Despite the popular belief that camp counselors just lie around in the sun all day and teach basketball or dance, the job is so much more than that. The experience that I got in the four summers taught me more about myself and the way I work than I would have had filing papers at an internship.
Tag Archives | Staff
Spring Time in Israel
By Loui Dobin, Director URJ Greene Family Camp. Loui goes to Israel each April to train and meet the Israelis that will be staff at all of the URJ camps. As I am writing these words, I am on a plane home from Israel. We took off a couple of hours ago and have just crossed the coast of France. Now that we are “feet-wet” over the North Atlantic, I have had a little time to think about my trip. I landed on the eve of Yom Ha’atzmaut and was picked up at the airport by Amira Bar-Shalom, during Yom Hazikaron (Israeli memorial day) just [...]
Olim: Changing The World One Bunk At A Time
Every camper has their own spark, something that makes them tick, their burning passion. An ineffable desire that makes them excited to wake up each morning. One action item for the counselors is to help each camper find and ignite their spark.
Hanging Out Around the Virtual Campfire
A group of five or six girls sitting around, talking, laughing to the point of tears.
The scene could be anyone, anywhere, and it has repeated itself countless times over the years: on a bunk bed at Greene Family Camp, around the campfire under the stars, in dorm rooms, and now, a few years after college, in front of our computers in a Google “Hangout,” Google’s multi-person video chat.
Olim Fellows Advocacy Weekend
Recently, Greene Family Camp’s Olim Fellows and directors attended Fall Kallah for the Olim Fellowship program. The Olim Fellowship is a two-year program that teaches camp staff members strategies on how to perform their jobs to the highest potential and involves five URJ camps across the country: URJ Eisner Camp, URJ Crane Lake Camp, URJ Camp Harlam, URJ Camp Coleman, and the newest member, URJ Greene Family Camp. This Kallah was hosted in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as at URJ Camp Coleman in Cleveland, Georgia.
Your Potential to Change Lives
Summer camp is about discovery. New sports and hobbies. New friends. New songs. New independence. It’s all about creating and experiencing a community in which kids are free to explore and grow. That’s why I loved Greene Family Camp at the time. Looking back on my experiences as a camper, counselor, and administrator, I now value camp for the unintended byproducts of those “fun” summers. I developed a set of values and beliefs at camp that have grounded the choices that I’ve made and the attitudes with which I have made them ever since.
Getting to Know You: Stefani Rozen
Continuing on in our ‘Getting to Know You’ series, this week we learn a little more about Senior Assistant Camp Director Stefani Rozen. Get to know Stefani! Age when attended camp for the first time: 8 years old Name of Camps attended (other than greene): Corpus Christi JCC day camp, John Newcombe Tennis Camp, and URJ Camp Harlam as a Summer Assistant Director Number of years at Greene: 20 summers total (8 camper, Garin Greene in Israel, 6 summer staff, 5 assistant director) First GFC memory: Meeting my closest friends and growing up at camp together, and going skating for [...]
