On this episode, we're sharing the mic with a good friend and camp research colleague! We're deeply honored to chat with the Senior Director of Research and Education for the American Camp Association (ACA), Laurie Browne, PhD. Laurie joins us to unpack some key camp research learnings from the big picture at the ACA including important projects like the ACA Youth Impact Study, the Character at Camp Initiative, and the National Economic Impact Study. Not only does she have incredible insight...

Every now and then, I get a little bit restless And I dream of something wild - Bonnie Tyler "Total Eclipse of the Heart" Eclipse week! Epic, singular experiences are our specialty at camp, and yet, how we prepare campers and families for integration of faith in the totality of life is the real heart of our ministry. On this episode, we'll hear the story of Jake and his family's adventure into the path of totality for the April 2024 solar eclipse and draw some interesting, actionable...

It's launch week for Holy Ground 2024! It's no secret, so says the research, that summer staff are the heart of camping ministry. We know they need support, agency, and faithful community to thrive. That's why we constructed the Holy Ground summer staff guidebook for the third year. On this episode, we'll quickly share the what, how, and why of Holy Ground. Then, the heart of this episode is two conversations we had with special guests Renzi Ricketts, Director of Summer Camp at St....

Check! We're gearing up,  camp family! For many, it's time to begin forming our plans for staff training, even as we continue to recruit and hire staff. We're bringing you 8(+1) items on a summer staff training checklist to help you frame up a successful, impactful staff training experience that gets your summer staff well-equipped and wisely-prepared. Have an idea to add to this list? Have an idea for a resource for summer staff members? Drop it in the comments wherever you're listening....

We're constantly learning. Every season, we take care of each individual and/or group of camps we work with - creating reports, digging in with consults about the findings, and creating ways to help those insights tell stories. And, we take that data and compile it, looking at it from a higher level with richer numbers of responses. We do this to learn and identify trends across our broad outdoor ministry community. So, we've got 3 interesting, and more importantly, actionable, findings from...

We're making a new friend in this episode as we talk with author Maria Warner who wrote a book all about her family's transformational experiences at family camp, a specialized kind of camp that can, as Maria passionately shares, help families thrive. Listen as we hear stories from the book and capture some of the secrets that make family camp work so well, and wonder what might be possible with this kind of experience as a vital part of your outdoor ministry. Embark on a heartwarming...

We're hitting rewind on an episode from last season where we broke down some of what we know about emerging adults today. Knowing who they are, what they care about, and what motivates them makes a big difference in how we connect and communicate with them, especially during the recruiting process. Rev. Anna Sorenson and I will bring some fresh context to this episode, answer a #QuickQampQuestion from the perspective of a camp-enthusiast-and-board-member/pastor/mom of emerging adults, and...

Camp staff outcomes align remarkably well with the top skills employers identify as most important for the 21st-century workforce, including teamwork, communication skills, leadership, and problem-solving. Being a member of a Christian summer camp staff builds vital skills needed for impactful careers and faithful lives. On this episode, we're breaking down 4 things camp builds in summer staff members that can make a significant difference in their vocations and careers. This is part of the...

Happy New Year! We're back with our third annual New Year's Resolutions episode! We're sharing 5 fresh resolutions for sacred playgrounds like yours for 2024. Here's what you'll find: Build resumesComplete the circleLook to the starsTransition wellKeep learningWe'll also share a bit about what you can expect from our sacred playground in the year ahead, as we work hard to help camps like yours thrive. We've got a #QuickQampQuestion about the role of intentionality and attitude in the...

Merry Christmas from Sacred Playgrounds! Green beans and great songs and cookies and memories, these are a few of our favorite things! (Sing it or it doesn't count) On this episode, we share some favorite fun in an extended, Christmas-themed #QuickQampQuestion. AND, we'd like to hear yours.  Here's the list: Favorite Christmas songFavorite Christmas foodFavorite Christmas traditionFavorite Christmas memoryWe'll also wonder together about 3 sets of voices from The Story, and how we journey,...

Our heart is restless until it rests in you.   - ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO "Spirituality." How do we actually define that word? What's the difference between spirituality and religion? Can one be a non-spiritual person? What does it mean to be "spiritual, but not religious" as many have described themselves? And, as we should always be asking, why does it matter to our wellness as beings, or our conversation as communities? In this episode, we'll unpack the word and bring it into context at...

Have you taken a walk through the life of Jesus?  Have you brought your campers through an experience like this in a way that puts them in the story? Immersive experiences have power, especially in the context of camp spaces already so experiential in nature. Bringing The Story to life is an honor, and we have an opportunity to make a connection between Jesus' story and our own, and that of our campers. What kind of spaces and experiences does your camp create to immerse campers in the...

