 Proposal
for Camp Funding 
| If you are a Jewish camp
looking for language for gaining funding for
Gurian Institute Professional Development, we hope this language from
the LA Jewish Federation is helpful. |
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Boys
in Camp Staff Training Proposal
Camp
Alonim, Camp Ramah, JCA Shalom and the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps
have collaborated for several years to share best practices and improve
the field of Jewish camping. A challenge we all share is the
recruitment and retention of male campers. Each camp has made strides
in this area by increasing their sports offerings and training staff to
better care for their young boys in the hopes of attracting male
campers and enticing them to return summer after summer.
 We
believe that the next step in this growth process is to bring in an
expert
staff trainer to help our counselors, specialists and professional
staff to better understand what boys need in the camp setting and how
we can better meet these needs. Thanks to the Engagement Pillar of the
Jewish Federation, we all had the pleasure of learning from Adie
Goldberg (right) of the Gurian Institute, a social worker of over 25
years who
utilizes scientific studies of brain development in educational
settings. We propose to bring Adie Goldberg to each of our camps during
our individual staff training days. She will teach workshop sessions
that are tailored to each camps’ unique needs in order to provide
counselors, programmers and administrators with the tools to make camp
an attractive place for boys of all ages and stages of life.
By the end of this training, we
hope that our staff will be able to:
- Better attend to the basic
daily needs of young male campers such as hygiene, letter writing,
sunscreen, etc.
- Create an emotionally safe
bunk culture that is free of bullying and taunting for all types of
camper personalities
- Design programs that spark
and keep boys’ attention
- Role model positive male
behavior for our campers.
Potential workshop topics
include:
- Meeting the emotional needs
of boys in the cabin
- Best practices on engaging
boys in camp programming
- Specific issues surrounding
adolescent boys for teen advisors.
•
• •
Approximately
400 total staff members will participate in these training workshops.
These staff will then go on to serve approximately 3,000 campers over
the course of summer 2010.
•
• •
 LETTER FROM
DIRECTOR OF CIT PROGRAM AT RAMAH:
Dear
Adie, On behalf of us all, I would like to thank you again for the
amazingand engaging workshop you put on this morning. Our tzevet
benefited greatly from your insights and we will continue to reflect on
thematerial provided and the conversations we discussed. Thank you
again. We also appreciate your offer to be in touch during the summer
if issues arise.
Take care!
Adam Titchner
Director Counselor in Training Program
Ramah
•
• •
QUOTES FROM CAMP STAFF
EVALUATIONS
Adie's
presentation is making the staff rethink "the way we do it" using facts
as a basis for change.
—
Andrea
Cohen, Director Hilltop Camp, WTBC
•
Someone
is saying what I know and have been trying to say for years. I can
continue on my path with a better understanding of boys and girls.
Thank you so much, I hope this will allow us to do a better job with
our evening programming.
—
Marla
Elliott, Arts and Crafts Director Wilshire Blvd Temple Camps
Early
Childhood Educator
•
It
was fascinating to learn about the differences an male/female biology
and wiring in the brain. (I will) try to use some of the strategies in
my programming at camp this summer.
—
Danielle Rodnizki. Songleader
•
Adie
is awesome! I learned the biological reasoning behind the actions of
both genders. I will now talk and converse differently with each gender.
— Sara Young, Counselor
•
I
appreciated all the concrete information and the awareness of the
obvious but previously unnoticed difference. I will pay attention to
the differences and social dynamics and handle situations differently
this summer.
— Aaron Coleman, Senior
Staff
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