"HOW WE BE" AT CAMP JRF 

Camp JRF is an environment where those who work for us say "this is where I want to be."  Working for Camp JRF, whether during the summer or year-round, is a positive experience not only because the work is fulfilling but also because being a member of the camp team is itself fulfilling.  Each member of the team is excited to say "this is my camp" -- we are an organization in which all feel deep ownership and pride.  We are a community where each member of the team is valued, where individual staff members rightly feel that their input is important and that their decisions are trusted, and where every person who works with us brings forward the mission and vision of camp in all of their work. 

Our staff forms a cohesive team that continues to further the vision of Camp JRF.  While we each work on individual and often discrete projects, it is our work as a whole that propels camp to ever greater heights.  We continuously strive to take camp to the next level -- we are hard working, forward thinking, and thoughtful about every piece of our work.  We involve our campers and staff as partners in building excitement about each summer at camp; we engage our donors and supporters in real and meaningful ways that show them that we value not only their dollars but also their input; and we reach out to families in ways that treat them as members of our extended camp family (not merely as "customers").  Each member of our staff feels that it is his or her responsibility to ensure the current and future success of camp -- their work on a daily basis shows their commitment to, and passion for, our vision.

 WHAT'S NEXT: A Progression for Counseling Staff 

At Camp JRF, we are proud that our staff members embody the vision of a hard working, forward thinking, and thoughtful staff that strives to take camp to the next level.  Often times, staff members ask us how they can do more than “just be a counselor.”  With this in mind, we have developed a track for our counselors to become more involved and assume more leadership through their years at Camp JRF.

In many ways, our staff progression begins with Bonim, our camper program for entering twelfth graders that strives to “build” future staff members.  With a variety of different tasks and responsibilities, Bonim exposes our oldest campers to the many different dimensions of being a camp staff member.  A hands-on building project develops group dynamics and instills a sense of pride, accomplishment, and ownership in Camp JRF, while assignments in both operations and program areas build more understanding and experience in how camp runs.  Those Bonim who stay the entire summer have the opportunity to further develop their skills by spending increased time and taking on more responsibility in their chosen area of work.  A tikkun olam week near the end of the summer encourages our Bonim to commit to hands-on social action as a future leader in Jewish life as they give back to the wider community.

Eligibility to become a staff member begins as one graduates high school.  While all first-year staff members learn about our community and develop technical skills in their own area, first-year counselors focus on how to work best with campers through their daily activities.  There’s a lot to learn about managing schedules, addressing camper issues, and negotiating working in a staff team as part of an eidah (unit).

While there is always more to learn, we hope that a returning counselor will have the basics covered.  We recognize that there is much our returning staff members have to offer from their previous experience in our camp community and that some may want to take on extra responsibility.  Those second-year returning counselors who would like to take on extra responsibility are encouraged to focus their additional energy on social programming.  These staff members will coordinate and implement the p’ulot erev (evening programs) for their eidah, and they will be encouraged to have at least one multi-eidah p’ulat erev during each session.  Interested staff will also be encouraged to try their hand at leading a breira (elective).  There are also possibilities for these staff to host Shabbat Unplugged and Medurah (our Saturday evening talent shows) during Staff Week and at the end of the summer during camp take-down.  (Our Harim campers host Shabbat Unplugged and Medurah during the summer camp season; second-year Harim staff are encouraged to work closely with those campers who host each week.)

Third-year returning counselors interested in taking on additional leadership will focus on Jewish education in addition to their regular bunk duties.  We are pleased to be part of the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Cornerstone Fellowship and join together to support its goal of furthering our counselors as Jewish educators.  Those third-year counselors who qualify and are accepted into the Cornerstone Fellowship will concentrate on supporting our Jewish education program by helping to teach and lead havaya (our experiential educational program) on a daily basis.  They will work with our Rosh Hinukh (Education Director) and faculty (visiting rabbis, cantors, and educators) to plan, refine, and execute a havaya for each eidah every day.  Cornerstone Fellows will also have the special responsibility of fully creating and planning one havaya each session, in its entirety.  With the support of the Foundation for Jewish Camp and our Camp JRF Cornerstone Liaison, we look forward to seeing our staff members grow and learn through education during their third summer as counselors at camp.  Participants in the Cornerstone Fellowship receive an additional stipend from the Foundation for Jewish Camp.

