Developing Our Young Adult Leaders: Weinstein Leadership Institute
by Jared Skoff, National Ramah Program Director
This week, 122 madrichim and madrichot (counselors), rashei edah (division heads), and Amitei Ramah (year-round Ramah Fellows) from across the Ramah Camping Movement joined together to participate in the Weinstein Winter Leadership Institute, an inspiring 3-day virtual staff training conference.
Typically hosted at Camp Ramah in Ojai, California, this year our participants brought their ruach (spirit), optimism, and passion for Ramah to the virtual space, gathering together to learn, share best practices, and create an immersive feeling of Ramah kehillah (community). From January 3-5, participants enjoyed learning from 40 Ramah educators and guest presenters, with 50 sessions to choose from over 3 days. (Click here to view the program for the conference.)
For the first time, the Weinstein Institute included incoming junior counselors (seniors in high school), who experienced Weinstein as an orientation to the transition from chanichim and chanichot (campers) to tzevet (staff). For this group, we also included nightly sessions to meet as a cohort with Ramah directors, who outlined the role of the madrich/madricha (counselor) as a camper care professional and team member.
Due to the virtual setting, we were able to include participants from across North America and Israel, including 20 Weinstein Fellows currently attending the Nativ College Leadership Program.
Fall Program
As another “first” this year, National Ramah has been pleased to offer the Weinstein Institute experience as a year-round fellowship, rather than a stand-alone conference.
In the fall, Weinstein Fellows participated in cohort sessions as part of “vaadot,” planning committees facilitated by Ramah leaders and senior educators. Each committee focused on a different topic that our Fellows wanted to prioritize and elevate in their work this kayitz (summer) at Ramah, including:
Israel Education
Anti-Racism Resources
Staff Wellness & Self-Care
Neurodiverse Inclusion and Differentiation
Experiential Camp Programming
70 Weinstein Fellows participated in our intensive fall orientation and vaad sessions, and we are eager to welcome the members of our Weinstein Institute cohort who joined the fellowship in January. During the winter and spring, Weinstein Fellows will follow a curriculum of counselor training workshops and hadracha meetings, with training cohorts divided by years of experience on staff.
The January Virtual Conference
This week’s Weinstein Institute featured a variety of opportunities to learn together, including keynote presentations, meetings by Ramah camp, and elective sessions.
Our Weinstein Institute participants learned important takeaways from our keynote presenters that they are eager to bring back to their Ramah camps.
Participants consistently named Yavilah McCoy’s session on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as their highlight of the conference. Yavilah McCoy is the CEO and executive director of Dimensions Educational Consulting, where she provides DEI training and consulting, particularly within the Jewish community and multi-faith communities. This fall, Yavilah has been training and consulting with a Ramah movement-wide cohort of 70 year-round and summer staff members, and spoke to Weinstein Fellows about practical ways to elevative DEI work in their role as madrichim and madrichot. Yavilah defined important concepts like intersectionality, racism, Ashkenormativity, and privilege, contextualized these ideas within the camp space, and emphasized our responsibility to address these topics at Ramah in order to effectively combat them, rather than avoid discussing them due to discomfort.
Our group also learned from Hanoch Piven, an award-winning Israeli illustrator, collage artist, educator, and “creative instigator,” who guided participants to explore their identity by modeling a self-portrait workshop that they can recreate this summer with their campers. Participants used household objects from their personal past to create self-portraits, and Hanoch shared strategies for channeling and trusting one’s intuition and creativity in artwork.
Weinstein participants enjoyed the opportunity to gather and discuss important movement-wide agenda items, while also gathering with the leadership of their own camp to discuss the practical details of what camp will look like this summer. In addition, they appreciated diving into topics they are passionate about through electives. Our 25 incredible elective sessions included:
Helping Campers Acclimate to Ramah in a Covid World
Queer Kehillah: Proactive LGBTQ+ Community Inclusion
Jewish Mindfulness at Camp
Bringing Israel to Ramah this Summer
Peulot Tzrif & Pod Programming
Examining Our Identities as a First Step Toward Antiracism
Ramah Behind The Scenes: The Business of Camp
Building an Inclusive Team: Valuing our Staff with Disabilities
Tips and Tricks to Successfully Make the Leap from Camper to Staff
While Weinstein included plenty of opportunities for structured learning, the conference also included spontaneous and planned moments of rejuvenation and fun. Listening to camp music in all-group sessions quickly erupted into spontaneous rikud (dance) parties, with camp directors and Weinstein Fellows alike dancing to Hebrew club music. “Ramah Family Feud”, a Yom Sport escape room, gratitude journaling, and mindfulness exercises were also interactive highlights of the conference that almost made us feel like we were together at camp.
In addition to our inspiring presenters, our Weinstein participants were truly responsible for bringing our virtual conference to life through their own innovation and teaching. We felt the magic of Ramah through their agenda setting and planning before the conference, the vaad presentations they delivered on their learning in the Fall, the educational programming brainstorms they developed, the creativity they brought to fun games and activities, and the wisdom they shared in divrei Torah and communal tefillah moments.
It is only fitting that we close with a few uplifting reflections that our Weinstein Fellows shared about the week:
“I really enjoyed coming together with the Ramah community to focus on camp for the first time in months. We all have a shared passion for being back at camp this year and that was clear in everyone's work.” - Talia Feldman, Poconos
“Weinstein was an incredible opportunity to connect with the greater camp kehillah. I left feeling empowered as a madricha, Jew, and Ramahnik. Weinstein reminded me of the power of Ramah.” - Tali Gordon-Knight, California
“At our camp session on the last day we played camp games, and it was probably the most fun I've ever had on Zoom.” - Abby Mehr, Wisconsin
“During such unprecedented times, the Weinstein Institute is a reminder that we are always connected to the Ramah mishpachah. In January or July, in California or on Zoom, it is truly inspiring to see so many individuals come together, united by our passion for Ramah and desire to be better leaders within the Ramah community.” - Dani Amster, Nyack
“This year has been a year of immense change. The Weinstein Conference echoed the tone of the year, addressing important issues in our society that are often overlooked. I was incredibly impressed with NRC’s transparency and thoughtfulness when addressing difficult issues. Ramah’s commitment to implementing these shifts to ensure that camp is a place where everyone feels safe was clear.” - Emily Einhorn, Canada
“I always knew that there were hundreds of Ramahniks out there like me who have such a passion for learning together, laughing together, praying together, and ensuring we help make camp the most transformative and special place it can be for others, but to be together with so many of them at one time was truly an experience like no other.” - Becca Weinberg, Galim (Northern California)
We are eager to continue learning and growing together with our Weinstein Fellowship cohort during our spring hadracha sessions and staff training workshops!