finale {n.} the last and often climactic event or item in a sequence

It's the last episode of season 3 of the Sacred Playgrounds Podcast! Whether it's your first time or you've been along for the ride since our first episode, thanks for listening! It's an honor, and a lot of fun, to talk camp with you and for you.

On this episode, we'll run through our season 3 episodes with a quick recap and call to listen back to one or more if there's an idea you're focusing on for the summer ahead. We'll also share some of the most helpful stats about what camp is and the clear impact it has. We've got an entire set of shareable graphics for you on this one, designed to be used as either a swipe-style carousel post great for spaces like Instagram, or to be shared individually.

Thanks for listening, see you soon for SEASON 4!

DOWNLOAD THE #STATOFTHEWEEK GRAPHICS

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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 into our industry and ministry, but also makes it accessible and applicable in how she shares it.

Listen close, take notes, and know that you, camp friends, are part of an elaborate, impactful ecosystem of youth development, and the research says your role matters.

Learn more about ACA Research and get involved at acacamps.org/research.

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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 connections with our partnered, integrated, connected ministries. We'll share how Rhythms of Faith is seeking out how we maximize and harness these connections and share a quick project update on RoF as well.

Plus, we'll share some a book recommendation or two in our #QuickQampQuestion and have some fun with eclipse data in our #StatOfTheWeek.

PS, don't burn out their (or your) retinas.

LEARN MORE ABOUT RHYTHMS OF FAITH
DOWNLOAD THE #STATOFTHEWEEK

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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. Christopher Camp and Conference Center and Pastor Val Teppo, Lead Chaplain from Park River Bible Camp and Red Willow Ministries. They'll share some of the specifics on ways their camp communities use this resource and how it helps provide support for summer staff, and even some other partners.

Plus, we've got a #StatOfTheWeek around the impact of resources like this on personal devotion and Bible reading time.

LEARN MORE + ORDER HOLY GROUND 2024
DOWNLOAD THE #STATOFTHEWEEK

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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'll also dive into what it means and what to do when staff can't make parts of training with our #QuickQampQuestion, and share average weekly counselor salary in our #StatOfTheWeek.

DOWNLOAD THE STAT OF THE WEEK GRAPHIC

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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 the collective 2023 camper experience. You'll hear about:

1. The trends on breakdowns in the 5 fundamentals of effective camps
2. The trend in church engagement and family faith practices
3. The experience gap in different types of camper groups

Our #StatOfTheWeek shares a statistically significant story on family church engagement, and our #QuickQampQuestion is one for you or a camp person you know.

DOWNLOAD THE #STATOFTHEWEEK

Support the Show.

Come help camp thrive with us on Facebook, Instagram, or at sacredplaygrounds.com.

Support the Show.

Come help camp thrive with us on Facebook, Instagram, or at sacredplaygrounds.com.

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 share a 3-for-1 #StatOfTheWeek.

DOWNLOAD THE #STATOFTHEWEEK GRAPHIC

Support the Show.

Come help camp thrive with us on Facebook, Instagram, or at sacredplaygrounds.com.