We've been doing what we're built for, turning data into stories, and today on the podcast we're sharing some of these findings via 3 questions: What's changed? What's stayed the same? What's surprising? And, most importantly, why do these things matter. We've also got a  Quick Qamp Question about attending different camps or sticking with what's familiar, and a Stat of the Week around the level of agreement with the question, "I am happy about my life and who I am." Support the showCome...

It's time to set this rhythm in motion. Our brand new project, Rhythms of Faith launches with waves of energy and anticipation of what we'll learn and the impact those learnings will have. Funded by a $1.25 million grant from the Lilly Endowment, we're partnering with Wheaton College and Honeyrock, their center for leadership development, on this exciting project. On this episode, we'll hear from the Rhythms of Faith Project Co-Directors, Jake Sorenson and Rob Ribbe. They'll share the...

"Of all the pillars of health, spirituality is the one that has a perfectly inverse relationship with anxiety and depression." - Tracey Gaslin Listen in to this deep conversation with our own Jake Sorenson and Tracey Gaslin, Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for Camp Health about why and how establishing a culture of health and wellbeing at camp is both possible and a priority, and how everyone at your camp is on the wellness team. Hear how the MESH+ framework gives us real things to...

Have you heard that phrase? "Ok, boomer..." Or how about the not-insignificant number of millennial-bashing parody songs across YouTube? What leads us to slap these "Gen ___" labels on people? Where did they come from? In this episode, we're unpacking generational theory, exploring what may be helpful and not helpful in this way of sociological thinking, and wondering how we approach this for our ministries as we seek to connect with the next generations of staff, campers, and...

Welcome to Season 3! We're kicking off this season with a what-to-expect and introducing two new segments we're including in each episode this season. Read more about them and download your free graphic below!  We'll be behind the mic every other week bringing you fresh insights from the latest data, all on a mission to help camping ministry thrive. Ever seen an amazing panoramic photo, or used the setting on your smart device? This episode features a "panoramic" take on a 2023 summer in...

Eat. Let go. Grateful. Jesus. Giggle. No, it's not a silly camp word game. Ok, maybe a little. The season 2 finale is here! We'll look back at some of the numbers and share our favorite episodes of this season. Hear our longest, shortest, and most listened-to episodes. Any guesses? Then, we beseech leaders to remember some things for the summer ahead as we launch, encourage, and bless you into this season of ministry. Support the show

Special guest day! We've got two special guests with direct, experiential perspective on the seasonal migration that is about to or recently has happened for thousands of college students (and many high school too) on their way in to serving as summer camp staff.  We'll hear from Jenna, one of those students in the midst of such a transition, and from Pastor Dominique Bucholz who serves as a Campus Pastor at the Minnesota State University Moorhead in Minnesota. Then, Jake talks us through the...

Staff training is identified by many leaders and summer staff members alike as their favorite part of the summer. There must be something going on here. There is. Something that matters. Your camp culture starts here. The creativity, clarity, and community that is gained in these training and orientation experiences set the tone for the summer, impacting campers and families every week. So how do we do this really well? We use what we've learned to frame staff training in a way that begins...

These are some of the most impactful findings on the pulse of outdoor ministry today, draped in a really hopeful outlook. We unpack things like the biggest threat to outdoor ministry this year, what we're learning about director demographics, the four types of faith-focused camps, and more. We just finalized the report on the 5th OMC Director's Survey, a biennial study of camp leaders and the ministries they serve, effectively telling a story of where we've been and indicating trajectory...

To know and listen - these is the best gifts we can give our camp community. This applies throughout our ministries, from the connection between a counselor and camper, to how we engage our trusted supporters, and everything in between. Life is loud, input is constant, and expectations of production are high. It's part of why set-apart experiences like camp are so vital right now. Sometimes it feels like no one listens anymore. When we listen, and listen well, then act based on what we hear,...

In 2018, after hearing about some of the data from the first Power of Camp Study with Christian Camp and Conference Association ministries, Camp Judson and Executive Director Kevin Saxton decided to join the project. After their first year of data, they were struck with what they learned about where their campers were coming from, and made intentional program choices to meet them where they were at. What they did and what they saw change in subsequent years writes a clear story about the...

Walking in the steps of Jesus is no small thing. True pilgrimage spans the preparation and prayer before, wide-eyed wondering during, and intentional processing and application after these holy experiences in these holy places. We'll hear from Jake and Anna from our Sacred Playgrounds team who recently got to do just that, embark on a long-awaited pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They'll walk us through some of the most impactful places they visited, what struck them, what changed in them, and...