Community Care
Take a look at our schedule of events and resources listed below to learn about community care programs. For assistance with community care, please reach out to Maryn Gordon, Program Manager – community care by emailing maryn.gordon@jewishcamp.org.
Calendar of Events
10/12: Promoting, Communicating, & Talking up Inclusion Opportunities at Your Camp | 12 - 1:20 PM ET
You’re already doing amazing work to help all campers belong at camp, but how do you talk about inclusion at camp and promote it within your community? Join camp colleagues and Jamie Lake, Chief Communication Officer at Keshet, to learn tactics for communicating about your program to different stakeholders.
Those who do communication and recruitment at camp, and anyone else who is interested, should attend!
*Powered by Yashar
10/16: Fundraising, Marketing, & Sustaining MESSH Supports (Yedid Nefesh - Cohort 1 Camps Only) | 12:30-2pm ET
As the Yedid Nefesh grants sunset, it is essential that your camp has a solid fund development strategy in place to sustain the important (and much needed) work catalyzed by the grant!
Given that many of the decisions regarding budget, fundraising and prioritization are in the hands of senior professional leadership and volunteers/Board members, it is important that the following folks are actively encouraged to attend:
- Camp Director,
- Fundraising/Development Director and/or someone on camp’s team (or parent organization) who focuses on development,
- Board Development Chair (or any lay leader who portfolio includes fund raising), and
- Marketing/PR Director (or the professional who has this as part of their portfolio).
With the importance of Mental, Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Health (MESSH) clearly established as an essential ingredient to safety and success it is the responsibility of the entire community to ensure these services exist, and the story and impact of MESSH is a powerful fundraising narrative. For that reason, Yedid Nefesh expects camp leadership and others at camp – beyond the mental health professional – to participate in yearly learning to support these holistic efforts.
This dynamic session is designed to promote and stimulate your professionals and volunteers as you ensure long-term MESSH services for your camp community. Facilitated by David Phillips, Immersive1st.
10/18 & 10/25: Supporting MESSH thru Restorative Practices at Camp: What, How, and Why | 1-3pm ET
Bringing Restorative Justice (RJ) models into the camp world can meet so many current needs regarding: shifting camper behaviors, staff engagement, community building, and responding to conflict – by providing circles of support for both campers and staff to navigate challenging situations.
As camps reimagine structures to meet the needs of today’s communities, RJ frameworks with its roots in Indigenous teachings has made its way into the mainstream educational discourse.
When implemented well, these models have helped communities live their values and feel more connected, supported, and accountable to each other.
In this two-part series we will: (Pt 1) introduce what RJ is and share examples of restorative practices, and (Pt 2) explore the unique opportunities and challenges involved in bringing it into the Jewish Camp space.
*Powered by Yedid Nefesh: Nurturing Mental, Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Health. Open to all FJC camps’ professionals and lay leaders.
Facilitators: Jonah Canner & Brett Gurwitz, LMSW
11/2: Mental Health Professionals’ Monthly Community of Practice | 12-1:30pm ET
Powered by the Yedid Nefesh initiative, this space is an opportunity for mental health professionals working at Jewish day and overnight camps to connect, deepen their professional network, share resources, discuss ideas, and more.
11/9: Voc Ed Think Tank Conversation | 1-2:30pm ET
11/30: Neurodiversity & Youth Mental Health (w/ JFNA's BeWell Resiliency Roundtable) | 2-3:30pm ET
Join JFNA’s BeWell Resiliency Roundtable conversation on the topic of Neurodiversity and Youth Mental Health. Explore overlapping efforts to destigmatize mental illness and disabilities, as well as effective solutions for creating communities that foster belonging for people of all abilities. We’ll hear how inclusion portfolios have effectively evolved to include mental health resources that support youth, families, educational settings, and the larger Jewish communities. Get inspiration from Jewish leaders in the disability, inclusion and mental health space, and bring home ideas and resources to support your local community.
12/12 Mental Health Professionals’ Monthly Community of Practice | 12-1:30pm ET
Powered by the Yedid Nefesh initiative, this space is an opportunity for mental health professionals working at Jewish day and overnight camps to connect, deepen their professional network, share resources, discuss ideas, and more.
3/3-3/4: MESSH Conference in NYC
Camp mental health professionals & other camp leaders! Save the date for two days of workshops on supporting the mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health of youth and young adults! Stay tuned for more info.
This event, run in partnership with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, is part of FJC’s Yedid Nefesh initiative but open to all camp staff.
Resources, Training and Community Organizations
Resources
Strengths-Based Staff Curriculum
Building Upon YMHFA: Continuing Ed
Mussar Minutes breathing exercises
Camper Check-in Resource Guide
Mental Health Job Board: Open Positions: Mental Health – Foundation for Jewish Camp
Summer Camp Staff Journal – Created in partnership with The Blue Dove Foundation & BeWell
Keilim – A policy toolkit for creating safer, more respectful, and more equitable environments for those who work at and access your organization (by Sacred Spaces).
Disabilities and Inclusion Community Organizations
Shutaf: Inclusion Guide – Shutaf
Keshet: Keshet – An Organization for Individuals with Special Needs and Disabilities
Franki Bagdadi: Franki Bagdade M. Ed. LLMSW, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-Focused Services: My mission through FAAB Consulting and Franki Bagdade Therapy is to ensure that education, parent support, mental health services, coaching, camp and recreation programs are accessible for those who are neurodivergent