Promise to Practice 2020

Camp Fire’s annual Promise to Practice (P2P) Workshop is where council program professionals and leaders gather to get inspired, connect, learn, and share! While in the past we have always gathered in person, due to the circumstances of COVID-19 we have developed a Virtual Edition for 2020 and are excited to invite the entire network!

The conference will run from November 9-20, 2020, in a special format designed to allow the most accessibility for the most staff in the network and will include guest speakers, presentations from your colleagues, training workshops, and more.  

EVERYONE in the Camp Fire network is invited to this conference, which is completely free.

We want to make sure you have the best conference experience possible! Please fill out this first step of registration to let us know your intent to join the conference so we can make sure we are ready for you!

Begin Registration Here

Click to download fillable session guidebook

Equity, Empathy & Intercultural Expansion: Healing Our Disconnections

Niambi Jaha-Echols

This unprecedented time of global uprising for racial justice in the midst of a pandemic has further exposed the deeply inequitable structures and systems in the United States and around the world. We continue to see that tremendous change is needed to address the systemic racism in our country and ourselves. This communal crisis is driving change. Join Niambi for this inspiring presentation as she leads us deeper (beyond our collective fears) into a space where our differences are no longer our main focus but rather, our collective potential for healing, equity, and restoration.

Schedule of Events (all times are in Central Time Zone)

WEEK ONE

MONDAY 11/9

11:00 AM – 12:00 AM: P2P Kick-Off – Jason Peerce (NHQ) , Greg Zweber (NHQ)

Promise to Practice kicks off on November 9! Join us for an overview of the conference, followed immediately by the keynote speaker, Niambi Jaha-Echols.

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Keynote Address – Equity, Empathy & Intercultural Expansion: Healing Our Disconnections, Niambi Jaha-Echols

TUESDAY, 11/10

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Developing New Partnerships – Ali Fuller (Camp Fire Central Puget Sound), Amber Grundy (Camp Fire River Bend), Bobbie Henderson (NHQ), Kena Masonholder (Camp Fire Snohomish County), Ben Matthews (NHQ)

Get partnership ideas and why or how to use them. Hear from a few Councils about their partnerships and learn from a long time partnership pro about some best practices around building great partnerships.

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Tea Time Networking Event – Hosted by the P2P Committee

Join us for an informal networking event!

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Examining Cultural Appropriation in our Programs Jimena Quiroga Hopkins

As we continually work on improving the quality of our programs, taking a close look at our program practices can sometimes unearth issues that can be hard to grapple with. Examining how cultural appropriation shows up in program practices is a critical element of broader equity work. In this session, you will get a glimpse of an aspect of the work that Camp Fire National is undertaking in its efforts to address equity and inclusion. Come learn about the Camp Fire 2020 Heritage Program Audit focused on addressing cultural appropriation in program practices. We will share important findings surfaced through this program audit and explore how Camp Fire can continue to honor its rich history while looking forward in more responsive and equitable ways.

3:00 PM. -3:45 PM: Keep Talking! Building Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conversations into Office Culture – Camp Cohort DEI Group

In this session we will explore a new Camp Fire resource aimed at creating intentional spaces to have open and honest conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Join us as we read a short book together and explore how reading and reflection can build trust and understanding at your council.

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Professional Development: The Good, Bad, and Ugly – Eric Imhof (Camp Fire Central Texas), Angela Tabb (Camp Fire Southeast Michigan), Evan Taylor (Camp Fire Alaska)

This session will connect councils in healthy open forum discussions about the resources, experiences and challenges of programming. Attendees will address virtual platforms, program evaluation, and self care topics in a small and comfortable setting.

WEDNESDAY 11/11

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Exploring Structural Racism – School’s Out Washington

In this foundational workshop, we explain structural racism, provide examples of and data on structural racism, and discuss implications for youth. The material can be emotionally challenging and we will provide what we hope will be a helpful structure for understanding and a learning environment for every participant to grow.

