Leaders Assembly 2018

Inspired by Janusz Korczak's ideas on the rights of children, during this session you rethink and transform how you approach behavior management of young campers. Participants will explore how to address the specific developmental needs of young campers and learn effective communication strategies. You will gain tools to bring back to camp, to build a respectful community that empowers children and counselors to play, learn and grow.

During this interactive workshop, you will examine the connections between Judaism, body image, eating disorders, mental health, recovery, and social identity. You will explore how creating body positive dialogue and creative content at camp can offer healing, restoration, and support. The session will include a brief poetry performance, a group discussion around body image and body culture at camp, a writing workshop, and discussion on how to bring these concepts and programming to camp for lasting and sustainable empowerment of change.

This workshop will support camp directors and high level leadership in preparing staff training on mental health. You will learn what to teach vs. what not to teach when training staff, how to best equip staff while emphasizing boundaries (for those who are not mental health professionals), and ways to empower counselors to identify red flags through conversation. We will discuss how to communicate the mental-health procedures at your camp, including when to loop in additional support and who those people are and what the process will be to get young people support when a mental health issue arises. This workshop will provide tangible resources and handouts for camp leadership to use and/or personalize for summer staff training.

According to the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), there are three levels of inclusion: physical integration , functional inclusion and social inclusion (http://www.nchpad.org/discoverleisure/inclusion2.html). In our experience at 9 National Ramah Commission overnight camps in the US and Canada, which have strived to include people with disabilities since 1970, true social inclusion poses the greatest challenge. This presentation will address helping campers with disabilities develop friendships with neurotypical campers. and working with counselors to help campers in this process. Topics include peer mentoring/buddy programs, year round opportunities for in person and online connections, and a look at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin’s Chavarim / Enrichment Program, inclusive low ropes course, joint cabin activities, and inclusive musical production.

Caroline is available to speak with you about how to support campers and staff around gender identity, roles, and equity at camp, as well as any and all issues related to body image and creating a positive body culture at camp.

How do you create an inclusive camp community for people of all genders? Jewish camps that were founded on the assumption of a gender binary - for example having a "boys side" and "girls side" of camp - now encounter a wider array of gender identities amongst campers and staff, from transgender to gender fluid, gender non-conforming, and more. This reality challenges us as leaders to find ways to build an inclusive and safe community for all. Is your camp ready to welcome campers and staff of all genders, and how will you support their experience? Let's explore some of the challenges and opportunities together.

Campers with disabilities often face the challenge of being fully accepted into social life at camp. In this workshop, we will discuss ways to foster an inclusive camper culture. Key topics will include ways to educate your campers about disabilities and accommodations, build peer cooperation, and help campers develop self-advocacy skills. We will also discuss the benefits that children and teens with disabilities can gain from knowing peers with similar disabilities, and the importance of striking a balance between inclusion and identity development.

When a camp experiences a loss, how does the camp community respond? Whether during the year or while at camp, directors are often called upon to lead their communities through difficult times. In this session we'll be learning about Jewish customs and traditions on death and mourning, and discussing how we might adapt them to create rituals and healing spaces.

Can we even hug kids anymore? Camps are asking the essential question: How do we protect kids while still having fun and providing them with experiences that make camp the incredible place we know it to be? This session will address the realities of child abuse, how to protect campers, educate staff, and craft effective policies to keep camp and campers safe. This session will help camps proactively prepare and respond to allegations of abuse and children in crisis.

Growth mindset is the belief that talent is just a starting point and that ability can grow with hard work, persistence, and application of strategies. Recent research has confirmed that a growth mindset is a tremendous asset to future success in academics, athletics, and the career world. What better place to cultivate and develop the power of a growth mindset than at Jewish camp? A growth mindset helps kids to persevere through challenges, embrace risks, and overcome failure. In this session, you will break down the brain science of mindsets and equip leaders with the tools to develop growth mindsets in campers (and staff!) through a variety of meaningful, memorable, and easy-to-implement tools and activities. You will leave this session with an understanding of growth mindsets and strategies to help you positively impact and influence life at camp!

Even in a world that is embracing new expressions of gender, many pre-teens and teens at camp still feel intense pressure to conform to very specific codes of dress, speech, and behavior based on being male or female. Sexist name calling and pressure to be sexual are commonplace at camp and are too often ignored or even encouraged by junior staff. While for many teens camp is a safe place to explore emerging desires and romantic interest, for others the camp environment can reinforce harmful pressure to hook up for reasons of status and fitting in. How do we help staff and campers to challenge expectations based on gender and create a healthier environment to explore both friendships and romantic relationships? How can senior staff communicate clear boundaries to protect all campers and also foster healthy development and conversation about personal and communal values around attraction, flirtation, romance, body image, gender codes, sexual identity and sexuality? In this highly interactive session, we will share recent action-research conducted by Moving Traditions and FJC with 25 camps and share new tools and approaches for addressing these issues proactively through staff training, camp policy and program development.

Trauma comes in many forms – such as experiencing first-hand or living in a world with school shootings, violence, natural disasters, antisemitism, and difficult home lives. Childhood trauma can have a profound impact on brain development, social, emotional, and cognitive growth, and the adoption of health-risk behaviors. What do we do when we discover our campers and staff are experiencing or have experienced trauma? How do we ensure that no child is lost in our camp system?

Prepare to experience a paradigm shift in how you understand your campers, your staff, and the untapped potential Camp can have as a medium to help people navigate the devastating effects of childhood trauma. This session will provide an overview of the most current research on childhood trauma and the growing movement to create trauma-informed and responsive youth programming. You’ll receive an evidence-based framework for understanding Camp’s unique role in helping children foster resilience and heal, and you’ll be equipped with a set of approaches and tools to start down the path towards being a trauma-informed organization.

We know Camp connects. It educates and empowers. Come discover how Camp can heal.

Join us on an experiential tour of the National Aquarium to understand the Aquarium’s methods and tactics around giving all guests a meaningful visit---highlighting the features and exhibits that accommodate people with special needs. Camp professionals will discuss the ways the Aquarium thinks about inclusion, and how the experience offers an educational framework to include all campers and staff. Wear your walking shoes!

Pre-Registration for this session is REQUIRED.

All confirmed attendees will receive a ticket with their registration materials.

Once Leaders Assembly begins, people interested in adding this session can check availability at the registration desk.

Signing up on sched does not put you on the waitlist. To be added to the waitlist please go to registration.