Last month, our Camp Director Denali and Assistant Camp Director Jupiter traveled to Texas for the 2025 American Camp Association (ACA) National Conference. This week-long event was a chance for Westwind to connect with other camp professionals, share the incredible work that we are doing, and prepare for another amazing summer. Being part of the American Camp Association is one way that we continue to use community to provide an exceptional camp experience.
What happens at the 2025 ACA Conference…
After a few rounds of icebreakers, it’s a camp conference after all, Denali and Jupiter split up to tackle a wide variety of workshops, speeches, and seminars. They listened to experts on camp safety, outdoor education, and promoting inclusion at summer camp. All while networking with camp leaders from all 50 states. This is an incredible opportunity for Westwind to learn about advancements in camp and think about how we can continue to grow our programs.
…doesn’t stay at the ACA Conference
Each year, our staff bring the lessons they’ve learned back to Westwind. Leaning on an incredible community of camps across the country, we can network and bring the best ideas back to Westwind. In the past, the ACA Conference has helped us grow our mental health support for campers and staff, provide insights to alternative funding sources during Covid-19 closures, and advance camper safety at our programs. While we have a lot of great ideas here at Westwind, when we can learn from a community of camps, we feel we can truly say we deliver the best camp experience!
Looking forward
For the past several years, Westwind staff have been prominently featured at our local ACA Conference: ACA Cascadia. As well, our Site Manager Brian recently spoke about Westwind’s site-based partnerships at the UMCRM National Camp & Retreat Leaders’ Gathering. Looking forward, we want to continue to share the incredible work that we are doing at Westwind with the wider camp community. Because we believe that it is essential that all children have access to life-changing outdoor education experiences, and we want to be a leader in promoting these opportunities.
