RSY-Netzer: a Home from Home, but Different!
Thursday, 01 September 2011
Jude Williams, Director of the Movement for Reform Judaism's Youth Department, reflects on the powerful experience that is RSY-Netzer summer camp.
Shemesh summer camp is often described as magical. You hear the young people get picked up and say: "It was awesome... I can’t stop crying... I made so many amazing friends... I can’t wait until next year..." There are a number of reasons that make this experience so powerful.
The first one is that these young people are away from their parents and get to be themselves, even reinvent themselves, on their own terms. For most young people who attend Shemesh being able to make their own mistakes, to be challenged and be part of something new is exciting and builds a strong sense of self.
The other part of camp that we know has a major impact is the leaders, or madrichim. I still remember the leaders from my first camp when I was nine years old. They were probably 21 years old; to me they were awe inspiring. The leaders, who are often students volunteering their time, have done camp themselves and still enjoy camp as much as the participants. They are young and strike up relationships between themselves and the participants based, not on power or authority, but on mutual respect and understanding.
It means these madrichim are often role models to the young people; and we must thank them for the time and care they invest.
Those of us who grew up in a youth movement know the amazing life skills that involvement gave us. It isn’t PGL or Camp Beaumont – it’s better than that because it’s not just about being young together but about creating a young Jewish community.
For some parents it’s not easy to send their children on camp, maybe even harder to know that being away from them, they are growing and developing as people in ways that cannot happen at home. So RSY-Netzer creates a special kind of caring environment. It’s a bubble, isolated in time and space.
It’s a community of young people breaking some norms (dinner time is really loud and there is a lot on banging on tables – which certainly doesn’t happen in my home) as well as creating rituals and norms that reflect the young people themselves (musical prayer including yoga, tai chi and being outside).
They use Hebrew terms for everything, invent new games and ways to have fun, even ways to wear their clothes. They talk about issues that don’t get discussed at home or school. It’s their camp, their community.
The Reform Movement has been creating safe spaces for young people to explore being Jewish and themselves for over 30 years. Year on year the feedback is overwhelmingly positive – going on Shemesh summer camp helps young people feel great about being Jewish and maybe even more importantly; good about themselves.
In their own words...
"I had really high expectations and those expectations were met." 14 year old Sarah
"As parents we could not be happier with the way everything was organised and run." Parent of 16 year old
"I wanted to give back, create amazing peulot (activities) for others, I wanted them to feel like I used to feel." 22 year old leader Toby
"RSY has taught me the power I have as a teenager. Through this I learnt a lot about my Jewish heritage and belief." 16 year old Hannah
"I love it! I look forward to Shemesh as soon as it’s over. I live for Shemesh!" 13 year old Daniel
RSY-Netzer and the Movement for Reform Judaism will soon be celebrating 30 years of inspiring and educating young people. We know that these experiences last for a lifetime and we look forward to helping create many more.
Applications for Shemesh 2012 will be open in November. We fill up quickly! Keep checking the RSY-Netzer website. In order to allow everyone a chance to enjoy some of the Olympics we are starting camp after the opening ceremony, the dates are Wednesday 1st to Wednesday 15th August 2012.
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