American Camp Association | Summer camps enrich children's lives!

Camp is just around the corner, and you’ve still got to pack! You might be a pro at packing for camp, but there are always a few things you might forget. That's why The Clorox Company is partnering with the ACA to bring you a simple list of great suggestions for what counselors and staff should make sure is on their packing list this summer. Take a look – it just might save you from leaving something really important off your list!

The Clorox Company

Learn the skills you need to succeed. Camping Magazine is your primary source for the most recent trends in the camp industry,  the latest research in the field of youth development, critical management tools,  and innovative programming ideas. The July/August 2010 issue features articles that address programming, history, 20/20 Toolbox, and more.

Children and youth need a community that:  encourages achievement and builds self-esteem; promotes healthy lifestyles, fitness, and activity; teaches in a classroom without walls; instills appreciation, respect, and responsibility for the natural world around them; and inspires the confidence and courage to become the leaders of tomorrow.

A Voice for Excellence

ACA's Because of Camp…™ outdoor advertising campaign officially launched in early January. Since that time, orders have been arriving daily for billboards, posters, and transit shelters. Several orders have been placed already, and are being shipped to vendors nationwide. Visit ACA's Say It Big Web page to view a map of advertising placements as they are confirmed.

Preserving the rich history of the camp experience is essential for the future. The American Camp Association (ACA) is proud to celebrate our 100th Anniversary in 2010 and the 150th Anniversary of Organized Camping in 2011, and to honor our past with this Web-based tribute.

Celebrate ACA's 100th Anniversary

Find a Camp

Looking for a summer camp? Search over 2,400 ACA-Accredited camps.

Find a Job

Find the perfect summer or year-round camp job. Need Staff? Check Out ACA’s Staff Recruitment Solutions!

Join ACA

Join today and be an integral part of an evolving, versatile, and vibrant organization of people with knowledge to share.


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Student Camp Leadership Academy
Empowering Tomorrow's Camp Professional

General Information logo
Dates for the next SCLA event
Cost
Eligibility
Approval and Scholarship Criteria
Application Process
Information for Students After Approval by their ACA Section
Information for Section Executives and Presidents


group

General Information

The Student Camp Leadership Academy (SCLA) is a weekend retreat that brings together students, camp professionals, national ACA staff and leadership to explore, learn, and understand what the camp professional of the future must be and the leadership opportunities within the ACA structure at the local and National levels to impact the development of youth and others. For more information about the SCLA and its history, please read The Student Camp Leadership Academy: Developing the Next Generation of Camp Professionals.

After successful completion of the SCLA experience, all students will receive an ACA SCLA certificate.circle


Dates for the next SCLA event

The next SCLA will take place Friday, November 6, 2009 starting at 4:00 p.m. and ending on Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. The location is Camp Henry Horner in Ingleside, IL.


Cost

The cost for the entire weekend experience including room and board is $130.00, plus transportation of choice/necessity. For students who use airline transportation, SCLA leaders will arrange transportation to and from Chicago's O'Hare, Chicago's Midway, or Milwaukee’s Mitchell Field airport and SCLA site at no additional charge.

SCLA fees can be paid for by:

  • the student's ACA Section Office via SCLA Scholarship
  • the student's past, current, or future camp
  • the college student
  • the student's university

"I learned a very good staff training tool and discussed some issues with the group that I had always wondered about the camping industry. It was inspirational, educational, and empowering." Ben Cober

Please, note college students wanting to attend SCLA must apply and be approved to participate through their ACA Section Office regardless of where the funding for the students' SCLA fee is coming from (even if the student is paying for himself or herself).


Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Be approved by his or her local ACA Section
  • Be a current student member of the American Camp Association
  • Have an academic and/or professional interest in the camp profession
  • Be in attendance or show proof of registration currently at the college/university level
  • Be employed in the past for at least one summer in a camp setting
  • Be approved by his or her academic advisor


Approval and Scholarship Criteria

All SCLA applicants must be approved by the local ACA Section regardless of who pays the registration fee.

Applicants will be judged on camp experience and involvement both volunteer and paid, related professional experiences, leadership, demonstration of professional involvement and commitment to a career in the camp profession.


