"Leadership Essentials" – Online Education for Summer Camp Staff
Video training modules streaming over the Internet may be the future of how summer camp staff are educated about working with today’s campers. The launch of “Leadership Essentials” means that camp directors can begin training staff as soon as they are hired, from anywhere in the world – writes Stephen Winbaum about the launch of Dr. Christopher Thurber’s online education website.

Youth Development at Summer Camp
The development of strong social skills, confidence among peers and independence flourish in the camp setting. Living and working together with your peers, achieving personal goals and sharing responsibilities can transform a shy and cautious child into a positive and self-assured one, often within a very short time – writes Camp Scholar, Stephen Fine.

Building a Culture of Trust
We know all about the landing pad. It's what we do for a living: create positive communities with safety nets where kids can learn to navigate on their own. That means that their parents have to learn not to hover, so I started to think that is just as important a job for us – writes Marla Coleman, former president of the American Camp Association.

Summer Camp Character is Destiny
Character is destiny proclaims the old adage. Character is hard-won, and accomplished through decision making and sacrifice. Excellent character leads to an excellent future – writes Stephen Winbaum, Communications Coordinator of MySummerCamps.com.

ACA Upstate New York Camp Conference
January 31 to February 2, 2008 – "There’s No Place Like Camp” – Networking, professional growth, and fun all under one roof! Nationally known speakers, ACA instructors and trainers, and the opportunity to share with your peers. Featuring Bob Ditter and Peg Smith.

British Columbia Camping Conference - 2008
Monday, February 4 to Thursday, February 7. The only province-wide conference in B.C. for camping professionals in 2008. About 125 participants representing approximately 50 Camps and Conference Centres from B.C. are expected – Stillwood Camp & Conference Centre, in Cultus Lake, close to Chilliwack, BC.

ACA 2008 National Conference
February 12-15 – "The Strength of Many Voices" – Nashville, TN – Gaylord Opryland Hotel – Join a nationwide network of camp professionals and others furthering child and youth development. Bring valuable insights back to your camp. Special Seminar by MySummerCamps.com President Evan Heltay on Online Marketing for Summer Camps.

Professional day camp and resident camp directors all face the same challenge: How can you train the new season’s staff in just a few short days? Poorly trained staff are a liability, but expertly trained staff will become your camp’s biggest asset.

To meet your training needs, CampSpirit is proud to offer Leadership Essentials, a brand-new, premium library of online video training modules, written and hosted by Dr. Christopher Thurber and friends. Each module teaches critical leadership skills that every camp counselor needs to effectively deal with the social, behavioral, and disciplinary situations that arise at all summer camps.

Kids Play On and On Online
Disney and other entertainment companies have realized that the new kids’ generation starts its media search on the internet and finds other sources – TV, movies, and amusement parks – later . . . writes Stephen Winbaum from MySummerCamps.com.