Upcoming Events & Trainings
TRAINING OVERVIEW
This training will inform folks who work within the DFI Title XX Camping Services Program how to complete and fulfill the funding requirements. During the training participants will learn about:
Requirements, rules, and legalities of the DFI Title XX funding,
Application process, including required documentation,
Allocation of funds and financial information regarding the funding for camps,
Billing paperwork and registration documents required for campers/clients,
Outcomes and Camper Development requirements, and
Overall timeline for the funding year, including critical deadlines and due dates.
WHO IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THIS TRAINING?
Each agency’s main contact must have completed this training within the last 5 years, OR
In the case of a new employee/main contact, they must complete this training within 60 days.
ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUALS INVITED TO ATTEND THIS TRAINING?
Additional employees or volunteers who work with the funding process are invited and encouraged to attend this training, including:
Registrars and Office Managers will process the registration documents;
Financial Directors, Fund Development Directors, and others who work with grants and funding sources;
CEO/ED, COO, and other leaders who would like to better understand how the process works, including the financial and legal aspects of funding;
Program Directors, Camp Directors, and other leaders who will be completing and responsible for the Camper Reports and Outcome Surveys; and
Other folks who are interested in learning more to assist in the document collection and preparations.
LOCATION & TYPE OF WORKSHOP
These workshops are live, virtual events and will utilize the Zoom Meeting platform and requires a computer to access. ACA Illinois will not record these events. This training is 60 minutes in length and completed with the agency and our Manager of Family Services at a time that is convenient for them.
WHAT TO BRING TO WEBINAR & HOW TO PREPARE
This training includes visuals and interactions that require the person(s) in attendance to be logged on and able to participate. Each person should be prepared to have their camera on, access to audio (including the ability to speak and hear,) and interact within the Zoom room via a computer. Bring a notebook/paper and pen for activities.
To schedule your training, please email registration@acail.org or by calling 312-332-0833 x4.
WHAT IS THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS BOARD?
The Young Professionals Board (YPB) is a volunteer community group of camp pros 35 and under who work together to develop opportunities for growth and leadership within the camp world.
Members of this group have the chance to develop their executive leadership and governance (board) skills, build a stronger network, and provide critical feedback to the ACA Illinois Board of Directors and staff on the needs of emerging professionals. In addition to leadership development, the YPB also plans events and opportunities for the emerging professional!
WHO CAN JOIN THE ACA ILLINOIS YOUNG PROFESSIONALS BOARD?
Any person who meets the following criteria is invited to attend meetings, join the board, and volunteer with this group:
Membership with ACA or ACA Illinois is not required. You don’t have to be from Illinois to join.
WHAT'S THE TIME COMMITMENT? WHEN AND HOW DOES THE GROUP MEET?
The YPB meets monthly to network, plan events, participate in career development training, and more! The monthly meetings are held on Zoom for one hour. It is not required to attend every meeting - so please come when you can!
WHY JOIN THE ACA ILLINOIS YOUNG PROFESSIONALS BOARD?
It will help your career advancement! Moving up in your career requires skill-building and the YPB is designed to work alongside the ACA Illinois Board of Directors so that members can develop governance and executive-level skills. Additionally, members have access to a stronger network that can enhance their future opportunities for career growth.
Joining will help the camp community! The YPB is seen as the expert on the needs of emerging professionals and the ACA Illinois Board of Directors seeks their engagement and input in the Association’s goals and objectives, to better serve the community. ACA Illinois is a volunteer-driven, grassroots organization that requires the voices of many! This is your chance to give back and lift up your ideas!
LOCATION & TYPE OF EVENT
These workshops are live, virtual events and will utilize the Zoom Meeting platform.
Please Note: ACA Illinois will not record these events.
THE FINE PRINT
This event and workshop series must be paid for at the time of registration. If you would like to pay by invoice and/or check, please contact registration@acail.org before registering.
This is a per-person fee event. This event requires camera, computer, and audio access for the participants as it’s designed to be interactive. Any user that has additional persons in attendance that are not registered will be automatically removed from the event without a refund.
