Reigniting the Why: Reflections from the 2026 American Camp Association National Conference

There are conferences you attend. And then there are conferences that re-anchor you.

As the “executive/operator” of two camps for Badgerland Girl Scouts and Principal of Compass of Awareness, I arrived in San Diego wearing two hats: practitioner and strategist. Builder and researcher. Operator and advocate.

I left reminded of something deeper. Camp is not just a program model. It is a character laboratory. A belonging engine. A cultural force.

And this year’s ACA National Conference made that clearer than ever.

Day 1 – Kindred: Girl Scouts, Leadership, and Shared Language

The conference opened with the Kindred session for Girl Scout professionals — a powerful reminder that while we are spread across councils, we share a common backbone.

We explored:

• Servant leadership as a cultural expectation, not a buzzword

• Data-informed practice that protects mission while advancing outcomes

• The evolving national program portfolio

• And perhaps most importantly, how to lead across generations

In a multi-generational workforce — from Gen Z seasonal staff to seasoned camp veterans — understanding communication styles, motivation, and values isn’t optional. It’s operational strategy.

As someone overseeing two camps and a growing portfolio of programs, the question echoed in my mind:

How do we build environments that work for every generation without diluting excellence?

Day 1 set the tone: alignment matters. Shared language matters. And Girl Scouts, when aligned, are formidable.

Day 2 – Place, Risk, and Advocacy

Morning exploration through Coronado, Balboa Park, the USS Midway, and Seaport Village reminded me that environment shapes experience. As someone obsessed with how built and natural spaces influence behavior, San Diego itself felt like a case study.

Then came the opening keynote from Lauren Ridloff.

Her message: Take risks. Fumble forward.

In camp leadership, perfection is a myth. Innovation requires risk tolerance. Growth requires missteps. And sometimes fumbling forward is exactly how we model courage for youth.

Later sessions on advocacy in Washington, D.C., including connecting with the State Department, were especially relevant in my role as Government Relations Chair for Wisconsin’s Local Council of Leaders (LCOL).

Camp is not insulated from policy. Visa regulations, youth protection laws, funding streams — they all shape the experience on the ground.

The Wisconsin gathering and LCOL social that evening reinforced something I deeply believe:

Relationships are infrastructure.

Camp runs on people. Policy moves through people. Change happens through people.

Day 3 – Character Is Emotional Strength + Wisdom

The morning keynote by Angus Fletcher may have been the intellectual highlight of the week.

His definition of character: Character = Emotional Strength + Wisdom

Grit = Emotional Strength

Growth = Wisdom

At camp, we are not just creating resilient youth. We are cultivating emotional strength in community and wisdom through experience.

The research forums reinforced what many of us feel intuitively but crave evidence to support:

• Belonging

• Character

• Culture

• Perspective

As both operator and consultant, this matter. Data allows us to advocate, improve, and defend camp not just as nostalgic tradition — but as measurable impact.

Other sessions that resonated:

• Staff support structures in high-intensity environments

• Camp design as behavioral architecture

• Inclusion and hope for the anxious generation

• Specialty programming research: ecotherapy, adventure education, self-efficacy, and STEM

The day closed with Research Awards Recognition and more networking — conversations that moved beyond surface-level pleasantries into philosophical debates about youth development, identity, and the future of camp.

These weren’t business cards exchanged. They were ideas sharpened

Day 4 – Inclusion, Law, and Strategy

Day 4 felt like the operational core.

The café on research and evaluation affirmed something I’ve been building toward in Badgerland:

Progression models + outcomes tracking = sustainable excellence.

Sessions on:

• Neurodivergent inclusion

• J1 Visa staff within current political climates

• Camp health and youth care screening

• Staff management systems

• Strategic planning

All reinforced the same truth: Camp is getting more complex. And complexity demands intentional design.

The accreditation social that evening was a reminder that standards aren’t bureaucratic hurdles — they are trust-building mechanisms. When parents send us their children, they are entrusting us with what matters most. Standards matter.

Day 5 – Health, Staffing, and Culture

The final research forums centered on medical inclusion, burden of care, attunement, and protecting play as a sacred source of childhood.

The staffing research hit close to home:

• Leisure attitudes

• Burnout

• Leadership scaffolding

If character is emotional strength + wisdom, then staff well-being is the multiplier. We cannot expect transformational youth experiences from depleted adults.

The closing keynote by Marcus Collins brought it full circle: culture.

Culture isn’t what we say. It’s what we reinforce. It’s what we reward. It’s what we tolerate.

Camp shapes culture — both micro and macro.

And then, in true camp fashion, I was “kidnapped” by new friends and ended the conference at SeaWorld — laughter, adrenaline, and conversations that will likely turn into future collaborations.

What This Week Really Did

This was a busy week.

But more than that, it was a week of:

• Reinvigorating my why

• Stress-testing ideas

• Strengthening national networks

• Deepening Wisconsin relationships

• Bridging research and practice

• Remembering that what we do matters

As Sr. Director overseeing two camps and as Principal of Compass of Awareness, my responsibility is not just to maintain — but to evolve. This conference didn’t just give me ideas. It gave me conviction.

Camp builds character. Character shapes culture. Culture shapes the future.

And if that’s true — then this work isn’t seasonal. It’s foundational.

Here’s to building environments that grow emotional strength and wisdom — one camper, one staff member, one conversation at a time.