Sacred Playgrounds Podcast

It's the season one finale of the Sacred Playgrounds podcast! It's going to be E.P.I.C. This episode is framed with an epic alliteration of four key things to remember and apply as camp begins for the summer. Think of them as broad-brush questions to ask, focal lenses to look through, key ideas to overlay. Are we being fully participatory? Do we create space to value input? As staff ente...

Meet Amber Hill Anderson, a professional mediator and conflict resolution specialist, not to mention former camp staffer and current ongoing enthusiast. Here's the reality, camp won't be all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes people see and experience things differently. Sometimes there are disconnects. At camp, we have a unique space to approach conflict in a healthy way, given a little d...

Spoiler alert. The key ingredient in the secret sauce to an effective summer camp experience is a well-equipped, well-trained, faith-filled camp staff. It makes so much sense to give them the support they need to thrive. That's what Holy Ground: A Guide for Summer Camp Staff was created to do. It's a powerful, yet accessible guide and 12-week devotional designed to accompany summer camp...

There's a path for summer camp staff to be well, really well, in body, mind, and spirit this summer. When they, and you, are supported in mental wellbeing, it lays a foundation for a season of less staff attrition, more energy, and incredible ministry. On this episode Jake sits down with Joy Hensel, a youth and outdoor ministry veteran with training and experience in mental health care. Joy H...

How Christian are you? That's a real question, one that camp leaders get. It's a question that parents are wondering when they're making choices about the kinds of experiences to say yes to for their kids. They wonder what happens to their kids if they send them to a camp that's "too religious" just as much, or maybe more, than a camp that isn't faith-centric. Th...

99% We share some statistics and such on this podcast, and that's one we don't share very often. 99% of parents say that camp is a place to unplug from technology. What's even more interesting - the kids like it. On this episode, we're giving a bit of a State of the Screen for 2022 - how is technology affecting children and youth and why does it matter. Then, we make the case t...

Camp leaders - looking for summer staff? What difference would it make in the recruiting and hiring process if you knew what motivates people to say yes to working at camp? What about in how we support and retain these staff? Church leaders - wonder what difference a summer working at camp would make for someone who has come through your education and youth programs? The Camp and Church Leadership...

We've been there. Everything is prepared, deposits are made, details are nearly sorted, lodging and transportation and meals  - and then the message comes - canceled . Whether it's something epic like the recent cancellation of the ELCA National Young Gathering, a band trip, an important event. Whatever it may be, we acknowledge and maybe even grieve, and then we pivot. In this episode,...

Which are you? More importantly, which are they. They are your pastoral partners in ministry, and they've got a POV on camp. What does that look like and why does it matter.  In the Camp and Church Leadership Project, we uncovered something we weren't necessarily searching for - a gauge on their engagement - and it turns out there are 3 groups of leaders. It also turns out that the ways...

Happy New Year camp folks! Let's kick off this year with 5 resolutions for camp in 2022. In this episode Jake and Jared offer 5 things camp could focus on this year, based on research, current events, and what might matter most in the months ahead. This episode includes references to: Episode 8: Democracy at Camp Episode 5: The B Word Episode 2: COVID and Camp We're also talking about (a...

Merry Christmas (and Happy Advent if Jake has anything to say about it)! It's a Sacred Playgrounds podcast Christmas episode. We've got a story or two of our own family traditions to share, and then we explore how ritual and tradition, something that camp is incredible at creating, can be a key to faith formation and a way for camp to come home, entering into holy moments with families a...

We're getting a little historical and a little political this episode, and we're not sorry. Camp is rooted in democratic process - one built on participation, shared decision making, and shared outcomes. The space we create has the potential to actually impact dialogue and discourse, values and ideas. If you've ever wondered where and how camp started, we'll go there too, traci...

Did you make it to the UMCRM or LOM Annual Confererences? The Sacred Playgrounds team did, and in addition to hearing valuable things from conference presenters and conversations, we paid some attention to the spirit of camp leaders right now, and how important it was to get the chance to gather in person. Camp is meant to be participatory - we know from the research it is most effective when it i...

Meet Jessica Gamache, Director of the United Method Camp and Retreat Ministries Association, an organization connecting more than 180 camp and retreat ministries across the country. Jessica has been leading this association since 2019, and in addition to hearing her journey in outdoor ministry and into this exciting role, we'll hear some encouraging words she has for you, ministry leaders dur...

Camp has the power to help heal society. That's powerful. The research says bullying has increased in prevalence in the past few years, with a breakdown in positive public discourse, online pathways to saying what shouldn't be said, and a pandemic that stunted social growth for many children and youth. Camp isn't immune to these realities, and may also be created unique space and ex...

We've always FELT like there was a connection between camp experiences and leadership development. Let's take a look at some data to see if we were right. The Camp and Church Leadership Project explored camp, along with a handful of other key faith formation experiences to see what the secret sauce was to developing talented, motivated, prepared ministry leaders. Learn more, download the...

If you're a camp person, you'd love to pick camp up and take it on the road with you wherever you go. That's effectively what we get to do in traveling day camps, a way for the camp experience to go on the road and, in partnership with churches and their leaders, give kids and families a taste of what camp is like while supplementing their faith formation in their congregations. The...

Good news. The glass is way more than half full for outdoor ministry. We're talking Covid-19 and the effect this pandemic has had on outdoor ministry. What changed, how were camps able to operate safely, and what did we learn? This episode, you'll find us acknowledging and bringing a story or two about how hard these past two summers, 2020 and 2021 were. Yet, God won't waste a thing...

Here's the Sacred Playgrounds Podcast launch episode ! Dr. Jake Sorenson, Lead Researcher and Founder of Sacred Playgrounds, shares its origin story, down to the seminary coffee shop conversation that ended up where most good ideas start, with the phrase "maybe you should do something about that." We'll give you a definition of what a Sacred Playground is and why that idea was...

Camp enthusiast, this podcast is for you! We're sharing the latest research in outdoor ministry, learning how to apply it in your own sacred spaces, and telling a good camp story or two. Welcome to the Sacred Playgrounds podcast. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Connect with our team . Support the podcast . Ask about advertising opportunities . Find us on Facebook & Instagram .