ACA
Most people think the ACA is just for paddle sports education. Although the ACA is certainly the number one organization in that field, the ACA provides a great deal more: About the ACA. The basic ACA tenets are:
NOTE: Recreation kind of overlaps the other tenets but has some extra interesting events like film festivals, support for padling club events, festivals, etc.
The ACA also maintains extensive partnerships and often is involved with public policy lobbying/consulting in regards to paddling interests.
SEI
The SEI - Safety Education Instruction Department is the workhorse for many of our programs. They provide all of the back office support we need to run effective training programs. With over 4,500 instructors across the nation (and outside the US as well), wen generate a great deal of paperwork. The SEI Department contact list is: SEI Contact List. The SEI Department als manages our insurance program as well as outreach efforts that enable the ACA to continue it's growth and influence.
SEIC - Safety Education & Instruction Council
The SEIC is the volunteer arm. The SEIC manages our instruction program, they set the standards, develop curriculum, certify instructors, trainers, ITE's. The SEIC are the SME's (Subject Matter Experts) for our various paddle Sports programs. The SEIC and the SEI work very closely together, neither could be sucessful without the other. At a grossly high level, the SEIC has DIFs (Divisional Instruction Facilitators) and Disciplines. Disciplines are easy to understand - they maintain/develop the curriculum for River & Coastal kayaing, Canoeing, Rafting, Safety & Rescue, SUP, and Adaptive Paddling. DIFs are a tad more mysterious. They manage a clearing house for instructors helping the public understand training resources in their region. They also help the ACA grow their organization by helping to recruit qualified instructors and trainers. the top of the SEIC is the SEIC officers who also sit on the Standards Committee. The officers are the Chair, Vice Chair, Post Chair, and the Secretary. The Standards Committee works with the SEI on challenges and waivers. The SEIC maintains a web page with contacts, bylaws, and policy manual.
