PLENARY: 21st Century Skills – Communicating the “Immeasurable”

by Scott Brody The race to build a resume has extended into the summer space. Helping children and staff develop their social and emotional intelligence ‘ their interpersonal skills ‘ involves refining and strengthening their critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities. This happens every day at Jewish camps across the country. In truth, for most camps, these skills are our bread and butter ‘ our core subjects ‘ and they lie in our traditional zone of expertise as experiential educators. We have a unique contribution to make in the teaching of these skills, and an unparalleled opportunity to re-position the camp experience in the minds of parents, educators, business leaders, staff and others. To take full advantage of this moment, we must evolve, embrace our role as educators, let go of old labels, and promote what we do in new ways, using new terms and approaches that resonate with parents, staff members and employers. We must learn to communicate the ‘immeasurable’. Scott Brody is an educator and thought leader in the areas of 21st Century Learning, Workforce Development and Child Development. He Chairs the ‘Beyond School’ initiative at the Partnership for 21st Century Learning, and Co-Chairs the Education Reform initiative of the Alliance for Business Leadership. Scott recently led a Congressional Briefing on the ways in which Out of School Time learning experiences promote College and Career Readiness. Scott is past Vice President of American Camp Association and the author of an award-winning article for Camping Magazine entitled ‘Teaching the Skills that Children Need to Succeed’. Scott is a strategic partner in IDEAS Education, a fast-growing organization building high quality experiential and project-based learning programs in China, and the Owner and Founder of Everwood Day Camp in Sharon, MA, which serves over 800 children per day. He is also the Owner and Director of Camps Kenwood & Evergreen in Wilmot, NH. Scott is an honors graduate of UC Berkeley, and received a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 1990.

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