Blog

This past summer I was able to be a part of the URJ Camp Coleman counselor-in-training program. It was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I have been going to sleepaway camp for more than half my life so when Camp Coleman offered their Machon or counselor-in-training program it was a no-brainer that I would do it.  The only concern I had was that almost no one that I grew up going to camp with was planning on going back. Camp Coleman is split up into two four-week sessions. I had grown up always going first session along with almost all the people who attended from Atlanta. When the applications for Machon came out I jumped at the opportunity knowing that this would be my last summer at camp before I had the responsibility of being a counselor. Unfortunately, only me and five other people from my session signed up for the program. 

This wasn't the biggest problem for me as I had gone to Israel the previous summer so I had already made a lot of friends from the second session, but I was still taken aback by the small amount of people from my session. I had to wrap my mind around the fact that I would not be at camp with the people that I had made so many memories with. I decided that this would be a good opportunity to not just make new friends but new memories as well. 

There are three different tracks in the Machon program that you can be a part of. The eight-week track consists of living in the Machon Village (the only place in the camp that was Machon only),  being paired with a unit,  lifeguard training, and just learning general leadership skills about being a counselor for one session.  The Machon would then live in cabins and essentially be a third counselor for the second session. The six-week track allows you to spend two weeks in Atlanta volunteering and then go to Camp  Coleman for the second session and do everything the eight-week Machon did first session. Finally, there is the five-week track which camps in the Georgia mountains, while learning wilderness training for a week, and then joining the six-weekers at camp for the second session. 

I decided to do the six-week track and I am so happy this is what I chose. I got to spend two weeks going around Atlanta and volunteering in multiple different ways. We spent the weekdays volunteering at Camp Best Friends, where I got partnered with five-year-old boys who were always entertaining. I got to spend the weekend delivering food to those in need and volunteering at a food pantry. This was special to me because out of the total 45 Machon, I was only one of three from Atlanta and I was the only six-weeker from Atlanta. It was incredibly impactful for me to help people in my city. We also go to attend two different Shabbat services while in the city, one at Kol Emeth and one at my very own Temple Sinai. I was so excited to bring my friends there and let them experience a Temple Sinai Shabbat. 

After the two weeks were up we made our way to camp. I was both nervous and excited. I hadn't been to camp in almost two years at that point, and I had never been second session with a whole new set of people. Once that first day had started it was like I had never left. It was unlike any summer I had or will ever experience. I had freedoms like the staff members, like staying up late and attending some staff programming. However, I didn't have to face the responsibilities that come with being a staff member, all the while creating new bonds and friendships. I also learned so many new skills. I learned how to be a counselor and manage when a camper struggles. I became lifeguard certified, which is a skill I can take with me. The thing that I find most valuable is that I became ASIST-certified. ASIST means Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. I am now certified to help someone who is feeling suicidal find help and prevent themselves from making harmful actions, and this is knowledge that I will take with me forever. 

Overall this past summer was the best one yet of all my 11 summers with  URJ summer programming. I made new friends, I learned new life skills, and I got to connect with and better my community. I will never forget the summer of 2023 and I will always look back on it with fond memories, and it would not have been made possible without the Wynne Family and their generosity.