Who are the young professionals? Young professionals.

Surely you've heard about it by now? About the American Camp Association (ACA) Young Professionals group, we mean. It's a group created by the National Board of ACA to accelerate the development of the next generation of camp leadership. And they need you. Young Professionals are at a critical stage in their development because they are taking their first steps into life-long learning that the camp profession and ACA provides. They are establishing professional learning habits and personal connections with other camp professionals that will serve them well the rest of their lives. This article is the first in a series of articles focused on the ACA Young Professional.

Even if you are not a Young Professional, you have them in your camp organization. Supporting them as they take the first steps in their long-term development will help you and your organization, and make the camp industry even stronger.

The Demographics of a Young Professional

Young Professionals are people who are making the transition to camp as a profession. They are usually in key formal and informal leadership positions in a camp--providing vitality and energy in the day-to-day operations.

Commonly referred to as "YPs," they are generally under the age of thirty-five--although they can be any age--young to camp or young in years. YPs can be college students at their first summer camp job, lifelong campers turned to staff members, assistant directors, site directors for multi-camp agencies, or professionals from other industries entering the camp world.

The Situation

Judy, a (fictional, though typical) young camp seasonal staff member, has finished her third summer at Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym. As a counselor, she's just been offered a supervisory position for the following summer. Judy loves camp and has changed her major from engineering to child psychology--she wants to work at camp forever. Taking the promotion is a no-brainer. But now she is starting to think even more about the future and the time after next summer. She knows there is no room for further advancement at her camp because it is family-owned, and the family occupies all of the higher-level administrative positions. Judy doesn't know what to do and--because she graduates in the spring--she is getting pressure from all sides to look for "a real job."

Judy is pretty sure she wants to make camp her career, but questions flood her thoughts--Is this the camp where she'll stay forever? It's great to be a supervisor this summer, but what about the next year? And what about next fall? She does love Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym, but she thinks she wants to be in camp administration or even be a director some day. And it seems to her that all Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym can offer is a really great summer job. Judy even thinks she might look for a camp job upon graduation, but she doesn't know where to start or what skills she'll need.

Judy, like many other Young Professionals (or even future Young Professionals), has learned a lot from her summers at camp. She is flexible, she works well with kids, and she can communicate with her peers. Judy has successfully organized special events--including planning and implementing an Olympics-themed day with wacky relays and competitions where everyone won an award and coordinating one of the talent shows. She was even on the Camp Director's Council--advising the family about how the staff as a whole was doing. But, is that enough to get a full-time job at a camp?

YPs--Getting Support

The first step Judy can take is to look to the director of Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym. Judy should ask her camp director to sit down with her for an hour or two in order to brainstorm ideas and steps she can take. The camp director, as a successful camp professional, can share with her the challenges and benefits of starting out in camp full time. Often, aspiring camp professionals are not aware of ACA or that it has a group for people just like her--the Young Professional. Once Judy is introduced to ACA, she and her director can research and decide on the best ACA national and local resources for her. Because there is very little room for upward mobility within her camp, and the director is invested in the long-term success of Judy, they could even discuss different camps or career paths within the camp industry.

The director is serving as a mentor for Judy. Finding a mentor is one of the most important steps that Judy can take as she looks to develop into a YP. Many people can name the one or two people that gave time, energy, and support to them as they developed into successful camp professionals. The mentor does not have to be the director of the camp from which Judy comes--he or she can be anyone in the industry that inspires, shares, and invests in Judy's success. All she needs to do is let people know that she is looking for a mentor, as mentors can be found at any gathering of camp professionals, whether in person or online through the national ACA Web site and the ACA local office Web sites.

What YPs Can Do on Their Own

For people taking their first steps in the camp industry, it is challenging to understand what it means to be a "camp professional." Judy will soon find that camp is more than just songs, events, and friends at Camp Hav-a-Gud-Tym--camp is a business. Approaching camp in the serious, professional manner espoused by ACA (and any formal business group) can make the transition easier and more natural.

Next, she needs to build a resume. A good camp resume translates the "Olympics-themed day with wacky relays" into a concise history of leadership, initiative, and skill development. As a camp professional, the skills Judy used every day at camp as a staff member translate well into traits that professionals in any business can understand. It is learning to think of the camp experience differently and using the resources out there for YPs that make the creation of a complete and professional resume possible.

Finally, Judy needs to learn about and aggressively try networking. Connecting with other professionals--in any industry--is essential to the short- and long-term success of YPs--or anyone at any stage in their development.

What YPs Need to Know

There is always more to learn about camp--that's why there are so many conferences and educational opportunities throughout the year. In the case of Judy, there are three structured places to start:

* ACA's extensive and in-depth training and education courses

* Graduate and certified education programs

* The YP group within ACA

ACA has an extensive program for professional development--it is one of their primary missions. While Judy might be overwhelmed by everything found on the ACA Web site, the ACA's Knowledge Center (www.ACAcamps.org/knowledge), outlines the fourteen specific areas of professional development. Under each area, there is a list of resources--links to helpful Web sites or articles as well as books to purchase or courses to consider. This is a great place for anyone to learn more about how to develop skills.

Accessing most of the articles requires ACA membership. Joining is easy, and students (even part-time), can join for only $35/year. Associate Membership is available for $100/year or $50 if they are a volunteer at a camp or if they serve as a Standards Visitor (a great way to visit and learn from other camps).

Universities and colleges are also good sources for gaining skills and knowledge in the recreation, education, and youth development industries. From courses and certificates to independent studies and full master's degrees, there are many formal scholastic opportunities to develop skills for use in the camp setting.

Finally, there is the YP group in ACA. The YP group provides a resource center that Judy and other aspiring camp professionals can access. Continually developed and gathered by YPs from every part of the country, the YP resources are growing all the time. First, there is the Web site, www.ACAcamps.org/youngpros, the main resource center to find a mentor, read an article, ask a question, or get a personal contact with someone in the same region. YP leaders are present at nearly every local ACA meeting, and they will also be presenting at the 2005 ACA National Conference in Orlando, as well. The YP group also has a List-Serve (e-mail [e-mail]) for direct connections with other YPs.

If you are interested in developing more Young Professionals in the industry from staff in your camp, or you are an ACA Young Professional, please visit the ACA Web site at: www.ACAcamps.org/youngpros.