Related Blog Posts on Early Childhood Education and Summer Youth Experiences

URJ camps provide a respite from the challenges of college life, offer a warm and affirming Jewish community, and allow students to cultivate skills they can use in their future careers.

This July, URJ 6 Points Sports Academy commemorated its fifteenth summer by inducting six dedicated individuals into its Hall of Fame. These exceptional lay leaders, faculty, staff, and supporters have played a vital role in shaping the camp into a premier Jewish sports institution in North America.

While camp is an oasis away from everyday life, it still exists in a world that has much work to do around harm prevention, particularly for Campers of Color, gender-diverse campers, campers with a variety of body sizes, and campers with disabilities.

Over the past 150 years, the impact of our youth has been nothing short of remarkable. As we reflect on the past, we can't help but take pride in the transformative influence of programs like URJ camps, NFTY, Heller High School in Israel, Yallah! Israel powered by NFTY, and L'Taken Social Justice Seminars.

Just like some of the employees that are spotlighted in Undercover Boss, congregational educators do work that is critical, yet often underappreciated and undervalued for their impact on the community and their role in vibrant congregations.

NFTY founded Dream Street in 1975 with the belief that all kids should have the chance to have fun, make friends, try new experiences, and bring all of their identities to summer camp. Each summer, Dream Street accepts about 60 campers who have disabilities and/or mobility impairments like cerebral palsy, spina bifida, limb differences, and spinal cord injuries.

The URJ has been bringing Israeli counselors to camp for many years. Their presence offers several valuable benefits to the camp program.

When adults find out about my job as director of URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy, many of them say the same thing: "I wish that had existed when I was a kid!" I know how they feel.

We are excited to announce that, thanks to a generous commitment from RootOne LLC (seeded by The Marcus Foundation and powered by The Jewish Education Project), the certificate will now be worth $3,250!* We hope that this increased amount allows all Reform Jewish teens to travel to Israel as a rite of passage.

Summer 2022 was full of opportunities and growth. We celebrated the joy and beauty of camp and Israel experiences, infused intention and meaning in our planning and programming, and enabled campers, summer immersive participants, and staff to create communities of respect and belonging.