As we rise in 2023, we have interacted with so many passionate, engaged camp professionals who love their work. What an honor for us.
The spring of 2023 has been a growing and encouraging time for the Alliance for Camp Health (ACH) and for camps across the country. Camps are finding their footing as they recover following COVID and there is much excitement in the air about the “newness” of camp. Although COVID was tough, it did create a pause – a moment of time to reflect and revisit our current practices and services offered through the concept of “camp”. As we rise in 2023, we have interacted with so many passionate, engaged camp professionals who love their work. What an honor for us.
This spring, John Hamilton, ACH CSEO, and I (Tracey Gaslin, CEO) have traveled to educate and share in many conference events such as Maine summer camps, North Carolina Youth Camp Association (NCYCA), Diabetes Education & Camping Association (DECA), ACA National Conference, TriStates, New England ACA, Camp Harlam, Roundup River Ranch, Sonlight Camp, Victory Junction, Gateway Hemophilia and more. We have been humbled by the depth of spirit and candor as camps highlight new and different ways of embracing a human-centered design for their work.
This spring, ACH has invested in a variety of projects that help to produce evidence and support for camp health and wellness. We are partnering in a CampWell project with ACA, completing a scoping review of camp health information and research; supporting an ACA Indiana Youth Programs on Campus Initiative (IYPC); launched new courses (Managing Camp Health Services, Medication Management for UAPs) in the online learning center; supporting virtual MESH trainings with camps such as Camp Sunshine and Camp Leo. We continue to expand our MESH+ work across venues with the desire to meet the needs of youth and young adults needing encouragement and hope.
The ACH Board and the ACH Care Team are working to meet the needs of camps, leaders, staff, and participants. We are thankful for the many volunteers who serve on committees and initiatives that elevate the organization and are forever grateful for your time, interest, and investment to make camp a safe, fun, and caring place for youth. We are always interested in hearing from you and how we continue to better serve the ACH family.
