
JCC Camp Chi will be one of six camps selected to participate in the Foundation for Jewish Camp Ruderman/Alexander Inclusion Initiative, a three-year program to significantly increase access to Jewish camp for children with disabilities.
The inclusion Initiative has enabled Camp Chi to hire its first inclusion coordinator. This new staff member will help enroll more campers with disabilities, increase the length of sessions offered and expand the types of disabilities Camp Chi can accommodate. This opportunity allows Camp Chi to build on its success of accommodating children with disabilities.
For more than 15 years, Camp Chi has partnered with Keshet: A Rainbow of Hope for Children and Adults with Special Needs to provide overnight camp programs that include campers with disabilities.
"This initiative provides tremendous opportunity for us to open new doors and increase access to Jewish camp," said Camp Chi Director Ron Levin. "The integration of campers with special needs is a natural part of what makes up our Camp Chi community, and it's inspiring to see all our campers grow together and develop compassion and understanding."
Camp Chi recognizes the value in recreational camp programs for all children and young adults and is proud to have been selected in the
2013 Slingshot Guide
as one of the most innovative Jewish programs committed to fostering inclusion.
Accomplished special education professional Jennifer Phillips will join the Camp Chi staff as the inclusion coordinator. Phillips will complete intensive training provided by the Foundation for Jewish Camp to offer the highest caliber programs to campers with disabilities and the camp community at-large. Phillips joins Camp Chi with deep roots in the Keshet community and more than 17 years of teaching experience.
"The benefits of having a camp that integrates all campers no matter their ability extends to the entire camp community," Phillips said. "Inclusion provides all campers with the skills to become independent, build confidence and grow personally."
In response to an overwhelming need expressed by families of children with disabilities and disabilities advocacy groups, FJC conducted a study in 2012-13 outlining that children with disabilities are significantly under-represented in Jewish camp. Proper staffing and training across all levels of staff has been identified as one of the greatest barriers to camps offering greater access to children with disabilities.
"FJC is happy to partner with camps such as Camp Chi to help take the lead by bringing specialized training to fruition and begin to increase access to Jewish camp, making our camp population more reflective of the overall Jewish population," said Jeremy Fingerman, CEO of Foundation for Jewish Camp.
The other camps chosen to participate in this pilot are: Camp Young Judaea Texas, in Wimberley, Texas; URJ Camp Harlam in Kunkletown, Pennsylavania; B'nai B'rith Camp in Beaverton, Oregon; Camp JCA Shalom in Malibu, California; and Camp Judaea in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
For additional details about the FJC Ruderman/Alexander Inclusion Initiative, please contact Allison Cohen, FJC, at 646.278.4504 or
allison@jewishcamp.org
.
To learn more about JCC Camp Chi's programs, please contact Ron Levin at 847.763.3551 or
rlevin@gojcc.org
.