“I found it to be one of the most helpful and tangible trainings I have participated in.”

GRACE · CAMPWELL X SP PARTICIPANT 

To understate it, we had an incredible few days with camp leaders from across the upper midwest at Campwell x Sacred Playgrounds in early March 2026. Our Sacred Playgrounds team gathered with more than two dozen leaders from various denominations, camp models, roles, and locations to learn practices and strategies to help everyone connected to camp live knowing they are:

1. Safe
2. Supported
3. Connected
4. Contributing

These are the pillars of Campwell, an evidence-based program providing immersive training for camp leaders, designed by the Alliance for Camp Health in partnership with the American Camp Association and the H.E. Butt Foundation alongside contributions and content from dozens of experts in critical areas of health and well-being. This training also included an intentional lens on Christian camping, with significant contibutions and co-faciliation from our Lead Researcher & Director, Jake Sorenson. Jake was joined by Alliance for Camp Health Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer, John Hamilton, to plan and deliver an incredible training experience for those who attended.

Below, we’ll share a quick recap of our time, and then offer 3 free tools we learned about at the training. As you might expect, the best next step for you – come to a future training. We’re dreaming up times and places to bring this opportunity again, and would love to chat if you’d like to consider hosting one and have a critical mass of camp leaders in your region that would attend.

First, a few pictures… 

An Experience Recap

Campwell is designed to be a 2-day training experience. Some leaders arrived at Camp Wapo in Amery, Wisconsin – our gracious host – on Monday, March 2. Those folks share some good conversation about their hopes, and we even recorded a live episode of the Sacred Playgrounds podcast, bringing together five voices from the field on some of the critical skills summer staff experiences build. After a good night’s rest in their Crossfire building, a comfy yet campy retreat center spaces, we woke up to a delicious breakfast and plenty of hot coffee. Those early arrivals then got to go through a special session by Jake on creating character at camp based on a workshop he recently led for the ACA National Conference.

Mid-morning marked the arrival of the rest of the participants, and we were off. We spent Tuesday on our first two modules, Safe and Supported. We dove deep into why these matter, why they must come first, and what it takes to create spaces and experiences that bring campers, staff, and others to feel these things from body to mind to spirit.

In the late afternoon, we headed out to a key part of the experience, the mid-session excursion. We were lead on an exploration of Ox Lake, one of Wapo’s sites, and spent time reflecting on what we learned so far while taking the chance to see what life is like at other camps. We shared a meaningful worship experience together in the evening in the Lakeside Chapel singing, praying, Word-ing, and wondering our way to what it means to be people of “well” – “being” – reminded of the many holy encounters in Scripture that happened at wells.

Training day two began with a SASHET check in (see below), and then on to our next two modules, Connected and Contributing. We worked through what helps us and those we serve go deeper into their own wellness and in that of their camp communities. Then, after yet another exceptional meal, we concluded our time with an opportunity to creatively teach back to our fellow participants a key concept we learned.

We could write pages upon pages of how impactful this training experience was for those who attended. We’ll look for ways to share further reflections from participants. There’s more to come with Campwell, because if we’ve learned one thing, it’s that well-being matters for camp, and when we create space where everyone is safe, supported, connected, and contributing – camp thrives.

Below, we’re sharing with you three key concepts we learned at Campwell. Truthfully, they are incomplete out of the context of the training experience, but give you a taste of the tangible, applicable, impactful ideas and practices we explored.

#1 The Three R’s

I was struck with a few things as the training went on. One of them was how applicable these concepts and practices were to leading a camp and also in many other ways, especially parenting in a home. Another was how much I appreciate and take away from things that are clear and well “modualized”. These appreciative lenses were both deeply present in The Three R’s. 

The 3 R’s—Regulate, Relate, Reason—are a sequential, trauma-informed framework developed by Dr. Bruce Perry to engage the brain effectively. By first calming the nervous system (Regulate), then building connection (Relate), one can finally access higher-level thinking and problem-solving (Reason). I can’t tell you how many times as a cabin leader and as a parent I have tried to go in reverse in this process. When we use this method in approaching situations in the right order, especially in high-stress or even traumatic moments, we offer our staff, our campers, and others a much healthier, mutually productive, and less damaging pathway through a tough time.

In our training, we were able to hear a number of inspiring, helpful stories when this was applied well, or not well, in camp situations.

#2 SASHET Checks

We were reminded over and over that everyone carries who they are and what they’ve been through into any experience, and camp is no different. SASHET checks were a tool we use multiple time throughout our training time to name how we were feeling across our group and in smaller groups. This tool works great as a checkpoint, or as an interpretive, reflective opportunity when you’ve shared an experience.

Like with many of the most effective methods, it is simple and adaptable. The SASHET emotions are Sad Angry Scared Happy Excited, and Tender. These were lifted up by Jeanne Malnati of The Culture Group. In her work with corporate teams, parents, and more, she often employed this method as a way to offload baggage, and as we heard above, regulate and relate.

Using this as a check is simple and can be done in pairs, triads, or in a group by going around the room. Here are some steps:

1. Set a timer for 2 minutes.
2. One person shares a SASHET feeling and why they are feeling that. Others listen fully without talking or problem-solving. The person gets their full time – even if they finish talking early, the space remains for them if they choose to fill it.
3. Once the timer goes off, move to the next person.

#3 The “Queen of Emotions”

Dr. Martin Seligman is the founder of the field and study of Positive Psychology, which widely considers one thing to be the “queen of emotions” – gratitude. Gratitude is a key driver of happiness and a core character strength that can be actively cultivated to increase well-being. Among various character strengths, gratitude has a very strong, consistent correlation with increased happiness.

At camp, we can and often do embed gratitude in a number of ways. From prayers, to conversations about blessings, to cabin affirmations and encouraging others intentionally, and through a hearty “thank you” to the kitchen staff after a meal. We learned that gratitude improves physical health, psychological health, social connection, sleep, empathy, reduces aggression, enhances self-esteem, and improves mental strength. If we want campers and staff to leave happy, help them be grateful.

What’s Next?

There you have it – a nibble of what we learned together at Campwell x SP. Stay tuned for future Campwell training opportunities, whether connected to Sacred Playgrounds or not. This training is just one of many, many resources and opportunities that the Alliance for Camp Health offers, so be sure to explore and connect with them at allianceforcamphealth.org. Listen back to our podcast with ACH CEO, Tracey Gaslin to learn about the MESH+ framework that guides their models and methods.