Foundation for Jewish Camp

Over 400 camp staff and professionals representing more than 70 camps united for our 22nd annual Cornerstone Fellowship at Capital Camps & Retreat Center. With the theme "Shema – Listen," returning camp professionals were empowered to enhance their leadership abilities and explore Jewish and Israel education, gearing up to influence tens of thousands of campers this summer. A recent video, crafted by a former FJC Fellow, vividly captures the seminar's profound effect on our community. Explore FJC CEO Jeremy J. Fingerman's reflections on Cornerstone's impact in his recent The Times of Israel article, https://lnkd.in/gyp2QS8v accompanied by the video here!

Congratulations to our Midwest Regional Director, David Korenthal, who was recently selected as one of 15 Jewish professionals for Class 1 of the Wexner Davidson Fellowship, The Wexner Foundation's newest leadership development program created in partnership with The William Davidson Foundation. The Wexner Davidson Fellowship is a three-year intensive professional development program. Together with a diverse cohort of Jewish professionals from across North America, David will grow as a Jewish professional, deepen their leadership skills, and develop a rich community of colleagues, becoming part of The Wexner Foundation’s network of professional and volunteer leaders in North America and Israel. The complete list of Class 1 Fellows is available here: https://lnkd.in/edUuiydQ.

What character traits did camp nurture in you? The ten exceptional camps in our Character at Camp Initiative are empowering young individuals through the cultivation of kindness, empathy, and teamwork. Recently, the camps kicked off their first training session with a Visual Storytelling workshop, led by filmmaker Hannah Roodman, to help them capture the journey of character development and the cultivation of compassionate communities. Watch this summer as BB Camp, Camp Barney Medintz, Camp Havaya, Camp JCA Shalom, Camp Laurelwood, Camp Mountain Chai, Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, Emma Kaufmann Camp, URJ 6 Points Sports Academy, and URJ Crane Lake Camp share their impact with the world!

Camps across North America are opening their doors - creating a magical summer full of joyous Judaism, connection, and meaning. Here at FJC, we are getting ready for some magic of our own! Registration opens TODAY for our 10th biennial Leader’s Assembly! Register today at www.jewishcamp.org/leaders for unparalleled networking, professional development, and a celebration of Jewish camp with camp professionals, lay leaders, advocates, and friends from around the world. This year, Leaders Assembly will be part of The Jewish Camp Summit, co-hosted by Foundation for Jewish Camp and JCamp 180, and will directly follow the JCamp 180 Conference. Together, we'll scale new heights and shape the future of Jewish camping. Register at www.jewishcamp.org/leaders to save your spot.

Foundation for Jewish Camp is proud to announce the return of The Yitro Leadership Program and introduce the incredible Cohort V Fellows! We are thrilled to embark on a strategic investment in a diverse network of high-potential, full-time middle managers at Jewish overnight camps. Funded by The Marcus Foundation, the Fellowship cultivates a dynamic cohort experience that will equip Fellows with the skills, confidence, and connections to excel in their current roles and sustain careers in the Jewish communal field. Click here to read more about our Fellows here: https://lnkd.in/eYVtrQzV

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and at FJC’s Cornerstone Fellowship, Educator Zach Snyder leads a specialty track focused on Mental Health. We asked him his thoughts on the role mental health plays while at camp. 🧠 “Everyone who attends summer camp knows that emotions get big at camp, between the output of energy, the deep cultural investment and even the unique social connections/expectations AND all of this and more are ingredients to the magic of camp. Being able to practice noticing one’s thoughts and emotions in a safer, braver space and move through them is such an impactful boon to positive youth development.” Here at the fellowship, we also have an incredible team dedicated to the mental well-being of our fellows. One example is the “Restoration Station” run by FJC’s Maryn Mucasey. This station and mental health professionals are available daily for support. ☀️ FJC is proud to support mental health across all our initiatives, and continue to support and learn from our many communities. 👂#mentalhealthawareness

Time to put your Listening Hats on! 👂🧢 With that we are wrapping up the first two days of the FJC Cornerstone Fellowship. 🏕️Every year, FJC hosts over 500 Jewish Camp leaders for an educational 4 day experience. This year, the Cornerstone theme is Shema: Listen & Pay Attention. Throughout the week, we will be exploring what it means to take a step back and listen to the wonderful world around us. 🪲 We can’t wait to see what we can learn from all of our amazing participants! 🦻

Celebrating our 3rd year of the Mental Health Graduate Student Fellowship! FJC is excited to welcome 17 passionate mental health fellows this year. Led by facilitators Brett Gurwitz, LMSW, and Tricia Stern, LCSW, our fellows gather weekly over the summer to learn, tackle case studies, and offer support for their camp roles. This fellowship was created to support the growth of mental health professionals and offer opportunities to work at camp while they're still in training. Here's to nurturing the next generation of mental health professionals! #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealthEducation #MentalHealthAdvocacy #MentalHealthProfessionals

Are you working with adolescents or teens this summer? Counselors, seasonal staff, and camp professionals are invited to register for our Youth Mental Health First Aid training and learn essential skills to understand and assist youth (ages 12-18) experiencing mental health challenges or crises. Once completed, you’ll earn a certification that’ll last 3 years! There are five dates to choose from, starting with the first session happening tomorrow, May 7th. Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/eeBXep6U The Jewish Education Project Jewish Federations of North America #SummerCampTraining #CounselorTraining #YouthMentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness

Join our team as a Salesforce Administrator! The Salesforce Administrator is crucial for maintaining our CRM and other systems supporting our work and tracking current initiatives. Apply today and join a passionate group of colleagues who share a love for camp. You can find more information here: https://lnkd.in/eQAEXiSp #Salesforce #SalesforceAdmin #CRMexpert #DataManagement