Camp Ramah in New England's View From the Heights

Machon Drafts Roles, Drafts Self

On Tuesday afternoon, adat haMachon welcomed the remaining members of our family to camp for second session, and it has been wonderful to finally have the group complete. At 71 campers, we have begun preparing for our next four weeks together. Right away, 25 campers auditioned for the Machon play, Aladdin, premiering on Thursday, August 11, and rehearsals, designing, choreographing, and other preparations are beginning immediately.

On Wednesday evening after enjoying the music of Rick Recht, Machon was privileged to attend a masterclass run by our very own Eyal, a staff member in bunk 62 and the camp's cartooning specialist. Concluding our day of learning about graffiti and its impact on Israeli culture on Monday, Machon learned how to make its own graffiti and well. Eyal showed us all how to jazz up the way we write letters, how to draw cartoon faces, and the in's and out's of shadows and inflection. These skills will be put to the test right away as we design and construct tzedakah boxes on Friday. Stay tuned for more updates and photos from that project! 

Below are a few photos of last night's Machon Cartooning Night:

Machon Lipdub!

Check out this incredible lipdub, created by the campers and staff of edat ha-Machon!

This was part of their Yom Social Media, in which (in addition to creating an awesome lipdub) they learned about the power of social media to connect, to inspire, to hurt, and to raise awareness.

Machon Big Brothers / Big Sisters a Huge Success

As part of their community service this summer, a number of Machon campers are serving as pioneers in Ramah New England's brand new MachAch program. MachAch (short for Machon Achim, Hebrew for Machon brothers / sisters) matches a Machon camper with an Ilanot (entering 4th or 5th grade) or Solelim (entering 6th grade) camper for the summer. At various points throughout the week, each MachAch meets with his/her buddy to play games together, hang out with other friends, talk about their week, or share Shabbat-o-grams on Friday evening. The feedback from the program has been fantastic. Many Ilanot/Solelim campers tell their madrichim (counselors) how much they look forward to seeing their MachAchim, and the MachAchim have really taken to their new leadership role in camp. During the Zimkudiyah (camp-wide performing arts performance) for example, the MachAchim were watching the Ilanot and Solelim song and dance with pride, searching for their buddies in the crowd and pointing out to their friends what a great job their buddy was doing.

"I feel great to be able to have a positive impact on his summer" said one MachAch, reflecting on the program. Another explained: "it's challenging sometimes, but I think this is what it will be like to be in Nivonim next year, or a counselor in a few years."

Aside from the experience of sharing their summer with another camper, the MachAchim are learning skills in responsibility, time management, camp-counseling, conflict resolution, and interpersonal communication. While many of the MachAchim are looking forward to spending the next 4 weeks with their buddies, many others are disappointed to see their buddies leave when the first session ends on Sunday. However, all are excited to meet their new MachAch buddies when the second session begins on Tuesday.

Here are some photos of our MachAchim with their buddies during "Bechirot" (options) time this week.

 

Machon Etgar

I love this beautiful photo from our Machon Etgar (Outdoor Adventure) trip:

 

Photos From Machon Etgar!

Our Machon campers triumphantly returned to camp this afternoon, tired but extremely happy, after having completed their Etgar (outdoor adventure) trips!  Here are a few snapshots:

 
 
 

Machon Etgar: Day Two!

From Rami Schwartzer, Rosh Machon:

Today was a fabulous full day for all five of our Machon etgar groups!

The backpacking crew completed the long trek up Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire, the second most popular mountain in the world to climb. As they approached the top, supporting each other along the way with stories, songs, riddles, and encouragement, the hike turned more into a climb as they ascended the rock face of the mountainside. At its peak, the hikers enjoyed a 360 degree view of the surrounding Appalachian Mountains. Stunning views, remarkable camraderie.

 

Our biking group began the day at the Quabbin reservoir from where they departed on a 14-mile bike ride. Spirits are high and all felt incredibly accomplished as they sat around the campfire earlier this evening.

 

Our two canoeing groups advanced further along the CT river today, catching sight of several eagles and other fascinating wildlife along the way. At the end of the day, the rowers lined up along the river bank and all together shouted out the struggles that were on their mind, allowing the river to hold on to them instead of weighing the campers down. All felt relieved and moved by the experience.

 

Finally, our fifth group spent the day rapelling down a mountain and is gearing up for a day of caving tomorrow, after which all groups will return "home" to Palmer.

 

Stay tuned for photos and more stories!

Rosh Machon Reports in on Day One of the Machon Etgar!

Rosh Machon Rami Schwartzer sent in this report from the first day of the Machon Etgar (outdoor adventure):

This morning Machon departed on etgar for three days and two nights of camping and outdoor challenges. Five groups of about 8-10 people each left for various destinations in New England. Our canoeing groups rowed 6 miles down the CT river, ending with a victorious dive into the water for a refreshing and much needed swim. Our rock-climbing group scaled 3 large rocks today and is preparing for a day of rapelling tomorrow.

