Month: June 2012 – ל׳ בסיון ה׳תשע״ב

In response to the growing hype around CGI Central’s inaugural Camp Training Conference, the three largest overnight camps in North America have enrolled their staff in Thursday’s program.

The conference, which was originally geared for day camp staff, will now service 200 staff members of CGI’s Detroit, Montreal, and Parksville.

Overnight staff will engage in three courses: Bullying Awareness, Abuse and Molestation Awareness and Prevention, and Positive Discipline.

Rabbi Shlomie Rabin, Director of CGI Central, told Collive that the inclusion of overnight camps is a “welcome development.”

“Our goal is to educate and train all camp staff and the participation of the ‘big three’ shows that our message is being recognized for its importance.”

Taking place tomorrow on Thursday, Tammuz 1 (June 21), the full day conference, which features a keynote address from well renowned Michael Brandwein, will be held in Beis Rivka Crown St for girls and Oholei Torah for boys. Over 40 camps have registered and more than 400 staff members are expected to participate.

The conference has been granted Educational Endorsement by the ACA, and also offers staff up to seven Continuing Education Credits (CEC’s).

To see the Schedule or for more information, please see the website.

getting ready for summer camp

June means a lot of things to a lot of people. To some it marks the end of a school year and the official beginning of summer. For summer camp parents, it means it’s time to start thinking about packing. For first time parents, the task can seem absolutely overwhelming. How much sunscreen and shampoo do I pack? Do they really need shinguards? How many t-shirts are enough? For seasoned camp parents, packing is a science based on experience. The art is in packing just enough but not too much or too little…and knowing which items the children have sneaked into their bags to take out and which ones to let go. Packing properly takes time…and patience.

CGI provides a rather comprehensive packing lists. These should not be disregarded. They’re compiled by professionals with years of camping experience who have excellent knowledge of what children’s bags need to contain in order for them to arrive prepared for a successful summer at camp. Also keep in mind when packing that living space is somewhat limited at camp. Your child will not have his or her own room at summer camp. He or she will live together with several other campers as well as a couple of counselors. This means that there is not a whole lot of room for “extras” and labeling clothes is important as mix-ups are otherwise bound to happen. If laundry is your primary concern, rest assured that camp laundry is done at least once per week. Your child’s counselors and other camp staff will see to it that your child has clean clothes.

Summer camp values also often downplay appearance. The emphasis of summer camp is on fun, friendship, and safety. Before the end of the summer, your child will likely get wet, slimed, painted, generally messy, and a host of other cool things that tend to make children laugh and adults cringe. So keep the really good stuff at home and send clothes that neither you nor they will miss too much if they have to be “retired” at the end of the summer.

It’s important for both new and seasoned camp parents to pay as much attention to the items your child’s camp asks not to bring as those items it asks to bring. There is a reason your camp requests that certain items not be brought onto campus, whether it’s to help facilitate a specific environment, protect those with allergies, or to avoid other issues not conducive to the spirit of summer camp. Packing “do not bring” items risks them being lost or confiscated until the end of the summer. This ultimately causes undo stress on your children. Alleviating stress that results from the idea of having to leave a beloved item such as a cell phone or notepad at home is typically accomplished by reiterating to children about what they will have at camp as opposed to what they won’t.

By following your camp’s advice and being proactive rather than reactive, packing for camp can be a fun countdown to camp rather than a reactive chore.