A message from the president.After being questioned repeatedly about why one needs an organization for owners of recreational vehicles and after receiving continuous e-mail (as president of the American Camping Association) from those looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. replacement parts, it was hardly surprising to learn from our opinion research that the word "camping" is confusing con·fuse v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es v.tr. 1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off. b. to the public! This opinion research, the underpinning un·der·pin·ning n. 1. Material or masonry used to support a structure, such as a wall. 2. A support or foundation. Often used in the plural. 3. Informal The human legs. Often used in the plural. of our CAMPaign to Honor our Past and Assure our Future, is not only valuable but also serves as confirmation of the frustration that each of us feels when we are interviewed about our profession. After all, we are focused on access and awareness, as our CAMPaign takes us to the next frontier: * To ensure information will be easy to find and user-friendly to campers, parents, and camp professionals. * To make sure our messages and image about the camp experience are relevant, recognizable, and easy to understand. * To advance the awareness of the camp experience through the use of dynamic technology. * To make more visible an online camp community destination for all those interested in the camp experience and to integrate the national Web presence with sections. In honoring our past, it is important to remember that there were no RV parks when ACA ACA - Application Control Architecture was founded in 1910! CampING was the verb verb, part of speech typically used to indicate an action. English verbs are inflected for person, number, tense and partially for mood; compound verbs formed with auxiliaries (e.g., be, can, have, do, will) provide a distinction of voice. , the action of what the organized camp experience truly was about! American Camping Association. It made perfect sense. In assuring our future, we must re-evaluate and clarify who we are and what we do as we approach 2010. After reading the opinion research, I quickly sat down at my computer and accessed Yahoo.com; after all, it is our goal for ACA to be the leading online destination for all those interested in a camp experience. After wading through sites on RV insurance, a guide to camping advice, outdoor destinations, campground reviews, recipes, and more, I did indeed find the American Camping Association. Don't get me wrong. We're listed in all the right search engines, and we've worked hard to get there. The confusion arises, perhaps, because of the word "camping" -- we are interfiled among lanterns and tents and not immediately acknowledged as a significant contributor to human development. If indeed we want to ensure that people of all ages are able to benefit from the lifelong learning Lifelong learning is the concept that "It's never too soon or too late for learning", a philosophy that has taken root in a whole host of different organisations. Lifelong learning is attitudinal; that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. opportunities that camp can provide, and that ACA and camps can make constructive contributions to the work of their peers in the education and human development fields, then we need a strong, unified, identifiable, and influential presence. We must meet the information and resource needs of our colleagues and of the public by clearly communicating who we are and what we do. The Internet is merely a symbol of our evolution and of our need to stay current in today's information stream. The era of globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation is a reality, and we must imagine a world that recognizes the lifelong lessons children and adults can learn through a positive camp experience. As we prepare ourselves to connect to future generations of camp staff and campers beyond accreditation, we must find ways to articulate the culture, values, and traditions that have defined the camp community for nearly a century. And we must discover the language that differentiates between simply being in the outdoors -- camping -- and the life-changing opportunities, the "world of good," that result from the interplay in·ter·play n. Reciprocal action and reaction; interaction. intr.v. in·ter·played, in·ter·play·ing, in·ter·plays To act or react on each other; interact. of an intentional in·ten·tion·al adj. 1. Done deliberately; intended: an intentional slight. See Synonyms at voluntary. 2. Having to do with intention. curriculum and community in an outdoor environment -- camp! For this we need a clearly branded identity. The linguistic shift has been subtle but prescient pre·scient adj. 1. Of or relating to prescience. 2. Possessing prescience. [French, from Old French, from Latin praesci . Our Web site is www.ACAcamps.org. Lately, we talk about the camp experience, which highlights an atmosphere of personal growth, rather than camping, which also can connote con·note tr.v. con·not·ed, con·not·ing, con·notes 1. To suggest or imply in addition to literal meaning: "The term 'liberal arts' connotes a certain elevation above utilitarian concerns" simply being in the outdoors for personal reasons. We have made a $5 million commitment toward research, knowledge resources, influence, access, and awareness. Updating our image, as many time-honored organizations have been doing over the recent years as we span the century mark, is a central component of this initiative, It may just be time to rethink re·think tr. & intr.v. re·thought , re·think·ing, re·thinks To reconsider (something) or to involve oneself in reconsideration. re what we call ourselves as an association. "Organized camping" has evolved into the "camp experience." Camp is the operative word, and it is the experience of camp that defines our own roles as youth development professionals and educators. Personally, I look forward to the day when I strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to me on a plane or at a dinner, and I don't have to explain or justify what I do! I look forward to honoring our past, to assuring our future. Marla Coleman ACA National President |
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