As a fourth-year returning counselor, staff members will focus on developing as a supervisor and leader.  Staff members accepted into our new Olim program will have the opportunity to develop their supervisory and leadership skills at a new level in our camp community.  Program highlights include in-depth discussions on leadership topics, weekly meetings for check-in and debriefing, and shadowing senior-level camp staff and administration.  (This program is also designed to be a cohort program with other sganim [assistant-level positions] in camp, such as Assistant Aquatics Director or Assistant Sports Director, to develop peer support across our camp staff.  These program staff members are generally invited to apply to Olim for their second summer in that role.)  Olim program participants placed in eidot will serve as Assistant Unit Heads and expert cabin counselors; they will practice their leadership skills by planning and coordinating an all-camp program day, observing senior staff during daily program blocks, acting as Rosh Eidah (unit head) when their supervisor is on a day or night off, and assisting the Rosh Eidah with various administrative tasks necessary to run the eidah.  Applicants to the program will be asked to fill out a supplemental application.  While there is no guarantee of hiring an Olim program participant in a future senior staff position at camp, we hope to select and develop quality leaders for the future of Camp JRF and the wider Jewish community.  Participants in the Olim program receive an additional stipend. 

Engaged and passionate staff members are key to the success of Camp JRF.  The commitment of those staff members who return year after year with a deep sense of ownership and pride is what continues to propel us to ever greater heights.

 THE IDEAL CAMP STAFF MEMBER 

For our campers, spending a summer at Camp JRF can be a life changing experience. The lessons learned, experiences had, games played, and conversations started will be part of their memories for years to come. This is all made possible by you - the staff. Whether as a counselor, a lifeguard, a specialist, a rosh eidah (unit head), or another member of the camp staff, your role in building a kehillah kedoshah, a holy community, is essential to creating the magic of Camp JRF.

The ideal camp staff member is an individual who engages youth on levels and in ways that they never thought possible. She helps to answer age-old questions and bring meaning to everyday situations. She is willing to sit up late and talk about the meaning of life or the great joke you heard this afternoon. She will listen, give advice, offer words of comfort, give you a smile when you need it, and put everything in perspective.

He is a role model. He walks the line between being a teacher and a friend. He is willing to teach you all that he knows about life, learning, and community. He gets excited about philosophical conversations, about a great book, or about which team will win the game. He knows what is important to you and what you're up to, and he asks about your time at the lake, how your bar mitzvah preparations are going, or about your favorite music.

She makes learning fun and engaging, framing it in a new and creative way you've never imagined. She makes you think about the difficult questions and forces you to grapple with questions that cannot be answered. She engages you in conversation and makes you feel at home in uncomfortable situations. She has all the right answers - and even more, all the right questions - and she shows her excitement about the topics and about you at every moment.

He is a setter of boundaries, creating safe spaces and safe relationships between you and your friends and between him and the group. You know what he expects of you, and you strive to live up to these expectations. He knows what you expect of him, and he strives to live up to those expectations. He wants you to learn with him and from him, and he wants to learn at least as much from you. He uses a gentle word, tough love, and a no-nonsense attitude to gain your respect, and he works hard to keep it. He is not afraid to make a mistake and to admit it, and he is always willing to get up and try again.

She lets you shine in front of your peers. He is a constant support for you and wants to push you to do the best work possible. She watches you make mistakes and builds your confidence as you fix them, and she makes sure that you don't make the same mistakes again. He shows you how to fall down and get up with dignity, and she helps you to understand why falling down is so important in the first place.