“We inspire those who will then inspire others.”
Molly Wernick, a staff supervisor at Habonim Dror Camp Galil, spoke these words to a room full of Jewish summer camp advocates at FJC’s board reception in Philadelphia, PA on July 12th. She was talking about the theory that guides her supervision: By seeing ourselves as personally responsible for inspiring our campers, they will one day want to be responsible for inspiring others, including perhaps (and hopefully) their own campers. Therein lies a major component of the camp lifecycle that turns campers into counselors, counselors into staff supervisors, and supervisors perhaps to program directors, assistant directors, and beyond.
It comes as no surprise, then, that Molly learned a lot of what’s behind her personal leadership style at camp:
“We have a responsibility to speak to the part of each camper and each staff member that is capable of changing the world. You need to believe that each one of them will do great things. This desire to take responsibility for and believe in people without a doubt comes from my life at Jewish summer camp.”
It starts with shaping young lives at camp–turning campers and counselors alike into leaders–and continues when these young people go out and do nothing short of changing the world.
Enjoy Molly’s speech, and we’d love to hear from you: How has camp has led you to change (even just a little part of) the world? Comment here, on our Facebook Wall, or on twitter using #jewishcamp.
-Joelle Asaro Berman, Communications Manager, Foundation for Jewish Camp