We’ve got some exciting news to share! As all of you know, our entire Kenwood & Evergreen leadership team is committed to doing everything that we can to provide children with life-changing experiences each summer. While we are proud of the work that we do, we are committed to a process of continuous improvement and learning. We have found that we gain the most when we are engaged with other youth development professionals in conversation and learning. This takes place both formally and informally, but most often at events sponsored by the American Camp Association. This wonderful organization accredits over 2000 camp programs across the nation, promulgates best practices across our industry, and serves as the voice of our profession.

Scott has served as an ACA volunteer for 15 years, initially at a local and regional level, and for 8 years now, at a national level. He has just been re-elected to serve a second term as ACA Vice-President, with special responsibility for moving ACA toward its “20/20 Vision”--doubling the number of children that have the opportunity to participate in a Camp experience by the year 2020.

Scott’s primary responsibilities for ACA involve work on its public policy and public relations initiatives. Scott travels to Washington DC on a regular basis for ACA, and is working with Congress and the Obama Administration to help position the Camp experience as an important part of a child’s education. We all know how much our children learn each summer at Camp, and Scott is doing his best to make certain that the social and emotional growth that occurs at Camp, as well as the experiential education that children receive there is part of the emerging dialogue about education reform. Scott is helping to draft the first piece of legislation in support of Camp/School partnerships, so that Camps can partner with local school districts by offering on-site and off-site programs that promote environmental understanding and stewardship, leadership development for children, a more cohesive classroom community, as well as programs that prevent the “summer learning loss” that is so common among at-risk youth.