The Women in Camp Summit Pop Up is an international movement that welcomes cis and trans women, non-binary individuals who feel comfortable in a woman-centered space, and anyone with lived experience as or who was socialized as a girl. Together, we spark important conversations about our camp industry and build supportive communities. Explore how you can host or join a Pop Up event near you! #wicspopup
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Our Partners
The Women in Camp Summit is a gathering of #ladycamppros from across the industry for three days of networking, discussion, and professional development designed specifically for those who identify as women working in or in support of summer camp.
With the support of the International Camping Fellowship and ACA Illinois, the Pop Up Events are an extension of the Women in Camp Summit. WICS Pop Ups offer an opportunity for women everywhere to gather in an easy, low pressure setting near them.
Pop Up Events around the world
Our mission is to support as many camp professionals around the world to host their very own Women in Camp Pop Up Event. We believe that the more women who join the conversation, the more we will be able to support each other and move our industry forward.
“We shared, problem solved and exchanged best practices. I really enjoyed my first WICS Pop Up and can’t wait for the next one.”
Pre Pop Up Preparation
it’s as easy as 1-2-3
You are:
Connected to the camp industry
A cis or trans woman, or non-binary person
Comfortable in a space that centres the experiences of women
If all of those apply to you, please fill out this very short survey to let us know that you are interested in hosting a WICS Pop Up Event!
If you are an association or organization hosting a conference, and you would like to incorporate a WICS Pop-Up or pre-conference event, please contact our friends at ACA Illinois for more information on affiliation.
DATE: Once approved, choose a date that works best for you and your community.
LOCATION: Choose a space where you and your participants feel comfortable having a candid conversation.
TIME: Plan for roughly 1-3.5 hours, depending on the event format you choose.
WHO: Participants must meet the same criteria as the Host – they are cis or trans women, or non-binary, are comfortable in a space centring women’s experiences, and are connected (currently or in the past) to the camp industry.
HOW MANY: We recommend 2-20 participants per Pop Up Event.
INVITATION: We’ve created a template invitation you can copy and paste. Just add your event details where indicated. COPY INVITATION TEXT
SHARE: Post your event on social media to reach more participants! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #wicspopup so we can follow along, too.
Pop-Up Style Options
The goal of the event is to create a safe environment where you, as a collective group, choose topics to discuss, ask questions, share resources and listen to each other with supportive ears. As the host of the Pop Up Event, please feel free to run your gathering as you see fit, however, if you would like some inspiration, below are two programs that you could use to help run your pop up event.
Suggested # of participants 2-5: Friend Chat is a non-structured conversation among friends about being a women who works in the camp industry. For topic inspiration please click below.
Suggested # of participants 6-20: Together, with your group, you’ll choose the topics you’d like to delve into for small group, guided discussions. For a guided “how to” click on the link below.
This is a casual, unstructured conversation among a small group about the experience of being a woman or someone socialized as a girl working in the camp industry. A few guiding questions are provided below to spark discussion. We recommend starting with the “First Question” to warm up the group!
Which women (or people with similar lived experience) that you know personally are your “SHEROs”?
SHERO = a hero with a “she” at the start
Describe their “superpowers” and why they inspire you
Describe the women who paved the way for you as a camp professional.
What topics would you like to see at professional development events to help you grow as a female leader?
What is your vision for a more equitable world? What would it look like, or how would it sound or feel?
What is one step you can take today to be brave and create positive change?
How can a global community of women in camp help you? What do you need from them, and what can you offer?
How can you increase your exposure to diverse voices and perspectives, especially those not currently in your network?
What’s one challenge you face at camp, and how have you tried to resolve it?
In this program, participants choose the topics they want to discuss by writing down questions and voting on them. Small-group guided discussions ensure that you dedicate time to the issues most relevant to your group.
Give each participant a piece of paper, cue card, or post-it note.
Have them write down a question or dilemma (include their name on the back).
Stick the questions/dilemmas on a wall or lay them out on a table.
Invite everyone to walk around, read the submissions in silence, and (optionally) play music to set a relaxed tone.
Provide your participants with 5 sticky dots or small stickers. (alternate option: everyone gets a pen and draws a symbol, honour system to limit to 5 votes!)
Participants place stickers (or draw a symbol) on the submissions they find most interesting.
They can use all 5 stickers on one submission or spread them out across multiple questions.
When voting is finished, select the top questions based on total stickers.
The person who wrote the chosen submission (the “presenter”) starts the discussion.
The presenter reads their submission aloud and explains the context or dilemma briefly.
The group asks clarifying questions.
The group then shares ideas, suggestions, and solutions.
The presenter summarizes what they learned and how their thinking evolved.
Plan for about 10-15 minutes per question, then move to the next. Use a timer if needed.
Respect confidentiality: what is shared in the space stays in the space. Everyone should feel safe to speak openly.
“The Women in Camp Pop Up was VERY inspiring!!!”