CASEL Fundamentals
About CASEL
CASEL stands for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. CASEL's efforts "are unified by a commitment to evidence-based SEL to support all students’ learning and development."
What is SEL?
Social emotional learning (SEL) "is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions."
SEL is foundational in teaching skills to youth that promote academic success, healthy relationships, and meaningful community and civic engagement.
The CASEL 5
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness refers to our ability to understand our own emotions, thoughts, and values. This includes awareness of how those factors may influence our behavior across contexts and settings. This also includes our ability to recognize personal strengths and limitations.
Self-Management
Self-management refers to our ability in managing our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors effectively in various settings in order to achieve our goals and aspirations. This includes our sense of efficacy and ability to work towards both individual and group goals. Self-management also refers to management during times of emotional distress.
Social Awareness
Social Awareness refers to our ability to understand and empathize with those around us, including individuals from differing cultures and backgrounds. This also includes awareness of how organizations and systems can influence our values, thoughts, and behaviors within and across settings.
Relationship Skills
Relationship Skills refers to our ability to establish and maintain healthy, supportive relationships with others across settings. This includes our ability to communicate effectively, collaborate, problem-solve, listen actively, and negotiate conflict.
Responsible Decision Making
Responsible Decision Making refers to our ability to consider different aspects of behavioral choices and behave in a way that is ethical. This includes careful consideration of the impact that our decisions may have on ourselves, others, and our environments.
THE CASEL Wheel
CASEL and Camp Au'venture
As a community partner, Camp Au'venture strives to reinforce the CASEL framework outside of the classroom. We seek to offer teachings and opportunities for campers to practice their social and emotional skills in both practical and personally relevant settings. This is done through a use of common language and coordinated strategies guided by the CASEL framework.
Specific Areas Include:
Participate in self-directed activities that build their self-management and help them make new friends, learn about their communities, and participate in service learning (social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making).
Interact with people of varying backgrounds, ages, concerns, and priorities (understanding, empathy, and cultural awareness).
Gain mentorship from a caring adult (relationship skills).
As a program through the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Camp Au'venture strives to create a safe and encouraging space for campers to learn about and explore their personal mental health. SEL and the CASEL framework work to promote positive mental health by creating protective factors that provide a buffer against negative mental health symptoms.
As Camp Au'venture shifts our focus to outdoor education, we work to promote civic engagement with campers. This is done by utilizing and promoting various outdoor education programs such as Project Learning Tree and Leave No Trace.