Matan Staff Training Curriculum

FJC partnered with Matan to develop a staff training curriculum to use with counselors for both day and overnight camp. This curriculum is meant for your general staff and specialists to enrich their training on inclusion. The core philosophy guiding this training program is that camp works best when it works well for everyone -and that every single person at camp has a hand in supporting a culture of inclusion. Every learning opportunity and strategy covered in this program is designed to enhance the camp experience for all children, both with and without disabilities. 

Full inclusion doesn’t happen overnight. We hope that camp professionals, Inclusion Training Program facilitators, and participating staff members will take on what feels manageable now, and plan to build upon those efforts as time goes on. 

As we learn from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers), “You are not obligated to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.” Whether your camp has a long-standing program to include children with disabilities, or you are just starting out, we hope you will encourage your staff to explore how they can take the next step, think a little differently, and start to view inclusion as everyone’s job.