The biking team took a ride outward from the Quabbin reservoir near camp and will continue their journey in the morning. And our backpacking group hiked several miles to the base of Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire, with all of their equipment on their backs, preparing to climb its peak tomorrow. All are well and in high spirits!

 

All of our groups are looking forward to another great day filled with challenges, excitement, and unforgettable experiences. Stay tuned.

Machon Medurah: Mine, Yours, and the Fire's

Machon loves campfires. The medurah (campfire) is a safe and sacred space in which the group can come together intimately to share, sing, learn, and grow, and we took advantage of this opportunity just last night. Around our medurah, which is beautifully tucked away in the seclusion of a clearing in the woods, we opened up to each other in a program called "sheli, shelcha, v'shel eish" (Mine, Yours, and the Fire's). In the crackling and sizzling of the wet wood, each hanich (camper) listened for the sound of their greatest struggle right now — be it a recent challenge at camp or a life-long character struggle — and wrote it down on one strip of paper. Next, each hanich listened in the crackling of the fire for the sound of something inspiring about the person sitting to their left and wrote that down on a second slip of paper. On a third slip of paper, each hanich wrote down a goal of theirs that they hope to accomplish this summer at camp.

After collecting our thoughts with only the sounds of the fire in our ears, a number of hanichim stood up in turn to read off their struggle, walked to the center of the circle, and cast that struggle into the fire. These struggles no longer belong to us: they belong to the fire. "Shel eish." Next, we all passed the second piece of paper to the person on our left. These also do not belong to us — the inspiration we take from the person next to us belongs to our friend. "Shelcha." And lastly, we all stood up to share with pride our goal for the summer, and then stowed that slip of paper in our pocket. These goals DO belong to us and we need to keep them close. "Sheli."

As we all embark on a journey here at camp, this is the recipe for success. We cast off the burdens of our struggles, we support each other and rely on that support, and we keep our goals clear and close. "Sheli, shelcha, shel eish." May we all in Machon support each other to see our goals through.

Machon Launches Service Projects

In line with our goals of global awareness (re'iyah rechava) and social justice, adat haMachon began their summer-long service projects this week! The edah is engaged in three different social action projects in the camp community, each totaling 2-3 hours per week.*

Nine Machon campers are serving as Machon Helpers, a long-standing program that gives our campers the chance to interact with the Amitzim (special needs) program at camp. Twice per week, the Machon Helpers swim with Amitzim, both facilitating mainstream social interactions for the Amitzim campers as well as helping the Amitzim staff run the swim period. In addition, these campers spend one hour per week in a seminar with senior staff in Amitzim to debrief and discuss the program and special needs as a whole.

Ten Machon campers are serving as Bonim B'Ramah (Ramah builders), and are working to physically contribute to the camp space through significant renovations. As a group they have decided to take on the project of refurbishing the amphitheater on A-side, a space used frequently as a Shabbat prayer space, meeting place for the drama chug (elective), and other groups in camp. The group will spend almost 10 hours this summer cleaning, washing, and staining the old wood of the amphitheater to beautify and preserve this space for many years of campers to come.

Twenty five Machon campers are serving as Machon Achim (Mach Ach for short), a brand new big brothers / big sisters program (achim means brothers / sisters). Each Mach Ach was paired with a camper in Ilanot or Solelim (our two youngest edot) to serve as a role model, buddy, and friend for the summer. Our Machon Achim will spend 2-3 hours per week during unstructured time with their buddy, helping with camp's goals of fostering positive social relationships for all of our campers, especially those that may have trouble adjusting to camp life.

Check back for more updates on the progress of Machon's service projects and the way they help us to develop a re'iyah rechava, a broader perspective on life.

 

* Up to 10 community service hours available upon request. Please inquire in the camp office.

Machon 2011: Broadening Perspectives

One of the missions for Machon this summer is to take an active role in improving and contributing to our community through a series of community service projects at camp. Fitting in with our theme of re'iyah rechava, having a broad perspective, these projects will allow our hanichim (campers) to spend 2-3 hours every week engaged with the larger Camp Ramah in New England community. On Wednesday evening, the hanichim were introduced to our projects through a peulat erev (evening activity) modeled after a classic "choose-your-own-adventure" novel. Divided into groups, each group was challenged with a series of decisions concerning interpersonal relationships, environmental problems, and the choice to try new things outside ones comfort zone. As groups made critical - and difficult - decisions, many of which mimic real life scenarios they face, they were thrust into new situations that reinforced the ripple effect of all of our actions. After discussing the outcomes of their decisions and relating them to camp, the Machon hanichim were introduced to their own projects for the summer. One group, called Machon Helpers, will spend a few hours each week working with our Tikvah (special needs) campers; our Bonim B'Ramah group will spend the summer engaging in various refurbishing and beautification projects to put more honor into our physical camp space and to leave their legacy at camp; and our Mach Ach (ach means brother in Hebrew) program allows Machon hanichim to serve as big brothers / big sisters to some of our youngest hanichim in camp to help make their first experience at camp a positive one.

The Machon hanichim are eager to begin their volunteer projects in camp, and the staff is proud of the group's enthusiasm. We look forward to seeing the magic unfold.