A spiritual retreat
providing rest and play for
those doing the work of justice
in their daily lives
April 24th - April 27th, 2026
Camp de Benneville Pines
in the San Bernardino National Forest
We gather to balance the call to service with the needs of spirit. Our programming presumes an understanding of and ongoing commitment to the principles of anti-oppression and anti-racism, and takes place within an iterative, multi-faith community. With justice at its center, our camp provides a space for grounding and nourishment through rest and play.
Rest is revolutionary.
In a time when chaos mounts and relentless attacks aim to wear us down, rest and play are not luxuries — they are acts of resistance.
Camp Ground was created for those who already know how to do the hard, necessary work for their communities. It is a retreat for justice workers, healers, and organizers to tend to their own spirits — to nourish the soul behind the labor.
At Camp Ground, we gather in an iterative, multi-faith community rooted in anti-oppression and anti-racism. We offer space for rest, reflection, and joy so that those who move mountains for others can remember they, too, deserve to be held.
Here, we believe that soul-tending is not separate from justice work — it is the foundation that makes it sustainable.
Camp Ground is a restorative retreat.
Our days will include:
Gentle programming like mindfulness, creative workshops, and movement (yoga, stretching, walks).
Plenty of free time for naps, reflection, journaling, and hiking.
Evening community gatherings with music, storytelling, and laughter.
Nourishing meals made with love.
A technology-light environment — expect limited WiFi and many beautiful moments offline.
You’ll be welcomed into a community that values your wholeness, honors your spirit, and gives you permission to just be.
“My experience at Camp Ground was absolutely transcendent. It was such a wonderful community of people working to create meaningful, positive change through social justice in our world sharing in rest, ritual, and relationship. I felt so comfortable being my full self there in all my gender nonconforming glory. And even above that, I felt like my share of workshops as an offering to the camp was received and supported so well. And I can’t wait to share more workshops about how the neurobiology of attachment, play, and social joy are integral to the wellbeing of our lives.”
— Jon Deline“I had been in the deep well of a crisis of professional confidence and worth for at least a few weeks - navigating job searching in this oversaturated market while healing from burnout as a person who derives most of their worth from their social justice work/calling WHILE watching from what feels like a distance as our country continues to descend into a more and more dangerous place for women & queer & trans & Black & brown folks — it had been an exhausting year that, honestly, had left me pretty broken.
I took a very broken version of myself up the mountain, broke open even more amidst the pines and the stars, and somehow, somewhere, in the very well planned and curated container of camp, I came back down the mountain with a heart that was so much less broken. So much more full and fueled…
I can’t wait to go back. If you are thinking you might belong there, you do. If you are thinking - like me - that you could go and volunteer to help work the camp, you should probably go…and NOT work. If doing liberation and justice work in this world is weighing heavy on your heart, you should probably go. See you up the mountain!
— Jen LaBarbera“Without exaggeration, the weekend I spent at Camp Ground changed the trajectory of my life. I did not go expecting to be changed, either— I anticipated meeting new people, learning some new tools, having fun in a nostalgic summer camp setting. But it hit me with the full intended force of a spiritual retreat. There I learned how much I had been denying myself rest, play, and pleasure and how much this subconscious stoicism was limiting my ability to show up for my community. In choosing to deprioritize my needs for the sake of “giving,” I had unwittingly drained my spiritual reserves and burnt myself out. Camp Ground taught me that caring for myself is not selfish, it’s a radical and essential part of justice work. If self-indulgence feels taboo, if the thought of time off from the fight sparks stress in your body, if the notion you deserve to play even while the world burns down is impossible to fathom— Camp Ground is FOR YOU. I cannot be more grateful for the lessons I learned in three short days and the extent to which the months after camp were shaped in wild, unexpected ways. I cannot wait to go back!”
— Phoenix Mendoza“What a soft and healing weekend I had at Camp Ground, a camp for adults who are doing care and justice work. A beautifully intentional space lovingly designed to allow us to rest, play, and set down all that we carry.
I got to spend time with friends new and old, have some much-needed quiet solitude, lean into my spirituality, and reconnect with my inner child.
At camp I laughed, took naps, learned, cried, went swimming, danced, hiked, and made art all at the magical Camp DeBenneville Pines.
I had no idea how much I needed this weekend and am so glad I gave myself this gift.”
— Helia DaigeauRegistration - sliding scale: $350 - $450
Includes room & meals from dinner on the 24th
through brunch on the 27th
Application Deadline: March 15th
Note: Registration is limited to maintain the intimate,
nourishing nature of the retreat. Financial aid is available.
Coordinators
G Williams (they/she/he), Dean
A seminarian at Starr King School for the Ministry, G brings a background in mental health advocacy, community organizing, and spiritual leadership. G’s work bridges the worlds of justice-making and soul-tending, creating spaces where everyone can breathe a little deeper.
Rebecca Leigh (she/her), Dean
With roots in trauma advocacy, music, and event production, Rebecca weaves together the practical and the pastoral. Her gifts in hospitality, logistics, and community care ensure Camp Ground is as welcoming as it is restorative.