Leaders Assembly

What is Leaders Assembly?
Biennially, hundreds of camp professionals, lay leaders, communal professionals, donors, and educators across all Jewish denominations come together at Leaders Assembly to…
…share best practices
…discuss opportunities for, and challenges facing, the field of Jewish camp
…celebrate Jewish camp and its impact on the Jewish future. 

This three day symposium, hosted by the Foundation for Jewish Camp, offers exciting speakers, dynamic workshops, and an informative exhibit hall.

When is Leaders Assembly?
March 23-25, 2014

Where is Leaders Assembly?
The Hyatt Regency New Brunswick in New Brunswick, NJ

Who should attend Leaders Assembly?
Jewish camp professionals:
• Benefit from skill-building workshops including sessions designed specifically for you in order to aid you in improving board relationships, education models, food sourcing, special needs programing, ways to work towards inclusivity at your camp, marketing, and more. 
• You will have many opportunities to network with other camp professionals from across the country and from your own region.

Camp lay leaders:
• Strengthen your relationships with your professional team through workshops designed just for you. 
• Lay the groundwork for change at your camp.
• Network with camp lay leaders from across North America and your own region to share best practices and confront common challenges.

Camp educators:
• Attend skill-building workshops designed just for you on creating an effective, authentic education model at camp.
• Figure out how to get the buy-in you need from your camps’ professional and lay teams to carry out your educational goals for 2012 and beyond.

Community leaders, federation professionals, and professionals at Jewish organizations:
• Meet other federation and community partners in specially designed programs to discuss the One Happy Camper program, celebrate our work, and share knowledge.
• Be a part of the innovation, energy, and impact surrounding the Jewish camp field—both across North America and in your region.
• Find new ways to make camp a top priority in your community.

Funders, and potential funders of Jewish camp projects:
• See the effects your dollars are having—and could have—on the future of the Jewish community.

Graduate students:
• See what a career in Jewish camp looks like.
• Mingle with camping professionals from across North America.

Other camp advocates:
• Participate in any of the conversations and workshops listed above.
• Learn from and network with camp professionals, lay leaders, educators, funders, grad students, and other Jewish communal professionals.
• Find out how you can get involved with the field of Jewish camp.

Learn more about LEADERS ASSEMBLY 2012
In 2012 Leaders Assembly convened 650 camp professionals and supporters to “REACH BEYOND THE BUNK” addressing the opportunities and challenges facing the field of Jewish camp.  It was the largest gathering of Jewish camp professionals to date and continued to push the envelope on raising the profile of Jewish camp.
The conference began with a day of skill building workshops giving camp professionals, educators, and lay leaders the tools they need to, among other things, improve customer service, hone their Jewish programming, and establish sustainable food programs at camp.

Day two was organized in a new innovative format; Peer-to-peer programming, was custom created by FJC and nationally known facilitator, Rae Ringel. This revamped, exciting new program gave participants plentiful networking opportunities plus the chance to choose and discuss what would help them REACH BEYOND THE BUNK in their camps and organizations.  These topic-driven conversations were enhanced by plenary experiences from Nancy Lublin, CEO of Dress for Success; Lenore Skenazy, founder of the book and blog, “Free-Range Kids,” and a panel discussion entitled “From High Ropes to Higher Ed” featuring President Richard M. Joel of Yeshiva University, Rabbi David Ellenson of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen of Jewish Theological Seminary, moderated by Dr. Charles “Chip” Edelsberg of the Jim Joseph Foundation

Some particpants said:
"We hope to bring the method of open space conversation into our staff orientation in some way. We are excited about the opportunities this will allow for staff to feel empowered to set the agenda for their own learning." - camp director

"Overall, I thought this session was very useful to help share learning (e.g., Philadelphia) with other community leaders both to give other communities strategies for success and opportunities to ask questions.  The session also offered an open forum to allow networking and relationship-building that should lead to future dividends." - federation professional

"We had five board members attend, including two who had not attended in the past, and all had a most positive experience.  It's really a pleasure to be able to bring lay leaders to such a program and know that, without a doubt, they will be well cared for and engaged." - camp director

"This was more than a Jewish camp conference, it was a Jewish education conference, demonstrating Jewish camp's integral and essential role in Jewish education." - Jewish camp supporter