Application Process

  1. Complete the form. Include a current resume and a letter of support from a camp professional. Students may use their own word processing program instead of the application form. However, the student is required to present their application in the same format, and approximate spacing as the original application.
  2. Sign the application.
  3. Obtain academic adviser signature on application and submit official university transcript with application.
  4. Applications should be postmarked by October 2, 2009 and mailed or e-mailed as a .pdf document to your Section Executive at your ACA local office. Find the address for your ACA local office.
  5. Applications will be reviewed by your local ACA Section office (Note: Many Sections use their Education and/or Scholarship Committees as a review panel for applicant screening).  Some students will receive a scholarship from their Sections. However, some students may be approved to attend SCLA, but not awarded a scholarship. Other students may not be approved by their local ACA Section office. 
  6. ACA Section Executives will e-mail the names and contact information of approved students and scholarship award winners to Gordie Kaplan, Section Executive, ACA, Illinois at gordie@ACAil.org. If you receive a scholarship, ACA, Illinois will send an invoice to your ACA Section and all financial transactions for your registration fee will be handled between ACA Sections. However, if the student is only approved to attend SCLA, but not awarded a scholarship, ACA, Illinois will send the student an invoice for his or her SCLA registration fee.
  7. ACA, Illinois will send all approved and "scholarshipped" SCLA applicants a welcome packet by U.S. mail or e-mail. The Welcome Packet will include a signed congratulatory letter, an event schedule, and driving directions to the SCLA site, as well as an invoice for your registration fee if you have not been awarded a scholarship.
  8. Once a student receives his or her welcome packet from SCLA, students should then review the information below regarding logistics for the event (see next section: "Information for Students After Approval by their ACA Section").


Information for Students After Approval by their ACA Section

Transportation
Students are responsible for arranging their transportation to and from SCLA.

If a student receives a scholarship to attend SCLA, it typically only covers the $130 registration fee. It does not cover travel expenses. Students may choose to drive or fly to SCLA. 

If students plan to fly to SCLA, students will need to fly into Chicago O'Hare, Chicago Midway, or Milwaukee’s Mitchell Field airport. Students should plan to arrive at the airport no later than 1:00 PM on Friday of the SCLA weekend and plan to depart no earlier than 5:00 PM on Sunday. If students cannot find a flight within these parameters, please try to stay as close to them as possible.  SCLA leaders will work with whatever students must do in terms of flights.

If flying to SCLA, please communicate flight plans to Gordie Kaplan (gordie@acail.org or 312-332-0833 x22) as soon as possible. Gordie will need to know the following information for your arrival and departure flights:

  • Airport arriving at and departing from
  • Airline name(s)
  • Flight numbers
  • Departure city
  • Scheduled departure time(s)
  • Scheduled arrival time(s)
"The three-day leadership training adds to their resume, improves their career opportunities, and offers fellowship with others who have found a passion to do a job they truly enjoy." Janice Rinaldo

SCLA leaders will arrange your transportation to and from the airport and camp and will inform you as to who will meet you at the airport.

What To Bring

  • A GREAT attitude!
  • Your resume and professional portfolio (if you have one)
  • Notebook and pen
  • Appropriate clothes (i.e., camp casual and comfortable) and rain gear for November weather in the northern Illinois area. For up-to-date weather information, please visit: http://www.weather.com/weather/weekend/60041?from=hrly_topnav_undeclared
  • Sleeping bag or bedding/linens and pillow (You will be sleeping in a cabin.)
  • Hiking shoes
  • Personal items (i.e., towel, wash cloth, soap, shower things, etc.)
  • Anything else you need to be comfortable
  • Bring a University T-shirt and/or hoodie for a group photo.


Information for Section Executives and Presidents

The purpose of this section of the SCLA web site is to better inform Section Executives and Presidents on what to do and how to proceed with processing SCLA applications.

The group that started this program and have conducted it since 2005 includes representatives of ACA Great Rivers, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, St. Louis, and Wisconsin. We hope that eventually other ACA Sections will offer an SCLA in other locations around the country, so that students can attend for the lowest transportation expense possible. Until additional SCLA's are available, the SCLA held in northern Illinois will continue to be open to any seriously interested student from anywhere around the United States as space permits.

The SCLA Planning Committee also welcomes participation of one or more section leadership representatives from other ACA Sections considering offering an SCLA in their part of the country or who has or has had a student attend SCLA from their section.

The SCLA Planning Committee needs the help of Section offices to ensure a smooth applicant approval process. As you noticed from the information presented above, all SCLA applications will be sent to the students' local ACA section office by 10/2/09.

