Did you know that camp directors attend conferences with other camp directors in order to become even better at camp directing?! It’s true!
This winter season, Friends Camp Director Anna attended the CampMinder Conference in Boulder, CO, conferences with the American Camp Association in New Jersey and New Hampshire, and even helped facilitate conferences in Michigan and Florida with The Summer Camp Society.
At the Tri-State Camp conference (the biggest gathering of camp pros in the world) in March, three additional camp staff joined Anna. Abby, our Meetinghouse/ arts & crafts director for 2019, traveled from Rochester to attend. Danny, who is helping to design and implement our new Counselor-in-Training program, drove over from Philly to be there, and Malcolm, our watercraft director this upcoming summer spent his spring break from college with us at the conference! Read Abby’s reflections on the conference below.

Reflection by Abby Hoover on the Tri-State Camp Conference

Recently I was on spring break from school and during that time I attended the Tristate Camp Conference in Atlantic City with Anna, Danny, and Malcolm. For the three days I was at the conference I attended sessions on diversity, gender inclusion, different camp activities, went to a meet and greet for other LGBTQ+ camp professionals, heard a talk from Sir Ken Robinson about finding your passion, and made meaningful connections with other camp staff! One thing that stuck out to me during the sessions I attended was everyone’s desire to examine their camps’ practices and make intentional changes when it comes to gender, racial, and neurodiversity inclusion. I was able to speak to other camps’ staff about Friends Camp’s experience with gender expansive practices and also get new insight into how to be more inclusive and welcoming. Through talking to other camp professions, from other camp counselors to executives in the camp world, I found a community of people who have similar passions for camp as myself and that long for a more empathetic, inclusive, and accepting camp experience and world. Through meeting these other camp professionals I got more tips on creating more intentional diversity and how to recognize behaviors that keep diversity from flourishing. Not only do I plan on putting the skills I learned at Tristate into the summers I spend at Friends Camp but I will implement the things I learned into my everyday life and try to bring inclusivity and acceptance into every different community I find myself a part of.