{"id":38135,"date":"2022-01-14T01:45:19","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T09:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=38135"},"modified":"2022-01-13T15:46:37","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T23:46:37","slug":"back-to-camp-to-being-a-kid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2022\/01\/14\/back-to-camp-to-being-a-kid\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to camp, to being a kid"},"content":{"rendered":"

At summer camp, kids build community, take on challenges, become independent and develop leadership skills. (photo from Camp Solomon Schechter)<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a place where kids can simply be themselves. Where they build community, take on challenges, become independent and develop leadership skills. And, through it all, they think it\u2019s just fun and friendships. That\u2019s the magic of summer camp \u2013 a healthy dose of nature and nurture.<\/p>\n

One year after sleepaway camps across the country were shuttered by the pandemic, many kids packed their shorts and hiking shoes once again, dug out their sleeping bags, and reunited with camp buddies to rekindle fond traditions.<\/p>\n

We asked the directors of three Jewish summer camps in Washington state to share their perspective on the role camp plays in the social and emotional health of children, and how it was especially vital in the summer of 2021.<\/p>\n

Welcome back to camp <\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cWelcoming the kids back this summer was extra special,\u201d said Zach Duitch, director at Camp Solomon Schechter in Tumwater. \u201cWe could see it in their faces. After being online for a year-and-a-half, they were ready to be outside, with their friends, and having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many parents were understandably concerned about sending their kids back to camp this past summer. Attendance numbers dipped somewhat, but families also recognized the value of getting their kids back to outdoor healthy summer fun, Duitch said. Away from everyday social pressures, camp staff works to create an environment that\u2019s a safe place for kids to be their authentic selves.<\/p>\n

\u201cParents trust us with their kids\u2019 safety, security and health \u2013 and also with their spiritual and emotional needs. We take that trust incredibly seriously,\u201d said Rabbi Ilana Mills, director at URJ Camp Kalsman in Arlington. \u201cCamp is life-changing in so many ways. It\u2019s an opportunity to grow as a whole person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fun with lasting impact <\/strong><\/h4>\n

When kids come home from one, two or three weeks at summer camp, the changes may not be immediately evident. In fact, many campers and counselors only realize as adults how much the experience has shaped them, instilling them early on with courage, compassion and independence. Kids can head off to camp as early as the summer after first grade. Many progress through the years to become counselors, taking on leadership roles as high school and college students, in what many describe as the \u201cbest job ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask a kid and they\u2019ll say camp is about boating, hiking, arts, sports, cookouts \u2013 and the thrill of a high-ropes course. Along with the fun, each camp has its own unique culture with familiar traditions passed down from summer to summer. Camp culture is what ties the community together with singing and celebrations, skits and games. Jewish summer camps also integrate religious observance and community into daily life.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamps are these bubbles \u2013 their own societies \u2013 where kids play a central role,\u201d said Rabbi Kenny Pollack, camp director at Sephardic Adventure Camp in Cle Elum. \u201cOur kids are immersed in the culture of camp, and it helps shape their identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healthy dose of silliness <\/strong><\/h4>\n

When camp directors describe how their programs nurture kids, it can sound pretty serious. But one thing they take extremely seriously is fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Camp Solomon Schechter we do a lot of \u2018shtick.\u2019 Campers love seeing their counselors act silly,\u201d said Duitch, as he explained a beloved trivia game that ends with participants messy and everybody laughing.<\/p>\n

Mills described how \u201cwe really try to be as outside the box as possible. We push our counselors to teach their passion, be creative and try new things.\u201d<\/p>\n

She even got a chance to join the fun, playing a zombie during the culmination of their outdoor survival unit at URJ Camp Kalsman.<\/p>\n

Leave real world behind<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Kids leave their parents and their digital devices at home when they arrive at camp. There may be homesickness at first but soon their days are consumed by activities and friendships. And, since more and more camps are going device-free, campers get a break from their screens.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamp is a place where kids get to be their authentic selves,\u201d said Pollack.<\/p>\n

Each summer, as kids are reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, they\u2019re also connecting across borders. Increasingly, camps are bringing counselors from international locations to supplement the programming with games and traditions from their home countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as kids love their parents, camp is a great opportunity for them to learn from other role models,\u201d said Duitch, explaining how the camp experience broadens kids\u2019 viewpoints and connects them to lifelong friends.<\/p>\n

Many parents, kids and camp staffers found it heartbreaking to cancel camp in 2020. That\u2019s why camps throughout Washington banded together, lobbying the state government to make sure that camp happened in 2021 and that it would be a safe and extra-memorable summer. In the end, it may be difficult to measure the social and emotional impact of returning to camp after a trying year. But parents could no doubt see it in the hugs, the joy and the happy exhaustion as they picked their kids up at the end of camp this past year.<\/p>\n

This article, courtesy Camp Solomon Schechter, comes from the Samis Foundation, which was established in 1994 by Samuel Israel, z\u201dl, and is the largest Jewish philanthropy in Washington state. Grantmaking is focused on the foundation\u2019s mission of supporting local Jewish education and initiatives in Israel.\u00a0Samis is honoured to support the three Jewish overnight camps located in Washington state, working to keep Jewish children and teens engaged in their culture, religion and communities.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At summer camp, kids build community, take on challenges, become independent and develop leadership skills. (photo from Camp Solomon Schechter) There\u2019s a place where kids can simply be themselves. Where they build community, take on challenges, become independent and develop leadership skills. And, through it all, they think it\u2019s just fun and friendships. That\u2019s the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5218,20750,3076,21170,5127,218,21169,3430,9812,21166,21168,6153,21167,21171],"class_list":["post-38135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-camp-solomon-schechter","tag-covid","tag-education","tag-ilana-mills","tag-jewish-camp","tag-judaism","tag-kenny-pollack","tag-kids","tag-pandemic","tag-samis-foundation","tag-sephardic-adventure-camp","tag-summer-camp","tag-urj-camp-kalsman","tag-zach-duitch"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}