SCLA usually takes place the 1st weekend in November, which makes the application deadline usually the first Friday in October. Please, familiarize yourself with the "Application Process" presented above. You will notice that SCLA applications will be submitted to the Section Executive by U.S. mail or by a single .pdf file. Then, the Sections must review the applicants and approve or not approve the applicants.

The SCLA Planning Committee wants a student's Section staff member, volunteer leader, or Education and/or Scholarship Committee to review each application to try to ascertain if a student is seriously interested in the purpose of the SCLA and that the student is emotionally mature (i.e., being able to participate by supporting the learning experience of others, learn from others, and function as a part of the group without taking an inordinate amount of the group's attention to meet their own personal needs). The student application deadline is a guideline, NOT an absolute deadline. Our goal is to enable up to 25 students nationally to attend SCLA.

In regard to an approval process, many Sections use their Education and/or Scholarship Committees as a review panel for applicant screening. Some students will receive a scholarship from their Sections. However, some students may be approved to attend SCLA, but not awarded a scholarship. Participating ACA Sections tend to offer between 1 and 5 SCLA Scholarships each year. Some ACA sections give $130 scholarships to cover the SCLA registration fee, while other ACA Sections provide $130 scholarship(s) plus the cost of transportation.

After your Section completes the applicant review process, ACA Section Executives will e-mail the names and contact information of approved students and scholarship award winners to Gordie Kaplan, Section Executive, ACA, Illinois at gordie@ACAil.org. ACA, Illinois will then send all approved and "scholarshipped" SCLA applicants a welcome packet by U.S. mail or e-mail. If your Section does not approve an applicant, it is the Section Executive's responsibility to inform that student in writing by letter or by e-mail.

If your Section awards scholarship(s) to one or more students, ACA, Illinois will send an invoice to your ACA Section for reimbursement. Students who are approved to attend SCLA, but not awarded a scholarship will receive an invoice for their SCLA registration fee. Please, be clear when e-mailing Gordie in regard to which of the students from your Section have been approved with a scholarship from your Section, and which students have been approved and not awarded a scholarship from your Section.

If you have any questions regarding SCLA (i.e., approval, finances, logistics, invoices, etc.), please contact:

Gordie Kaplan
Executive Director
American Camp Association, Illinois
67 E Madison St Ste 1406
Chicago, IL 60603-3014
Phone (312) 332-0833 Ext 22
Cell Phone (312) 835-9692
FAX (312) 332-4011

E-mail: gordie@ACAil.org.

If you have any suggestions regarding the content of this SCLA web site, please contact Dr. Nathan A. Schaumleffel at nathan.schaumleffel@indstate.edu or 812-237-2189.  Our goal is to make the SCLA student recruitment and screening process as smooth as possible.

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American Camp Association | Summer camps enrich children's lives!

Camp is just around the corner, and you’ve still got to pack! You might be a pro at packing for camp, but there are always a few things you might forget. That's why The Clorox Company is partnering with the ACA to bring you a simple list of great suggestions for what counselors and staff should make sure is on their packing list this summer. Take a look – it just might save you from leaving something really important off your list!

The Clorox Company

Learn the skills you need to succeed. Camping Magazine is your primary source for the most recent trends in the camp industry,  the latest research in the field of youth development, critical management tools,  and innovative programming ideas. The July/August 2010 issue features articles that address programming, history, 20/20 Toolbox, and more.

Children and youth need a community that:  encourages achievement and builds self-esteem; promotes healthy lifestyles, fitness, and activity; teaches in a classroom without walls; instills appreciation, respect, and responsibility for the natural world around them; and inspires the confidence and courage to become the leaders of tomorrow.

A Voice for Excellence

ACA's Because of Camp…™ outdoor advertising campaign officially launched in early January. Since that time, orders have been arriving daily for billboards, posters, and transit shelters. Several orders have been placed already, and are being shipped to vendors nationwide. Visit ACA's Say It Big Web page to view a map of advertising placements as they are confirmed.

Preserving the rich history of the camp experience is essential for the future. The American Camp Association (ACA) is proud to celebrate our 100th Anniversary in 2010 and the 150th Anniversary of Organized Camping in 2011, and to honor our past with this Web-based tribute.

Celebrate ACA's 100th Anniversary

Find a Camp

Looking for a summer camp? Search over 2,400 ACA-Accredited camps.

Find a Job

Find the perfect summer or year-round camp job. Need Staff? Check Out ACA’s Staff Recruitment Solutions!

Join ACA

Join today and be an integral part of an evolving, versatile, and vibrant organization of people with knowledge to share.