By Max Antman, Rosh Eidah of Gesher
When I am explaining my summer job to those outside of the camp world, I usually say something along the lines of, “I run a 7th-9th grade leadership unit at OSRUI, a summer camp in Wisconsin.” While I find this to be the most accurate way of describing Gesher, it almost always results in a multitude of questions, two of the most common being, “So what exactly is a leadership unit,” and “how do you go about teaching leadership to a group of kids?” People want to know if we use a leadership curriculum or training program, and are always very surprised when I assure them that in fact we do not. In essence, I explain, we teach leadership by providing madrichim (counselors) and chanichim (campers) with the platforms and opportunities needed to lead others. Our goal is for every madrich and every chanich to leave the session feeling as though they have contributed to its success, and it is this mentality that facilitates the growth of our young leaders.
In Gesher, we have two chugim (electives), one led by the moomchim (specialists) and the other led solely by Gesher madrichim. This provides our madrichim with a leadership opportunity unlike anything else at OSRUI. They must come up with a fun chug that chanichim will enjoy, prepare a two-week lesson plan, and then execute that plan effectively for the duration of the session. It is no easy task—as many of our madrichim have never before led an activity alone—but the results are astounding. This year, our madrichim-led chugim have including things like song leading, arts n’ crafts, women’s empowerment, environmental education, programming, Jewish identity, modular origami, health and fitness and outdoor wilderness training.
While these specialized chugim give our madrichim opportunties to lead in thought provoking and creative ways, they also give our chanichim opportunities as well. This year, our Programming Chug—also known as Leadership Programming Seminar—was responsible for planning several of our Tochniot Erev (evening programs), and in addition, was very involved in the planning of our Kallah/Gesher Buddy Programs. Our Women’s Empowerment and Environmental Education Chug—also known as Hippy Chug—was responsible for teaching the rest of Gesher about waste and how to we can minimize specifically food waste here at camp. They also put together a petition to try and get Jerry to put female protagonists in his Shabbat stories, and after a presentation with Jerry himself, got confirmation that his future stories will include strong, independent woman. Our songleading chug produced several wonderful up-and-coming songleaders, each of whom was given opportunities throughout the session to help lead Shira (song) sessions and T’fillot. Pictured above are Hannah (9th grade), Dima (7th grade) and Mira (8th grade), three campers with killer voices and some major guitar skills; they had the opportunity to play guitar in front of the whole camp at Shabbat dinner this week, and absolutely killed it. Finally, our leadership Chug had the opportunity to put on a schtick for all of camp at the Gesher Carnival, and our Arts n’ Crafts Chug was responsible for making several of the sets for that schtick and painting the benches around our medurah (firepit).
The chanichim who were not in any of the chugim listed above were given opportunities to lead in other ways. Some volunteered to lead the birkat hamazon (blessing after the meal) or make announcements after meals, and others helped teach songs and stomps to the rest of the eidah during down time. Some of our chanichim taught card games and magic tricks to their friends, while others helped lead their peers in the making of friendship bracelets. Pictured at the left is Tomer, a 9th grader from Israel. In this picture, Tomer is leading the Gesher chanichim in a program about the Israel National Trail known as shviel Israel. This program is not a new one at OSRUI, and while it is normally taught exclusively by members of the Mishlachat (Israeli delegation of madrichim), we thought it would be nice to get Tomer involved as well.
All of our chanichim were challenged to lead in a big way when it came to the Kallah/Gesher Buddy Programs. These programs—of which I have written about in previous blogs—were structured in a way that gave the Gesher chanichim opportunities to lead their buddies in different programs and activities. They also allowed for new friendships to blossom, and for Gesher chanichim to help their younger friends understand what OSRUI can and will be like when they are older. The picture below is of one of the best buddy pairings I have ever seen in the history of this program, Rachel and Ilana. These two were inseparable from the start, and I could see that both were gaining an unbelievable amount from the relationship. When speaking with Rachel, she said that she loved the program, and that she thinks it is a very important one. “As kids get older,” she said, “they are exposed to different situations that require them to work with younger children. The Kallah/Gesher Buddy Program is the perfect way to learn how to interact with those who are younger than you.”
One of my personal goals this summer was for every Gesher chanich and Gesher madrich to have the opportunity to lead something at some point, and I believe we succeeded in this respect. In Gesher, the theme of leadership permeates everything we do, from T’fillot and Limudim to chugim and Carnival. We give chanichim the opportunities to lead whenever we can, and while this may be most obvious during announcements, songleading chug, tochnit erev and other related activities, I think it is best illustrated in Siyum, a nightly ritual we began last summer.
Every night, the chanichim gather after all activities and programs have ended, and sit in one large circle. We sing a song—led by either madrichim or chanichim depending on the day—and afterwards, allow anyone with the desire to share, the space to say a high moment in the day, something that made it really special. It is after this that we conclude with one final song, Kumbaya. This song—of which we sing every night—has four parts; three harmonized back-up parts and a solo line. Each night, different chanichim come up to lead the eidah in the three harmonized back-up parts, and as we sing the beautiful chords together, we invite different madrichim and chanichim up to sing the solo. On the first few nights, only madrichim volunteered, but after some time the chanichim began doing so as well, and I can honestly say that it has become an absolutely amazing thing to experience. Having the strength and courage to be so vulnerable in front of all of your peers is quite remarkable, and the support and recognition that is given in return has brought me to tears on multiple occasions. It may seem as though we are just singing calming music before bed, but when you look a bit closer, it becomes clear that we are doing much more than that. We are giving our campers the space and the opportunity to become leaders in their community, and supporting that growth once they take the first step.
We do not teach a leadership curriculum in Gesher, nor do we use any formal training program, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t teaching leadership. Almost everything we do in Gesher is infused in some way with the skills and experiences needed to become leaders.
These past few years of Gesher have been unbelievably successful, and as a result, OSRUI has made a very exciting decision. In 2016, Gesher will no longer be during just the second half of the summer; it will be ALL SUMMER LONG! There will be a Gesher Aleph during weeks 1-2, Gesher Bet during weeks 3-4, and Gesher Gimmel during weeks 5-8. This decision is a sign that what we do in Gesher has a positive impact on these camper’s lives, and that while they are having a very fun time at camp, they are also leaving with skills and experiences that will aid in their future endeavors. An entire summer of Gesher means an entire summer of young leaders, and in my opinion, there can be nothing better.