Please Note: By registering and attending an ACA Illinois event or meeting, virtually or in person you are agreeing to all the event policies listed here. These policies include photo release, refund, link sharing, Code of Conduct, and other relative policies.
HOW TO REGISTER
You must have a Member Profile in our registration system to register for this event. If this is your first event with us, please click here to create a profile. It's free!
GROUP OVERVIEW
Work is hard. Life is hard. The world is hard. And sometimes, you just need to be in a space with others that get it.
Gather in community with women and nonbinary folks from around the world! Through organic conversations and networking this Women in Camp Digital Pop-Up Group will focus on:
Being a brave and safe space for women and nonbinary camp pros to gather,
Allowing space for folks to practice authenticity,
Creating an environment where folks can bring their successes, challenges, concerns, and questions to share and get feedback and/or support, and
Discussing current and trending topics that are lifted up by the folks in the room, i.e. We will discuss what you want to discuss.
Join us for one, a few, or all of the sessions, and remember: it's ok if you can’t make every session! Come and be part of a community of folks ready to support you and build you up.
This Pop-Up Group is specifically designed to cross borders and be on a digital platform to help make it more accessible.
Please Note: Membership is never required.
This session is a live, virtual events and will utilize the Zoom Meeting platform.
Please Note: ACA Illinois will not record this event.
This is an interactive training course. Each person should be prepared to have their camera on, access to audio (including the ability to speak and hear,) and interact within the Zoom room via a computer. Bring a notebook/paper and pen for activities.
SEMINAR OVERVIEW
Plan your most awesome staff training! You know you’re going to spend hours on designing this year’s camp training—let us help you do it faster, with less stress, and turbocharge its quality with the expert guidance of a world-renowned master trainer.
Give yourself a huge helping “hand” with Michael’s Five Fingers of Fantastic training, including a unique, step-by-step checklist for successfully building the precise essential elements of terrific training
Use terrific, precise and practical methods to greet staff, begin training to focus on mission and motivation, set expectations, and build a community of positive relationships—all while modeling how staff can use this to do the same with their campers
Grab attention & motivate full participation—even from returning staff who “have heard it all”
Maximize learning with Michael’s creative, highly acclaimed teaching techniques that get people involved instead of listening to “lectures”
Boost professionalism and responsibility, even in young staff for whom this may be a first job—and teach the core skills all staff need for success
Learn outstanding, original activities you won’t find elsewhere to boost your training effectiveness
A total of 6 hours of time-saving, quality-boosting methods and materials taught in Michael’s trademark “use-it-immediately,” fun, and highly energetic teaching style.
PARTICIPANT REVIEWS
This live webinar received rave reviews from coast to coast in 2022—attended by multiple people from 30 different U.S. states and Canada!
“An absolute must-do.”
“This training was simply AMAZING! It helps make the planning process of staff training so simple yet ensures staff training will be engaging for new and returning staff!”
“Exciting, engaging, meaningful, well-planned, exceptional execution: a MUST-DO for anyone involved in training people for anything.”
“This was a fun and exciting event that provided a ton of easy to use and relevant information for making your staff training both informational and engaging.”
“An incredibly practical expert approach to planning the most effective staff training for your camp.”
“Extremely helpful! I can't wait to use these techniques to revamp my training.”
“Practical, feasible! This approach was exactly what every Director needs to wrap their head around staff training goals and execution.”
“I don’t even have the words for how helpful, inspirational, and reassuring this event was.”
“Michael is an incredible presenter.”
“A practical step-by-step approach to staff training that gives you the blueprint for your best staff training ever.”
