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February 17, 2017

Around the Shabbat Table

Written By: Camp Judaea

Around the Shabbat Table

Our summer Inclusion Team is growing!  Last summer, our Inclusion Coordinator, Becky Borak, was joined by a summer intern, Amanda Shames, to provide support throughout the summer to staff members and campers who needed it.  Becky and Amanda will both be back this summer and will be joined by Matthew Kaplan.  With Becky at the helm and Amanda and Matthew on board, we are confident that we will have a successful and inclusive summer.  We checked in with Amanda and Matthew and asked them each about their experiences and feelings towards Inclusion.

“Last year, I took on the intern role expecting to fully comprehend the connections and communication behind behaviors and to learn from our incredible inclusion coordinator. I am continuing on in this role because I am a believer of inclusion and I want to watch more campers, of varying ability levels, have successful summers– just like any of their friends can. I will be graduating from Syracuse University this May with a degree in social work. I’m excited to share that I’ll be moving to Miami, Florida after camp to continue working with young children with special needs. I’m so lucky that I chose a career path that continues leading me back to Camp Judaea, the place I call home.”      -Amanda Shames

“I am so excited to return for my fifth Camp Judaea summer; it really is awesome to have another opportunity to come back. In this role, I will be working hard to ensure that every single camper has the feeling of home and belonging throughout the course of their session. It is important to me that we also strive to make an inclusive environment for the staff members as well.  One of my biggest passions is equality, and I feel that being an inclusion specialist will allow me to ascertain that in the camping community. Working with Becky and Amanda will most definitely provide me with tools and experiences that will help me attain my goal for the future: to work as a special education teacher.”     -Matthew Kaplan

In Leviticus it says, “Do not curse a person who is deaf and do not place a stumbling rock in front of a person who is blind.”

What are your responsibilities as a camper towards those who are “different?”

How can you include and support your friends during different activities at camp?

We hope you’ll brainstorm and share your ideas with us! Submit them to Becky for a chance to have your inclusion idea featured in next week’s post!

Here’s an example to help get you started…

Fill in the blank:

When I am at (favorite peulah or activity at camp), I can help include my friends by (give a way to help include all friends).

When I am at T’filah, I can help include my friends by sitting next to them and helping them follow along in the Siddur.

Around the Shabbat Table

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