(Limit 40)

THURSDAY, 11/12

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Fulfilling Our Promise – Hannah Patterson (NHQ)

Come learn about all the ways Camp Fire works to fulfill its “Promise” to young people in an engaging and interactive session.

In this session, participants will work together to explore Camp Fire’s concept of thriving, our commitment to creating safe and inclusive programs, and the core youth experiences and learning outcomes of all Camp Fire programs. Materials that will be covered in this session include: Camp Fire’s Theory of Change, Camp Fire’s Program Framework, and Thrive{ology} & Camp Fire’s SEL Framework for youth development. Also included in this session is an overview of how Camp Fire monitors and evaluates our impact using Program Quality Assessments, Youth Outcome Surveys and the Trend & Impact Council Survey. Come and share your own insights and experiences from your council, so we can achieve our shared vision and fulfill our Promise to help all youth thrive!

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: The Pandemic Isn’t Over: Navigating Leadership & Decision-Making During a Global Crisis – Carrie Lawson (Camp Fire Central Puget Sound)

So no one told you how to run a youth program in the midst of a global pandemic, political turmoil, racial tensions, and climate change? In this session, we’ll explore strategies for providing clear and intentional leadership during a crisis and thoughtful decision-making amidst chaos and uncertainty. We will also delve into how to turn a crisis into a moment of connection and collaboration by building partnerships to meet the needs of local communities.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Tea Time Networking Event – Hosted by the P2P Committee

Join us for an informal networking event!

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Having Hard Conversations – How to Handle Issues of Social Justice & Current Events with your Program Youth – Aleena Yunuba Hammack (NHQ) & Logan Hutson (Camp Fire Green Country)

Ready or not, here it comes – youth are dealing with difficult issues and will want to discuss these things in your programs regardless of whether you’ve prepared for them. This session will tackle how to address these topics in an age-appropriate way and deal with potential community criticism.

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: P2P Trivia Night – Hosted by: Alex Kirshner/Carrie Lawson

Grab a favorite beverage, bring the laptop to the couch, and get ready for some trivia!

FRIDAY 11/13

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Foundations & Self-Awareness of Cognitive Development – Leah Wallace (Weikhart Center for Youth Program Quality)

As youth development programs work to facilitate skill building for youth, youth workers must think about their readiness to facilitate cognitive skill building with young people. In this workshop, youth workers will take time to identify their own strengths, needs, interests, and constraints related to learning and cognitive development. Additionally, participants will strengthen their understanding of how their background, experiences, privilege, bias, and/or discrimination have affected their attitudes toward learning and their expectations about other’s learning.

(Limit 30)

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Sunshine Squads & Social Butterflies – Meaghan Baumgartner (Camp Fire Central Puget Sound)

Looking for more intentional connections in your workplace? Let’s talk about the different strategies we can use the sunshiney people and social butterflies of your organization to foster kindness and community. Walk away with ideas on how to start your own co-worker driven committees and build stronger relationships between staff either in person or virtually!

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Mission Possible: Outside-the-Box Teen Program Delivery – Alex Kirshner (Camp Fire Central Puget Sound), Tammy Byrer (Camp Fire Gulf Wind), Sasha Powers (Camp Fire Samish)

Connecting with teens just isn’t the same anymore. Technology, extra curriculars, jobs, how do they find the time to join us at Camp Fire? How do we stick out as a program that is a must attend? Like you, we don’t have all the answers but we want to find out. Join us for a discussion about our councils’ programs and strategies and prepare to share yours. As teens are always evolving, so must we. After the conference, join us on National’s Workplace where we will continue the conversation and collaboration to help boost teen programs.

WEEK TWO

MONDAY 11/16

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Building Stronger Community Skills Using a Four Square Model – Christine Moloney, M.A., Ed.M.

In this session, we will discuss best practices for building strong communities for people of all identities within your program. Using a four-square pedagogy of social justice, participants will develop language norms for their community so they can speak equitably about members of all identities. In this session, we will also demonstrate activities to build self awareness, awareness of other identity experiences, and active listening skills that can be used in each quadrant of the four square model. Participants will walk away with fundamental tools to build competency around diversity, equity, and inclusion in their communities.