FACILITATOR BIOGRAPHY
Michael Brandwein is one of the most famous names in camp. He is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning staff and Leadership Team trainer who has presented in all 50 states, on 6 continents, and served on the national board of the American Camp Association. He is the number one bestselling author of staff training and leadership books in the camp field, including Training Terrific Staff (Vols. 1 & 2), Skill of the Day: What Great Leaders of Young People Do & Say, Learning Leadership (CIT/LIT), Super Staff SuperVision, and Growing Great Qualities in Kids: The L.A.S.E.R.B.E.A.M. Technique for Bringing Out the Best in Young People.. (www.michaelbrandwein.com/store) He does both in-person and online training for camps.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This program is ideal for anyone who prepares, plans, or presents part or all of their staff training.
WHY ATTEND
How will your camp benefit from you attending this program?
Camp leaders spend many dozens of hours preparing for training. How much are those hours worth to you? You will save valuable time from this webinar because you’ll get “ready-to-go,” highly acclaimed, original activities and techniques that you can plug into your existing training or use in developing new training. Even more importantly, this content will dramatically increase the effectiveness of your training, which motivates staff, establishes an environment of professionalism and responsibility, and prepares them for success.
How does your career benefit from you attending this program?
One of the most important roles at camp is setting up and presenting the training. When you can do so as an expert, using outstanding techniques and materials that make your training fresh, exciting, and highly effective, you will be—to be blunt—one of the superstars of your camp team. You’ll have a terrific toolbox for professional success now and in the future.
This event is a live, virtual event and will utilize the Zoom Meeting platform. ACA Illinois will not record this event.
This is an interactive training course. Each person should be prepared to have their camera on, access to audio (including ability to speak and hear,) and interact within the Zoom room via a computer. Bring a notebook/paper and pen for activities.
There will be a short break for lunch during the event.
You must pay for this event at time of registration. If you would like to pay by invoice/check, please contact registration@acail.org prior to registering.
By registering and attending an ACA Illinois event or meeting, virtually or in-person you are agreeing to all the event policies listed here. These policies include the photo release, refund, link sharing, Code of Conduct, and other relative policies.
Please Note: This is a per person fee event. This event requires camera, computer, and audio access for the participants as it’s designed to be interactive. Any user that has additional persons in attendance that are not registered will be automatically removed from the event without refund.
You must have a Member Profile to register for this event. If this is your first event with us, please click here to create a profile. It's free!
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
Your LinkedIn outreach to camp directors isn’t working. The numbers show it. You write posts. You send connection requests. You craft messages. Nothing happens.
This 45-minute session gives you a new approach. Learn the exact 15-minute daily routine that builds real camp director relationships. Get a step-by-step plan for meaningful LinkedIn interactions. See how top summer camp vendors use group discussions, video posts & other tools to attract directors’ attention.
Walk out with a clear action plan to start real conversations - no cold messages needed.
WORKSHOP DETAILS
ACA Illinois and Travis Allison from Go Camp Pro invite you to spend an hour with us discussing proven strategies for reaching the Camp Pros you need without frustrating them. Learn how to use AI-powered content creation, personalized email campaigns, and social media analytics to consistently deliver value, showcase your expertise, and foster genuine connections that lead to long-term business relationships and increased sales in the competitive summer camp market.
This meeting will include 45 minutes of practical, proven sales advice from Travis and 15 minutes for you to share your own "this worked for me" ideas and ask any questions.
Please Note: This event is in Central Standard Time (CST).
This session is a live, virtual event and will utilize the Zoom Meeting platform.
Please Note: ACA Illinois will be recording this call and sending the video to anyone who pre-registers.
WORKSHOP AUDIENCE
This workshop is geared towards vendors, business associates, and individuals who provide services and resources to camps and camp directors.
The ACA Illinois Book Club is celebrating 5 years!
Have you participated in a Book Club in the past? If yes, bring your lunch to this special reunion featuring folks from all our various groups from over the last five years!
Connect with other camp and youth development professionals during this intentional resource-sharing networking event.
We encourage folks to bring their favorite book, podcast, article, or other resources that have been helpful to them in their camp/youth development journey.
This event is free and open to all folks. Membership to ACA Illinois and Illinois residency is never required.
Haven’t made it to a previous book club but are interested in learning more? We welcome you to attend this reunion!
