JCC Camp Shalom

Many first-time experiences

Camp Shalom knows that first experiences are a huge milestone in a child’s development, shaping their individuality, interests and futures. (photo from JCC Camp Shalom)

Day camps have always been places for firsts. For many, camp is the place where they are in a structured setting that isn’t school, where fun comes first. Serving children and youth from 3 to 16 years old, Camp Shalom has always viewed the experience from the lens of “what memorable first experience can we give campers?” For some kids, that experience is as simple as the first time being on a school bus going to a field trip. For others, it may be the opportunity to go camping or have a sleepover away from their homes.

These types of firsts are a pivotal part of growing up and becoming an independent person. With year-round programming during school breaks and professional development days, Camp Shalom is able to give many children and youth experiences they would not normally get to have. It’s an opportunity to meet other children who do not go to the same school as them or kids who have just moved to Vancouver. Such firsts leave a lasting impression and have the potential of creating lifelong friendships. Camp Shalom is dedicated to making camp a safe and accessible place where children want to go.

Thanks to the ongoing and generous contribution of the Diamond Foundation and the Snider Foundation, Camp Shalom is also able to support campers with diverse needs. Staff are provided with special training sessions, mentorship programs and one-on-one support to ensure each camper can have the best experience. Campers who were part of the inaugural Inclusive Summer Camp Experience have now grown and become teens and young adults who are still connected to Camp Shalom, some of whom are now camp staff.

photo - With year-round programming during school breaks and professional development days, Camp Shalom is able to give many children and youth experiences they would not normally get to have — With year-round programming during school breaks and professional development days, Camp Shalom is able to give many children and youth experiences they would not normally get to have. *(photo from JCC Camp Shalom)*

During their camp years, kids are transitioning from childhood into teenage-hood and teens are about to become counselors. First experiences are a huge milestone in a child’s development, shaping their individuality, interests and futures. Each year, after camp is over, counselors and staff hear about campers who have gone on to explore new interests that they gained while at camp.

A couple of summers ago, Camp Shalom introduced fencing – for almost everyone it was their first time doing this sport, and most initially knew nothing about it. One camper in particular found so much joy in this first that he has continued participating in it since. In the camp’s teen programs, many participants discover their passion for working with children or in community volunteering. Even staff are affected by these new experiences, and some have changed career paths after working at camp.

This summer, Camp Shalom will be operating at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and King David High School in Vancouver, Har El Synagogue in West Vancouver, and Richmond Jewish Day School in Richmond. Families can choose the location that best suits them.

For more information about the Inclusive Summer Camp Experience or Camp Shalom’s teen programs, contact Ben Horev, camp director, at 604-813-4236 or [email protected].

– Courtesy JCC Camp Shalom

Fun and safety during pandemic

In these uncertain times, JCC Camp Shalom set out to continue to be a constant source of fun and a safe environment for the whole community. For the second year, the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic demanded that the camp’s plans be reevaluated and adapted, as it partnered with King David High School to move the majority of its operations to the school’s building for last summer.

Camp Shalom is an inclusive Jewish day camp serving children, youth and teens from ages 3 to 18 years old, year-round, during school breaks and professional development days. Since the inception of the Inclusive Summer Camp Experience program in 2009, more and more children with diverse needs have attended Camp Shalom and participated in group activities, including overnight camping trips.

The number of children with diverse needs who attend Camp Shalom has grown from a handful to more than a dozen per summer – and the range of assistance provided for families has grown as well. Families are able to access more camp sessions and the camp can now support a wider range of ages and needs. Huge improvements have been made in accommodating campers in a true inclusion model and in providing opportunities for more Jewish programming beyond the summer, including Sunday Hebrew schools for those who did not have access to them prior to their experience with Camp Shalom.

photo - Camp Shalom offers an inclusive setting for all ages, abilities — *(photo from JCC Camp Shalom)*

Thanks to the contributions of the Diamond Foundation and the Snider Foundation, Camp Shalom is able to support more campers and staff with diverse needs by providing special training sessions, mentorship programs and one-on-one support for those campers who need it. Campers who were part of the first inclusive camp experiences are now teenagers and young adults who are still connected to Camp Shalom, and some are now camp staff. This past year’s biggest achievements included engaging about two dozen children, youth and teens with diverse needs and successfully integrating them into the general camp program alongside 120 to 150 other campers in the camp’s preschool, school-age and teen programs.

JCC Camp Shalom likes to think of all youth as being in transition. It pays special attention to campers transitioning from childhood into teenagehood and those teens who are about to become counselors. Work experience is a huge milestone as they enter high school. At camp, they go from being campers to participating in the teen programs, to joining the staff team.

Regardless of their developmental stage and/or maturity level, and taking into consideration their diverse needs, these teens need more support and adaptations than any other group with which the camp works. Careful planning and consideration of their needs has resulted in a successful program that provides them with social and organizational education that will benefit them in the future, as they look for employment, as well as in other areas of their lives.

