cooking in a Dutch Oven. We will cook our own lunch.

Michael Brandwein STUFF THAT STICKS: Using TEO & Other Terrific Techniques to Make Sure Staff Really Learn During Orientation - Each year we pack more and more into our training—but how much does staff really “get”? This session demonstrates original, specific training activities and powerful, creative teaching methods you can use right away to increase learning, motivation, participation, teamwork, and retention during orientation so that staff are really ready to meet challenges and accomplish great goals.

Michael Brandwein CDOS: How to Teach Supervisors & Head Staff to Coach Staff to Higher Levels of Performance - No more leaders sitting while kids are playing! The most important part of staff development occurs while camp is in session, when directors, supervisors, and other administrative staff act as excellent teachers to help front-line staff learn new skills so they are better leaders at the end of camp than they were at the beginning. But it’s sometimes awkward or uncomfortable to talk to staff members about their performance. Michael’s acclaimed step-by-step CDOS techniques and materials show you exactly how to teach staff leaders to do this with expertise and confidence

Jim Cain The World of Raccoon Circles - Join Jim Cain for the latest and greatest team activities, that require only a simple piece of equipment.  Perfect for trek and off-site programs, especially when you can't carry pounds of gear with you.

Jim Cain Openings and Closings - Here are dozens of activities that you can use to begin and end your camping programs.

Gae Deangelo and ACA Insurance Committee - Topics in Risk Management

Dan Davis - Lessons of the Labyrinth - come walk and explore the use of labyrinths in the camp setting.

Bob Ditter - MySpace or Yours--Camp and the age of Social Networking - In this digital age where campers and staff have unprecedented access to one another, there are benefits and dangers camp professionals need to be aware of.  In this fact filled, practical and upbeat key session, Bob Ditter will illuminate the risks and help you capitalize on the opportunities!  Learn about campers who have found pictures of themselves coming out of a shower at camp posted on the Internet; or Staff that have taken pictures of campers they have posted on their social networking sites. Campers can now research the website to find their counselors, only to become privy to a world they should probably not have access to (via Facebook.com and MySpace.com). Campers and staff have MUCH MORE contact with one another OUTSIDE OF camp through the Internet and cell phones/text messaging that is going on totally outside of anyone’s oversight (parents, camp administration or other adults).  Most of this is positive and healthy.  Some of it is not.  You will learn about the latest ways to maximize the tremendous benefits of technology while managing the risks!

Bob Ditter - The Millenial Generation--Myths and Realities of your Campers and Staff! Every generation is shaped by the era in which it comes of age.  Bob will present the most prominent features of young people today and how to work most successfully with them--whether as campers or staff.

Mike Fraze/Keith Speath - Business case- A unique design approach that results in positive camper outcomes.

Ian Garner - 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? We will discuss some actual current camp lawsuits as well as some national statistical accident and loss trends in camps. This interactive workshops will provide recommendations for increasing camp safety and hopefully helping to keep camps out of court. Attendees will be provided with suggestions and training activities for working with and helping your staff and campers become more safety conscientous.

Larry Hancock and Ken Burgess- Tale of the Tail: How to Keep Evaluation in Perspective - Evaluation provides important data for a variety of stakeholders, but implementing an effective camp-wide evaluation can be challenging. This session discusses several key insights of 4-H camp directors arising from the first year of a mandated evaluation. Issues include re-thinking program and activity objectives, re-thinking camp schedules to collect and reflect on data, integration of evaluation methods in interactive and educational activities, interpreting and obtaining parent consent for evaluation as research, training and supervision of staff, and use of data to publicize, market and fund camps. Effective handling of these issues is critical to avoid having the "tail" (evaluation) wag the "dog" (programming" at camp. A state evaluation specialist will review the evaluation values and design that guided the first-year evaluation experience. Camp directors will address the insights that emerged from that process.

Linda Ivey - Wildlife & Environmental Risks - A Registered Nurse with emergency room experience will share knowledge gained over the years in simple terms. Topics covered to include: lyme disease, encephalitis, rabies, scorpion stings, spider bites, snake bites, altitude sickeness, tetanus.

John Paul McNeal and panel - Camp-Campus Connections - Are you hoping to build ties between your camp and a College or University? Whether the school is just down the road or across the country after this session you will be better equipped to build a stronger Camp-Campus Connection. Discuss with the panelists as together we generate ideas for starting and building successful collaborations.

Ed Metzendorf - Use the Internet to Engage your Parents and Keep Your Camp Full - Maximize your website's potential to help keep parent's focus year round with the latest, greatest (and Free) technologies! This session will look at steps you can take to retain and recruit campers, increase your online exposure, engage camp parents, and add $$$ to the bottom line. Special emphasis will be placed on online registration and database management.

Robin Powell - Heads Up - hands on learning about helmets, harnesses, and carabineers.

Kat Shreve and Gwynn Powell - Program Improvement based on Youth Development Outcomes - Explore a roadmap for change prompted by evaluation that leads to program improvement and positive outcomes for youth.  We’ll work through a simple, effective program evaluation process to determine the youth outcomes that you can target in your program s.  Relevant exercises, guiding questions, and specific examples will help you leave the session with a plan to identify and implement youth outcomes more effectively and have some fun along the way!

Peg Smith (ACA National) - Roundtable

Mike Spiller - Traditional Native American Games - During this session participants will make, learn and play many of the games that our indigenous Americans played thousands of years ago. Mike is certified by the International Tradiional Games Society to teach these games of old. These games are perfect for a camp setting as 100% of the games played use only the natural resources of nature. Come learn and play many physical games as well as games of intuition. Take a look into the past and see how these games are still relevant and rewarding today. You will take-away dozens of ideas that will cost you and your camp zero - nada-nothing. After taking this breakout session, you could build your very own "Native Games Trail" on your camp grounds. This is an active participation workshop so come dressed to play.

Christopher Stec - The Other "ACA" - Paddlesports Standards & Best Practices - The Safety, Education and Instruction Council (SEIC) of the American Canoe Association developed the "Paddlesports Standards & Best Practices" brochure to provide organizations with a guide to aid them in developing, or improving their paddlesports programs. This hour and fifteen minute powerpoint presentation explains the ACanoeA's Best Practices brochure. It also allows participants to Q&A with a member of the SEIC on any paddlesports related question that they might have for their camp, including how the revised ACampA standards affect their lake or river paddling programs.

Bryon Weber & Tessa Romanowski - Go 3-D (without the Funky Glasses) Fletemeyer & Lee will share opportunities to revolutionize the way you generate excitement and support for facility fundraising by taking advantage of revolutionary methods of capturing and communicating visions with dynamic 3-D modeling.

Andi York - Internet and Social Networks Roundtable - Join a discussion about social networking sites & camp policies.