In this 60-minute webinar, the TQAMP (tee-kamp) team will share with parents and caregivers practical guidance on navigating the nuanced experience of trans* campers in a way that maximizes their chance of accessing the true joy of camp!
TQAMP is an industry-leading organization supporting camps to become spaces of belonging for 2SLGBTQIA+ campers and staff. In doing work with camps across the country we have noticed that there is a need to prepare trans* campers to self-advocate, prepare emotionally, and be empowered to ask for safe accommodation. Additionally- we have noticed that a lot of campers and parents have questions regarding how to address their unique medical needs with the camp’s healthcare team.
This is a free event, open to the community. Donations are appreciated as both the American Camp Association, Illinois and TQAMP are 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations. All donations will be split 50/50 between the two organizations and will help us underwrite the cost of this event. Feeling generous and want to support more programs like this? Donations of any size are accepted at acail.org/donate
FACILITATOR BIOGRAPHIES
Chris Rehs-Dupin (he/him) is the Founder of Transplaining for Camps, and Co-Founder and Co-ED of TQAMP. In the past 4 years Chris has become one of the most established subject matter experts in the area of 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion at camp. He brings 21 years of camp experience, and has trained thousands of leaders to support campers of all genders and sexualities- with compassion and joy. Chris loves gardening, women’s basketball, and dance parties with his wife, Amy and their 2 children, Hayden and Milo.
Kimberly Herrmann, DO (she/her) joined Whitman-Walker Health as an Internal Medicine-Pediatrics primary care physician in 2019 with a focus on adult/pediatric gender-affirming care and HIV care. Prior to a career in medicine, Kimberly found her passion for residential camps working and volunteering at several medical camps within the SeriousFun Children’s Network and was a camper throughout her childhood in the Girl Scouts. Kimberly began her career in medicine in 2008 as a clinical case manager at Boston HealthCare for the Homeless Transgender Clinic. Kimberly then attended medical school at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, and then residency at Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University for training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics; followed by a Chief Residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Kimberly lives with her wife in Washington DC and enjoys exploring the outdoors and following her wanderlust.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Join the ACA Illinois Visitor Crew and experience the #1 volunteer role in the field of summer camp! As an Accreditation Volunteer with ACA, you’ll have the opportunity to serve as a peer reviewer in the Annual Accreditation Report, Written Documentation, and onsite Visit process. Along with another Visitor, you’ll see behind the scenes of other camps, grow your professional network, gain new ideas, and provide unparalleled service & support to the community. It's a win-win-win-win!
Additionally, folks who serve as Accreditation Volunteers for ACA Illinois (known as the ACA Illinois Visitor Crew) will have access to exclusive programs, discounted professional development, and so much more! (limited edition exclusive swag!)
SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT THIS COURSE
This course date is hosted by the national office and will include folks from all over the country. You should apply/register directly here.
Not quite sure if you are ready and want to know more? Check out one of our Becoming A Visitor sessions!
ABOUT THE COURSE
About 4-6 weeks before the course date, you will receive a copy of the Accreditation Process Guide and access to the pre-work through our online learning systems. Trainees will need to complete the online pre-work no later than 1 week before the date of the training. You must attend all portions of the course in order to pass.
HOW TO APPLY/REGISTER
Complete this application. Within 7 days of your application, you will receive confirmation of enrollment into the date of your choice.
This is a free course.
REQUIREMENTS TO ME TO BE TRAINED
Must be a current member of the American Camp Association with a member number.
Must be 21 years of age or older.
QUESTIONS
ACA Illinois Volunteers, Members, & Visitors can contact Kyla at kyla@acail.org.
All other Accreditation Volunteers & Visitors should contact accreditation@acail.org.
EVENT OVERVIEW
In celebration of the Young Professionals Board’s annual pizza fundraiser, jump into the Zoom room for the 2nd annual Pizza Party!
