I can't think of a better word to describe the Camp DROR 2018 experience! Both the staff members and campers enjoyed their time, engaged in meaningful activities, and made close friendships. Huge thanks to Esti, our incredible director, as well as co-directors, Meira Wolff and Nitzan Alfasi for putting together a great program. The photo above was on our camp shirts to remind us of our philosophy-the sky is the limit!
We had nearly 50 girls join camp for 3 weeks. Each group of 10 had a counselor who handled any questions and assited with the group dynamics. Each day included a group briefing and debriefing, so the girls could process and learn from the activities each day, thereby adding to the growth of self-confidence and team building.
We did some hiking in the Bet Shemesh area, where we discussed the beauty of the Land of Israel and painted nature scenes which were given to the women's' shelter. We attended the Dialogue in the Dark exhibit at the Holon Children's Museum, where the girls could step into the shoes of a blind person and discuss what that felt like. Another yearly highlight is Deerland in Gush Etzion where the girls faced their fears and rappelled across the forest!
A large component of the DROR message is the importance of giving back to others. We spent time with seniors at Melabev, with children in a special needs Gan, and delivered food packages for Lemaan Achai.
We held our highly anticipated Krav Maga workshop, where the girls learned self-defense skills and discussed body image; two very important aspects of growing into the teenage life. Other sports activities included a salsa class, basketball, Machanayim, and Zumba. Finally, we had some other creative workshops, such as jewelry making with DROR's founder, Sima, cake decorating, a cooking competition, and tie-dye.
Our goodbye party was bittersweet, celebrating what we had learned and the friendships we had made. We all felt we had gone through a meaningful process within camp and so appreciated the hard work that went into each activity.
We'd like to offer a special thanks to the Jewish Women's Foundation at the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey for their generous tee shirt sponsorship. Full photo gallery here.
We wish our entire #TEAMDROR a relaxing summer and enjoyable holiday period. Plans for DROR 2019 are underway! See you all in the fall!