Jewish summer camps are adding mental health support to campers’ daily routines

As Canadian Jewish kids begin settling into their cabins and tents at overnight camp this month, they’ll find some of the camps are offering something extra: mental health support teams. Whether an on-site emotional support dog or a nighttime ritual of journaling positive achievements, camps are adding mental health components including 24-hour support professionals. They’re called “camper care directors” or “spiritual coordinators”. With training and degrees in social work and child psychology, they make sure the campers (and also camp counsellors) have the emotional support they need to deal with anxiety, bullying, eating disorders, severe homesickness and other mental health challenges that arise while they spend weeks away from the familiarity of parents and home. On this episode of The CJN Daily, we speak with Toronto social worker Lynda Fishman, the camper care team lead for Camp Shalom, in Gravenhurst, Ont., about why parents shouldn’t grab their car keys if they feel worried by their kids’ first letter home.

What we talked about

• Read about Canada’s first summer camp for Jewish LGBTQ children opening, in The CJN
• Read about the fire at Camp B’nai Brith of Ottawa over the winter, in The CJN
• Why visitors’ day was virtual at summer camps in 2022, in The CJN

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane (@jesterschest on Twitter). Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.