Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging at #TSCamp2023
With #TSCamp2023 around the corner, we are excited to share the intentional steps being taken to ensure the inclusion of DEIB throughout the conference. The Tri-State Program Committee has made it a priority to include questions relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging when recruiting and vetting speakers for the conference. As a follow-up to this effort, you will notice an additional question on this year's session evaluations. As always, the ACA is happy to provide an ASL interpreter upon request for any sessions.
Below are the DEIB sessions and events happening at Tri-State. Learn more about each on our Conference Calendar. We can’t wait to see you there!
TUESDAY 3/14/23
8:30-9:30 am
Mental Distress: Strategies to Strengthen the Mental Health of Your Staff (Deborah Gilboa)
Embedding Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) at Camp (Staci Ballard, Holly Jacobs, and Mark Spolidoro)
Interrupting Race-Based Microaggressions and Practicing Authentic Allyship at Camp (Kyrah Altman and Zoe Dissanayake)
12:30-1:30 pm
Dining Hall: Diversity: Let's Talk About What Camps are Doing Right (Matthew Tees)
BIPOC in Camping Meet and Greet
2:00-3:00 pm
Serving Trans/Non-Binary Campers and Staff: How to Move FoAfter after a Rocky Start (Nick Teich)
Doing the Work: How Your Frontline Staff Feel about DEI at Your Camp (DEIB Committee Members and Panel)
3:15-4:15 pm
Understanding and Supporting Neurodiversity at Camp (Emily Golinsky)
Gender Basics: A Look Beyond the Binary (James Shultis)
DEI Roundtable Work Space (Elizabeth Ramirez)
Equity for Camp Leaders: Promising Practices for Recruitment, Hiring, Staff Culture (Ali Wittenberg and Jen Siaca Curry)
4:30-5:30 pm
Special Needs Camping Meet and Greet
WEDNESDAY 3/15/23
8:30-9:30 am
Don't Call Us, We'll Call You - a Guide to Accessible and Inclusive Hiring Practices (Briana Michele Mitchell and Mike Callahan)
Inclusive Camp: A Pathway toward Friendship between Campers with and without Disabilities (Lisa Drennan)
Sensory Overload Ahead - When Camp Feels Like Too Much (Kristen Mercado)
LGBTQ... What? Creating an Affirming and Inclusive Camp (James Shultis)
9:45-10:45 am
Equity and Justice at Summer Camps: The Kids are Ready! (Simone Gamble)
The Legalities Behind Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Camp Setting and How to Get Started (Rachel Satinsky)
12:30-1:30 pm
Dining Hall: Ask the Expert: All Things LGBTQIA+ (Chris Rehs-Dupin)
2:00-3:00 pm
Dismantling the Savior Complex (Simone Freeman-Irwin)
3:15-4:15 pm
Make a Splash! Aquatics Program Centering Inclusion (Briana Michele Mitchell)
4:30-5:30 pm
2SLGBTQIA+ Camp Community Meet and Greet
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Camp Community Meet and Greet
THURSDAY 3/16/23
9:00-10:00 am
12 Creative Activities that Build an Inclusive Culture and Improve Team Management (John James Hickey)
The Camper Advocate: Why Every Camp Should Have a Mental Health Professional on Staff (Mitch Goldman and Josh Blumkin)
Stop Stealing Our Culture: An Anti-Colonial Toolkit for Summer Camps (Caleb Seguin)
Learning from the Journey: LGBTQIA+ Inclusion Stumbles & Solutions (Emily Golinsky and Chris Rehs-Dupin)
10:15-11:15 am
Modern Marketing Messaging with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Lee Biear and Chris Rehs-Dupin)
Enhancing Disability Inclusion at Camp (Lisa Drennan)
Building Inclusive Environments at Camp (Jen Clitheroe and Polly Williams)
Other Ways We are Working to Bring DEIB to the Forefront:
Speaker Demographics:
38% of speakers are new and approx. 40% of speakers don work directly for a camp/youth-serving organization.
Our speaker pool includes folx who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and several other diversities.
Accessibility:
Our committee underwent training on accessibility best practices and discussed accessibility with each speaker individually emphasizing the importance of the following:
Using closed captioning with videos.
Using large fonts and strong contrasts on slides.
Using a microphone to amplify their voice.
Speakers are encouraged to speak slowly and clearly and repeat questions from the audience before answering for all to hear.
Other changes made to support DEIB efforts:
Gender-neutral bathrooms have been moved to more centralized locations.
We have added accessibility questions to our registration forms to give people the opportunity to share any additional needs they may have.
Badges will now have the option to add your pronouns.