This past summer, the Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center (OEC) program reached a milestone—official camp accreditation through the American Camp Association (ACA). The Mono Lake Committee started working toward accreditation several years ago, so we are celebrating this achievement!
“The American Camp Association is a community of camp professionals who, for over 100 years, have joined together to share their knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs. Because of their diverse 10,000 plus membership and exceptional programs, children and adults have the opportunity to learn powerful lessons in community, character-building, skill development, and healthy living—lessons that can be learned nowhere else.”
ACA: About Us
The values and goals of the ACA are in line with the OEC program as both strive to make participants’ experiences the best they can be. The ACA is a leading organization focused on providing research, education, and training to promote safe and healthy camp experiences for all families. The OEC, which has been successfully running for over 25 years, seeks to provide transformational outdoor experiences to a myriad of groups. ACA accreditation for the OEC means the program will be even more successful, reaching more folks from Los Angeles and providing a safer outdoor experience for participants.
ACA staff visited the OEC this summer to ensure that our facility, safety protocols, hiring practices, and other policies are up to their standards. They met with me as well as Outdoor Education Program Manager Santiago Escruceria to talk about the philosophy and goals of the OEC; they also tagged along for a South Tufa tour. Their visit was pleasant and successful, and we look forward to continuing to work with the ACA to ensure the OEC stays a top-notch program!
Top photo by Miranda Norlin: OEC participants from Cal State Northridge at the OEC headquarters.