Grab your Little Caesars Make-At-Home Kit or exchange your code and join us for an online community dinner! Complete with trivia, fun, prizes, and more, this all-ages event is open to everyone, regardless of membership.*
Gluten-free crust options are available in the Make-At-Home Kits!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Order your Make-At-Home Kit early to receive your order in the mail by 4/8/25 OR purchase a bundle code to use in the Little Caesars app for pick up on 4/22/25.
*Purchase of pizza is not required to attend.
Free for all but each person must be registered.
*Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Each year, camp professionals, volunteers, and community members gather to celebrate all the great work of our Association before heading into summer! This community event is the perfect place to connect with others and eat an amazing meal!
EVENT DETAILS
During this event, we celebrate:
Our Award Honorees and their guests;
Our Volunteers, including the Visitor Crew;
Newly and reaccredited camps in ACA Illinois; and
Recognize our members!
With plenty of raffles, fun, and swag - this is the party you don’t want to miss!
Plus, did we mention, eating a fantastic meal? This 4 course, family-style feast (complete with dessert) will be divine! (Gluten Free, Vegetarians, Vegans, and Food Allergies can be accommodated.)
Financial assistance is available. Membership is not required to attend.
ACA Illinois Volunteers and Visitors Attend for Free! As our way to thank you for your time and all the gifts you share with us, we invite you to join our celebration at no cost. Simply email registration@acail.org to register at this rate.
Join others for this special, FREE event for active ACA Illinois onsite visitors. Let us say thank you for giving your time and talents by inviting you to this exclusive and free event just for Visitors who serve ACA Illinois camps!
Each active Visitor can register up to 3 people from their camp to attend.
Click here for how to register.
Jump into a day with the popular and well respected Kim Aycock for a day of training and camp leadership resources. This day will be perfect for both camp professionals and seasonal leadership team members. Come yourself and bring two people OR giveaway three spots to your up and coming leadership team members as an incentive! It's up to the Visitor!**
Lunch is provided.
Not a Visitor yet but want access? Click here!
Kim Aycock, Kimspiration, LLC
Kim Aycock, MST, has several decades of experience equipping young people with skills robots are unable to do. While blending the talents of a master teacher with the knowledge of a seasoned camp expert, Kim ignites learning for varying levels of camp pros worldwide through her interactive and innovative presentations. Kim speaks at regional and national conferences, contributes regularly to Camping Magazine and ACA blogs, and serves as co-chair of ACA’s Staff Recruitment & Retention Committee and Staffing Summit. She can be reached through her website kimaycock.com.
EVENT COST
Cost: FREE for active 2025 onsite Visitors for ACA Illinois and their guests.* ($199 value)
SCHEDULE
10AM - 12PM: The REAL Staff Training is After the Training
12PM - 1PM: Lunch
1PM - 3PM: Create Co-Counselor Cohesiveness Through Early and Frequent Communication and Collaboration
SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
SESSION 1: The REAL Staff Training is After the Training
It is (insert month). Summer is knocking on the door and gets louder with each passing day. Staff training is on your mind (as it should be!). How about what comes AFTER staff training? The ongoing training that connects the dots to what was mostly theory before campers arrived. The fabricated role plays during orientation are now real scenarios (and don’t always have simple solutions or happy endings). This is the next level of training we intend to get to but rarely do. This is precisely the training all staff need and crave. It is the stuff staff retention is made of!
Join me to map out what these future mid-summer training sessions can look like and ease the pressure heading into the camp season! We will build templates that give staff time to:
SESSION 2: Create Co-Counselor Cohesiveness Through Early and Frequent Communication and Collaboration
It goes without saying, the co-counselor relationship is CRUCIAL to staff retention and the overall experience of the camper group. Yet, in many situations, staff are thrown together with their co-counselor/s and expected to co-parent a “family” of similar age kids before they are “married,” let alone have “dated.” Pain points with staff often come from discord between these contrived partnerships and can impact the entire camp community.