JCC Camp Shalom is the largest summer Jewish day camp for youth in Vancouver, but its responsibility continues, as the engagement with youth extends beyond summer camp to throughout the year. As teens develop, Camp Shalom recognizes their need for adults with whom they can connect, that they can trust and who can be positive role models. Staff from the summer teen camp programs are educated and qualified to sustain positive and appropriate relationships with youth as they age. The inclusion model of camp programming allows campers with diverse needs to have an unforgettable Jewish experience at Camp Shalom.

For more information about the Inclusive Summer Camp Experience or Camp Shalom’s teen programs, contact Ben Horev, camp director, at 604-813-4236 or [email protected].

– Courtesy JCC Camp Shalom

A new Camp Shalom

This August, JCC Camp Shalom will also take place at Burquest Jewish Community Centre. (photo from JCC Camp Shalom)

The Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver’s JCC Camp Shalom for children and youth living in the Metro Vancouver area is coming to Burquest Jewish Community Centre Aug. 21 to Sept. 1.

Four years ago, a collaboration between JCC Camp Shalom and the Aleph in the Tri-Cities group began with the support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. This made it possible for children living in regional communities to attend JCC Camp Shalom in Vancouver.

This year, thanks to a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver, JCC Camp Shalom will venture into the Tri-Cities and run its first outreach session of the summer camp at the Burquest Jewish Community Centre.

This camp will look and feel just like JCC Camp Shalom: Jewish exploration and an Israel connection, while celebrating Canada 150; fieldtrips in nature and an overnight camping trip are included as well. The outreach camp also has free bus transportation and rates matching other camps in the area. Israeli and Jewish families living in Burnaby, New Westminster, the Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody) and beyond will be able to register their children ages 5-13 for one or two weeks of full-day camp. Registration opens May 5.

“This summer, we are finally going to have an outreach Camp

Shalom on our doorstep within our hometown!” said Yossi Dagan of the Aleph in the Tri-Cities group, who has been part of the project since its inception.

“As a community member living in the Tri-Cities, I am so excited to be able to send my children to a Jewish day camp so close to home,” said Tammy King, mother of three and program coordinator for Burquest. “For the first time, they will be able to participate in Jewish programming, learn about Israel and meet other Jewish kids their own age. This is definitely an exciting opportunity for Jewish families living outside of Vancouver.”

For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Enhancing nature activities

Inbal Len Nenner holds the attention of campers on Cypress Mountain during JCC Camp Shalom’s winter session last month. (photo from JCC Camp Shalom)

When Inbal Len Nenner arrived in Vancouver last year from Israel, she fell in love with the natural environment, as well as its people. “I met the nicest people in the world,” she said.

When JCC Camp Shalom met Nenner by chance at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, she spoke about her work with Israeli children, where she created a special program called Children’s Tribe. Inspired by ancient tribal traditions, it focuses on group-building activities for children and youth and connects them to nature.

photo - Arts and crafts are a big part of JCC Camp Shalom, no matter what the season — Arts and crafts are a big part of JCC Camp Shalom, no matter what the season. *(photo from JCC Camp Shalom)*

This type of programming was of interest to Camp Shalom, as it has always focused on nature education and teaching values that foster appreciation and respect for the environment. So, during the two weeks of JCC Camp Shalom’s 2016 winter session, Nenner volunteered to work with all age groups.

During the winter camp, Nenner created many activities, including a quest for Big Foot at Cypress Mountain, where campers learned to follow tracks in the snow, and a “tribe day,” where the youth campers (grades 4-7) became the Spirit Eagle Tribe – each child had a role to fulfil, learned a job and shared with others. Meanwhile, with the younger campers (preschoolers), Nenner ran a Chanukah storytelling session, during which the children had the chance to dress up and play some of the roles in the story. The highlight of the week was a camp-wide celebration of Chanukah as in biblical times, which included booths and activities such as ceramics, dance and Olympic games.

Nenner’s goal in her work is to develop creative thinking in children and to show them the positive effect of making social connections in a group. This aligns exactly with JCC Camp Shalom’s values, so the camp could not have been more excited to give Nenner a chance to demonstrate her craft. During her time as a volunteer, the campers laughed and played, and created an environment that fostered positive self-image and growth.

“Inbal quickly became part of our Camp Shalom team and was loved by the campers and staff alike,” said Ben Horev, JCC Camp Shalom director.

Nenner has since returned to Israel, but JCC Camp Shalom is taking the necessary steps to ensure that she will return to the JCC in the spring. Not only did she enjoy her experience with the camp, but she was an amazing asset to the camp program, translating the camp’s values into meaningful activities from which the children grew and learned in an experiential way.

For more information about JCC Camp Shalom and its programming, contact Horev at [email protected].