Related Blog Posts on Summer Youth Experiences, teens, and URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy

an image of a camper swinging from a bungee cord at Camp Dream Street at Henry S. Jacobs Camp
teens

At Camp Dream Street, ‘Nothing is Impossible’ for Kids with Disabilities

Kate Bigam Kaput
 August 3, 2023
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.
This image is a large group of NFTY kids
NFTY

Teens, Power, and NFTY – Growing our Reform Youth Movement

Michelle Shapiro Abraham, MAJE, RJE
 December 12, 2022
A few weeks ago, I had the joy of being at the "NFTY-GER Ball," one of the many NFTY events being run by Reform teen leaders across North America. A room full of teens gathered at Temple Sholom in Scotch Plains, NJ to dance, laugh, get to know one another, and celebrate Jewish life.
Group of teens sitting on a wall in Israel
B'nei Mitzvah

A $3,250 Gift for Your B’nei Mitzvah Teens

Rachael Brill
 December 8, 2022
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.
group of teenagers posing for a picture
COVID-19

Building a Meaningful Jewish World: A Lesson in Expanding Temple Youth Group Programs

Aaron Wiener
 November 3, 2022
During the COVID pandemic in southern California, we saw our Jewish communities weaken. From our camp spaces disappearing to our teen youth groups (TYG) struggling, many of us stopped programming and decreased in membership, while a few of us thrived the best way we knew how - by joining forces. For us, as youth directors, advisors, and educators, we knew this was the way to keep teens inspired and engaged with one another.
kids at URJ Camp Harlam wearing tie-dye t-shirts an joyfully spraying water on each other with a hose
Summer Youth Experiences

Summer 2022: Opportunities and Growth

Rabbi Rick Jacobs
 August 4, 2022
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.
Three Campers Jumping Joyfully into the Lake
COVID-19

A Note About Camp

Ruben Arquilevich
 July 12, 2022
We are now solidly in the middle of camp season and our 3,000 dedicated staff are working to ensure that our campers are enjoying the friendship, smiles, ruach (spirit), growth, and love that are all part of the camp experience, while also keeping everyone safe and healthy.
Susan Zukrow Mackevich, zichronah l'vrachah
Summer Youth Experiences

The Susan Zukrow Mackevich Seeds of Compassion Fellowship Grows Connection between Early Jewish Education and Camp

Cathy Rolland, RJE
Rachel Margolis, RJE
 June 10, 2022
Sometimes an outsider’s perspective yields a beautiful question. Susan Zukrow Mackevich, whose second yahrzeit was April 27, provided that kind of perspective for us at the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism (ECE-RJ), and Chicago-area early childhood Jewish educators.