Intentionally create co-counselor cohesiveness by establishing lines of communication and collaboration BEFORE the campers arrive. Give your staff a framework to navigate issues that can potentially lead to division or a bad “break-up” if left unexplored (including regular check-ins and strategies to reset as needed). This proactive and positive approach will be the difference between make-it or break-it staff relationships (and an overall more peaceful camp community)!
REGISTERATION INFORMATION
Each active onsite Visitor for ACA Illinois can register up to 3 people from their organization to attend. This can be themselves plus two others, or three others and they themselves do not attend. It’s up to the Visitor.***
For this event, an active onsite Visitor is someone who is signed up to be an onsite Visitor for summer 2025 for ACA Illinois.
Not a Visitor but want access?
It’s not too late to become a Visitor for ACA Illinois. Click here to register for an upcoming training course. Visitors must be trained and committed by March 15, 2025 to qualify.
*Visitors are permitted to register up to 3 individuals to attend.
**Yes, this is a FREE event!
*** The Visitor must register their guests.
TO REGISTER
To Register, the Visitor must email registration@acail.org with the following information:
Name
Role
Email
Special Dietary Needs
Attending Morning, Afternoon, or Both Sessions
Deadline to register is Friday, April 25,2025. Onsite or late registrations will not be accepted.
EVENT LOCATION
This live event will take place in-person. Location TBD.
Get your directors, site directors, team leaders, supervisors, and other members of your Leadership Team—new or experienced—trained in one dynamic online seminar! (And it’s also invaluable for those who train the Team.)
Superb training of your Leadership Team is one of the best investments you ever make in camp success. This is the acclaimed, skill-packed, one-of-a-kind training that receives rave reviews and is presented by the award-winning, internationally famous author of the number one national best-selling book that’s considered the “must have” source on the subject, Super Staff SuperVision.
SEMINAR DETAILS
Leadership Team members learn what to say and do every day to be one of the very best leaders at camp, including:
Fast paced, interactive, and highly effective: A total of 5.75 hours taught in Michael’s trademark “use-it-immediately,” fun, and highly energetic teaching style.
SEMINAR REVIEWS
Michael Brandwein is one of the most famous names in camp. He is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning staff and Leadership Team trainer who has presented in all 50 states, on 6 continents, and served on the national board of the American Camp Association. He is the number one bestselling author of staff training and leadership books in the camp field, including Training Terrific Staff (Vols. 1 & 2), Skill of the Day: What Great Leaders of Young People Do & Say, Learning Leadership (CIT/LIT), Super Staff SuperVision, and Growing Great Qualities in Kids: The L.A.S.E.R.B.E.A.M. Technique for Bringing Out the Best in Young People. (www.michaelbrandwein.com/store) He does both in-person and online training for camps.
This program is ideal for anyone who leads staff themselves, or who trains members of the Leadership Team on how to supervise others. It will be great for both new and experienced people.
This course was developed to meet the needs of camp directors and owners who were looking for a place to send Leadership Team members so that they will get and practice the skills necessary for supervision success. A lot of new Leadership Team members get promoted from front-line positions but may not have much if any experience in leading peers and others. Experienced Leadership Team members need fresh, advanced skills to keep them motivated and challenged in positive ways. To train all of these people, you require an excellent curriculum of the skills they’ll need and effective ways to teach them in an effective, motivating, and highly engaging way. This course provides that.
If you’re a director, it gives you a way to support the most important people at camp. The Leadership Team is the engine that drives camp to success. If you’re a member of the Leadership Team, you’ll get specific, practical tools and techniques you can use every day to be one of the stars of your camp and bring out the best in everyone. And these methods will qualify you throughout your life as you develop positive working relationships as a leader and manager of others.
This is a per person fee event. This event requires camera, computer, and audio access for the participants as it’s designed to be interactive. Any user that has additional persons in attendance that are not registered will be automatically removed from the event without refund.
Mailing Address:
American Camp Association, Illinois I PO Box 5412, Evanston, IL 60204
American Camp Association, Illinois
5 S Wabash Ave
Suite 1406
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: 312-332-0833
Email: info@acail.org
Website: acail.org
