Yedid Nefesh

Yedid Nefesh, Beloved Soul, refers to FJC’s understanding of the need for a multi-faceted, whole-person approach to wellness as individual souls and as a community.  

Since every person has mental health, FJC believes it is important to address the needs of ALL in our Jewish camp communities. This initiative aims to help camps think more expansively about supporting the mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health needs of all campers and staff – regardless of whether or not there is a specific mental illness diagnosis. Of course, this can and should be inclusive of supporting those with predetermined support needs. 

The term MESH (mental, emotional, social health) was coined by the Association of Camp Nursing and is widely used by the American Camp Association. 

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being. The most commonly reported mental health struggles camps have recently shared with FJC include anxiety and depression. Other examples of psychosocial issues which can be connected with MESSH needs include, but are not limited to: struggling with eating; suicidality; non-suicidal self-injury (i.e. cutting); grief/loss; identity development and exploration (including gender identity, puberty, etc.); major life transitions (moving, changes in family structure, etc.); other environmental challenges (financial struggles, disasters, etc.); relational struggles and group dynamics with peers; relational struggles with family; or school-related challenges. 

While this program is not specific to caring for those with diagnoses or noted special needs, MESSH may also include neurodevelopmental disabilities (e.g autism spectrum, intellectual disability, etc.) as it pertains to mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. 

A NOTE ABOUT LANGUAGE AND INTENTIONALITY: FJC is committed to combating stigma associated with mental health. As such, we have chosen not to capitalize diagnostic labels and have removed the term “disorder” from many of these listings. 

Grantee camps can receive upwards of $36,500 in addition to funding to cover participation in a Community of Practice, cohort-wide professional development programming, and access to additional valuable resources over the course of the four-year cohort program. 

Included in this amount is: 

• $24,500 toward hiring a mental health professional* 
• $6,000 to support mental health training for camp staff 

• Up to $4,500 in matching funds for new programmatic investments 
• and $1, 500 subsidy to offset costs of local community partnership opportunities, new marketing materials, public relations expenses, and outreach to new families associated with this initiative 

*For questions about hiring a licensed mental health professional, please see the Program Expectations & Guidelines. 

The grant is open to Jewish day and overnight camps that meet FJC’s network criteria. It is strongly preferred that camps are accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA), Canadian Camping Association (CCA), or similar body. 

Yedid Nefesh aims to make a deep and broad impact by taking a multi-pronged approach to affect several areas of camp. FJC expects camps to: 

• Fully participate throughout the duration of their cohort’s three-year program, reviewing all details and following through in a timely manner.  

• Participate in FJC trainings, workshops, and webinars that will be provided as part of the initiative. While subsidies will be provided, on occasion there may be some costs associated with travel. [Read more about the Community of Practice in the Program Expectations & Guidelines.] 
• Prioritize mental health in conversations with various stakeholders, including lay leaders, on par with their commitment to supporting physical health and safety at camp. 
• Increase fundraising to sustain the work catalyzed by participating in this program, including budget planning to continue support of a mental health professional at camp. 
• Submit implementation and reflection reports each spring and at the end of each summer to gauge impact on each aspect of this grant.  
• Hire a qualified mental health professional to: Work on-site at camp throughout the summer; Participate in Community of Practice programming; Submit weekly reports throughout the summer about mental health-related situations happening at camp 

• Share documents used for onboarding campers and staff, wellness check-ins, bunk dynamics, parent communication, and other tools used for learning about and supporting MESSH needs of those at camp with the Community of Practice and in contribution towards a collective best practice resource.  
• Strongly consider participation in both the Camper Satisfaction Insights and Staff Satisfaction Insights surveys, or be responsible for collecting and sharing comparable data from your camper families and staff as related to MESSH. 
• Acknowledge both FJC and The Marcus Foundation in related promotional materials or reporting. 

Yes! FJC is pleased to invite camps at different levels of engagement in MESH work to be a part of this opportunity! FJC will consider applications from camps who demonstrate how this grant will help them make significant impact to further raise the bar for their work in this area. 

An in-person gathering* will take place once a year for camps’ mental health professionals with travel subsidies to cover most, if not all, cost. Pre-and post-camp learning will take place via virtual gatherings. At least one of the in-person gatherings throughout the multi-year program will include the camp Director or relevant camp leadership staff for community building across the field, idea sharing, and building upon the concept that community care and mental health is a shared responsibility. 

*The first in-person gathering will be at FJC’s Leaders Assembly in Atlanta, GA, from December 4-6, 2022! 

Each camp’s professional leadership team, lay leadership (i.e. Board of Directors), parent organization or movement (if applicable), and community will be impacted and involved at various stages. 

As part of this initiative, FJC convenes as an Advisory Group representing a variety of mental health experts, educators, and camp stakeholders. This group engages in deeper learning and understanding of trends, needs, and more. 

FJC is grateful for ongoing partnerships with North American organizations and local groups engaging in this work. If you are looking to connect with a particular organization and think FJC may have an existing relationship, please reach out to jill@jewishcamp.org. 

Strengthening our open Structures: World Mental Health Day and Sukkot: October 13, 2022

Jewish Camps Take on Mental Health Challenges: January 26, 2022

Holy work that works: A holistic approach to mental health: November 16, 2021

End of summer youth mental health summit: Insights and opportunities: October 4, 2021

Expanded mental health staff worked to help campers struggling after a lonely year: August 2021 

Mental health has taken center stage at camp this summer: August 2021 

Barney Medintz To Open ‘The Den’: February 2021 

EKC receives grant for mental health resources: February 2020 

32 Jewish Camps Selected as First-Ever “Yedid Nefesh” Grant Recipients: January 2020 

Two Canadian Camps Receive Funding To Address Mental Health: January 2020 

At this time, applications for this opportunity are closed.

We do! You can find all job postings on our job board, as well as a selection of mental health professional jobs on this page. 

FJC is also excited to partner with the Network for Jewish Human Service Agencies to post on camps’ behalf to their jobs board: https://www.networkjhsa.org/career-opportunities/ 

Please send job descriptions to rachel.anszelowicz@jewishcamp.org for assistance with posting.