Ongoing training and professional development is an integral part of the summer experience for our Tzevet. Unfortunately we are not able to be together in person at camp, immersed in an environment that promotes the growth and development of our staff. We are grateful for the Nachshon Project’s Camp Counselor Fellowship, which trains our young Jewish leaders, and we are excited that five of our counselors have the incredible opportunity to be a part of this inaugural program.
Over the course of the last two weeks, our counselors have been a part of a cohort of camp counselors both from within the Ramah movement and across the Jewish camping network. Together they have learned from professionals throughout the Jewish world, and worked on developing and honing their skills as leaders in our camp community. “Being one of hundreds of teens and young adults who are dedicated to improving our leadership skills is truly inspiring. I know that I will take everything I learn with me back to camp – both virtually this summer, and hopefully in person next year. I am glad that I have this opportunity to grow, so that I can come back to camp with a new set of tools to make it the best that it can possibly be,” writes counselor Eliana Saidel. This interactive learning experience engages our staff in conversations around child psychology and camper care, Jewish learning and Israel engagement. Counselors also have the unique ability to hear keynote addresses from major Jewish personalities. The experience culminates in the creation of a final project, where each counselor will reflect on their experience, take inspiration from what they learned and translate it into a camp project that they will implement for our campers to enjoy this summer, as a component of our virtual programming.
This engaging learning experience serves to strengthen the connection that our staff has to both our camp community and the Jewish community as a whole. As Rosh Shira Julian Brenman writes about his experience,“It has been awe-inspiring to absorb the wisdom of my heroes in the Jewish camping world, and simultaneously, sharing about our innovative approach at Ramah Galim has only deepened my pride in our community. I am profoundly grateful to Rabbi Shulman, Alli Moses, and Ramah for their continued investment in staff learning, and look forward to implementing our newfound strategies to enrich the Galim experience both this summer and far into our future.” By investing in our staff, we know that our community will be enhanced and that our chanichim will have a fun, engaging and most importantly meaningful camp experience this summer and for many summers to come.