Causes: Camps, Sports

Mission:

Camp inspires a lifetime commitment to the Jewish people, sothe Foundation for Jewish Camp employs a variety of strategies toward a singlegoal: to increase the number of children attending Jewish summer camp.

Results: 70,000+ Jewish children attend more than 155 Jewish nonprofit overnight camps in a given summer.  Over time, that means hundreds of thousands of kids, and tens of thousands of their college-aged counselors, have experienced the magic of Jewish camp.  -By August 2010, nearly 20,000 young Jews will have gone to camp for the first time thanks to our innovative incentive program. Reports indicate that approximately 50% of these youngsters would not otherwise have attended Jewish camp if not for this pioneering recruitment initiative! -Research on the Jewish sector workforce found that 35% of Jewish professionals had been camp counselors!  FJC trains hundreds of college-aged camp counselors each year (1,400 to date!) to develop leadership skills, and strengthen their own Jewish identity. -FJC trains Jewish camp professional leadership to achieve a competitive edge in the summer entertainment arena.  More than 120 camps and 300 professionals have benefited from these high quality training programs.

Target demographics: Parents interested in giving their children the experience of a lifetime; Nonprofit Jewish camp professionals; Jewish communal organizations (for partnering opportunities)

Geographic areas served: USA and Canada

Programs:

The Foundation creates inspiring camp leaders, expands accessto and intensifies demand for camp, and develops programs to strengthen campsacross the Jewish spectrum in North America. We raise the profile of Jewishcamp through strategic partnerships on a local and national level, and serve asa central resource for parents and organizations alike.

Our broad perspective enables camps to see themselves aspart of a larger movement while raising the bar of excellence for each camp;Jewish children and teens benefit, with summer camp experiences that areunparalleled and enduring.

The Foundation for Jewish Camp:

Reaches new campers. We offer financial incentivesfor first-time campers in more than thirty communities across North America.Thousands of young Jews have gone to camp for the first time thanks to thisinnovative program.

Fosters future Jewish leaders. We’ve trained morethan 1,000 college-aged camp counselors over the last six years to help themengage campers, develop leadership skills, and build their own Jewishidentities.

Promotes excellence and best practices. Ourprofessional development programs for all levels of camp professionalleadership provide Jewish camps with a competitive advantage in the summerentertainment arena.

Develops and implements new camp models and initiatives. Wehave aided in the creation of five new Jewish specialty camps that focus onareas like outdoor adventure, music and the arts, and environmentalsustainability.

Empowers and grows the field of Jewish camp. Weconvene camp professionals and lay leaders—as well as communal professionalsand philanthropists—to the Leaders Assembly, the only conference of its kind.

Increases understanding about the importance of Jewishcamp. We conduct, collect, and disseminate research about the impact andimportance of Jewish summer camp.