Participants will learn a pedagogical strategy for building stronger communities.
Participants will learn how to refine language norms for strengthening relationships.
Participants will learn how to use a variety of activities to support the use of the four square model.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Youth & Community Programming in Rural Alaska – Stacie Baker (Camp Fire Alaska)

Camp Fire Alaska has partnered with rural communities throughout the state for the last 56 years to provide youth and community summer activities, meals and more. Learn about how the program has evolved over the years and how we adapted during COVID-19.

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Food Insecurity & Sensitivity – Logan Huston (Camp Fire Green Country)

In the time of COVID, youth are facing higher rates of food insecurity as access to school-based meal programs are becoming less accessible. In this session, learn about the effects of hunger on learning and how to be inclusive in your language around food.

TUESDAY, 11/17

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Teach Someone, Not Anyone: Culturally Responsive Teaching in the Camp Fire Network – Aleena Hammack (NHQ)

All youth are different, and all youth learn differently. This session provides an overview of culturally responsive teaching that will empower councils to adapt their teaching styles and curricula to better meet the needs of their program youth and address potential cultural conflicts in their programs.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Tea Time Networking Event – Hosted by the P2P Committee

Join us for an informal networking event!

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Thrive it Up! Using Activity Templates – Hannah Patterson (NHQ)

In this session, participants will learn how to use the Adventure Activity Template to Thrive UP any curricula or activity. This session will focus specifically on how to align any curricula or activity with Thrive{ology}, allowing endless possibilities of engaging and quality content you can offer in your programs. We’ll introduce the Adventure Activity Template and walk you through each of the steps to creating a high-quality SEL activity. We’ll start with instructions for how to set up your activity with a youth-friend purpose, design step-by-step instructions that incorporate Thrive{ology} concepts, and use the “What? So what?” “Now what?” reflection prompts at the end of each activity. There has never been a better time to take to piece together different curricula and activities and align them to Camp Fire’s Thrive{ology} framework!

WEDNESDAY 11/18

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Pandemic Leadership Playbook with Christopher Littlefield

Get a roadmap to curate an engaging remote team culture without investing more than 15 minutes of planning each week.

Program Overview:

After months of working remotely, your leaders are tired, burned out, and barely have the bandwidth to take care of themselves, let alone support their people. This program is designed to give your managers the tools to make leading remotely easier. Leaders will leave with a roadmap and abundance of concrete activities to curate an engaging remote team culture without investing more than 15 minutes of planning each week.

In this short session, leaders will:

Learn strategies that will help them discover exactly what each team member needs to feel supported in the pandemic, and how to give it to them in a remote environment.
Learn how to incorporate relationship building into virtual meetings, chats, and one-on-ones.
Learn 10+ Virtual Activity Ideas that take under 10 minutes.
Learn how to organize a virtual team retreat in under an hour.
Gain tips on how to consciously transition back to work when/if the time comes!

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Tea Time Networking Event – Hosted by the P2P Committee

Join us for an informal networking event!

THURSDAY, 11/19

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: CAMPER (Camp Accessibility, Meaningful Participation, and Equitable Representation) – Ben Matthews (NHQ)

The CAMPER initiative involves 10 councils who have spent the last two years focusing on increasing accessibility at overnight and residential camp to young people with disabilities, young people who are LGBTQ+, young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and increasing racial equity at camp.

This session will highlight the learnings, improvements, and adaptations that these councils have implemented thus far, and how we will continue to increase accessibility, privacy, comfort and belonging in our camp and outdoor programs and spaces.

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Exploring Structural Racism – School’s Out Washington

(Limit 40)

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: P2P Bingo Night – Hosted by: Alex Kirshner/Carrie Lawson

It’s Zoom Bingo! Bring your favorite beverage and kick back with friends and colleagues for some virtual bingo.

FRIDAY 11/20

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Closing Session & Programming Update – Nikki Roe Cropp (NHQ)

Join us as we close out P2P by reflecting on our journey so far and get a look at the future of programming at Camp Fire.