Teen Summer Programs Guide!

Summer Program Spotlight: BIMA!

This Summer Program Spotlight features BIMA at Brandeis University! Don’t forget- first time campers may be eligible for the One Happy Camper grant from the Foundation for Jewish Camp and Combined Jewish Philanthropies! For more information about the grant or these and any other camps, please email Leah King at lking@tbsneedham.org. For past spotlights, see Kutz Camp!

Brandeis University offers several summer programs for Jewish teens! BIMA is Brandeis’ summer arts institute for high school students. The month-long program focuses on artistic expression and pluralist Jewish exploration in an environment committed to diversity. Participants choose from 5 areas of study (dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and writing). They receive individual instruction from artists, and create collaboratively and individually. Faculty, staff and participants come from a wide variety of countries and backgrounds. Teens get to experience “dorm living” on the Brandeis campus while exploring the Greater Boston Area and spending the summer doing what they love! Applications are due February 6 or March 12. For more information about BIMA, check out the website!

More information about TBS’s camping initiative can be found on the TBS website.

Preparing Children for the Challenges of Life After High School

How does camp help prepare children for the challenges of life after high school?

"...we live in a society that sometimes suggests to children that they are only safe within eyeshot of their parents. Yet, we parents want our children to grow in confidence and independence so that they can live productive, fulfilling and joyous lives. Camp enables children to experience successful independence. Like college, they are away-from-home. Unlike college, they are in a community committed to their physical and emotional safety."

Read the full article, "Creating Advantages in College," from Psychology Today here!

Summer Program Spotlight: URJ Kutz Camp!

This Summer Program Spotlight features the URJ Kutz Camp! Don’t forget- first time campers may be eligible for the One Happy Camper grant from the Foundation for Jewish Camp and Combined Jewish Philanthropies! For more information about the grant or these and any other camps, please email Leah King at lking@tbsneedham.org.

The Kutz Camp is the Union for Reform Judaism’s camp just for high schoolers in Warwick, NY. Every summer, Kutz is home to the NFTY (National Federation of Temple Youth) Leadership Experience, a program designed to strengthen teen leadership skills in a variety of areas, including creative arts, youth group leadership, digital media, Jewish studies, social action, and more. Participants choose their own major and minors, and create a summer experience that’s entirely personalized. Everyone participates in t’fillah every day, often led by teens themselves, song sessions, and evening programs. Teens come to Kutz from across the United States as well as Europe, Israel, and other parts of the world to create a unique and close-knit community. Kutz is part of the wider URJ camp system, which includes Camp Eisner and Crane Lake Camp in the North East, and often attracts campers who have never been to camp before as well as campers who have attended URJ camps their entire lives. For more information about the Kutz Camp and to read the fantastic camp blog, see their website!

More information about TBS’s camping initiative can be found on the TBS website.

Let's Be Thankful... for CAMP!

Summer Program Spotlight!

Welcome to TBS' Summer Program Spotlight! We love summer camps and the fantastic options they provide for teens to be campers, counselors in training, and eventually full-fledged counselors. But there are lots of programs out there for older campers who have never been to camp or who are ready for something new. We'll periodically highlight some of the great Jewish overnight programs designed specifically for teens, right here on the blog, to help you and your families learn more about the fantastic summer options available to you.

Programs you can expect to read more about include:
URJ Kutz Camp
NFTY Mitzvah Corps
NFTY in Israel
BIMA & Genesis at Brandeis
Passport NYC
and more!

For information about summer camps for all ages, see our Elementary Learning blog's Camp Spotlights! If you'd like to participate in a summer program spotlight to show everyone how awesome YOUR program is, feel free to send stories or photos, or just contact me at lking@tbsneedham.org. And I'm always available to answer your questions or just chat about camp at any time!