Inclusion at another Yachad summer program
NORTHWOOD, N.H. — For the first time, this summer individuals with special needs will be given an opportunity for educational and social experiences with full inclusion in Camp Yavneh.
Yachad, The National Jewish Council for Disabilities and Camp Yavneh, a mainstream overnight camp in Northwood, N.H., are partnering to offer a shadow program.
With the support of welltrained and highly motivated staff, Yachad members will be placed in mainstream bunkhouses. Yachad campers and their mainstream peers will participate together in camp activities such as swimming, boating, sports, arts and crafts, drama and learning, enabling special friendships within their bunk and with other children throughout the camp. The Yachad Shadow Program at Yavneh is a complete camping experience focusing on the development of social skills, fostering self-esteem and independence within a safe and secure environment.
“We are very excited to be partnering with Yachad to bring greater inclusion to Camp Yavneh,” said Debbie Sussman, director of Camp Yavneh, located 75 miles from Boston. “Yavneh’s K’lal Yisrael mission of ‘all Jews are one’ has guided us towards including a Yachad program. What could be better than to enable children with disabilities to be part of our warm community?”
Liz Offen, director of New England Yachad, agreed. “My husband attended Yavneh, as did my brothers, sons and niece. Yachad at Yavneh just makes sense. The camp is steeped in Jewish tradition and has been an established New England summer camp for generations. I know that many of our local children will love this new opportunity to be completely included in all aspects of the Yavneh experience. Families like mine have been returning to Yavneh for generations. Now children with disabilities have the opportunity to become a part of this tradition.”
According to Yachad’s director of summer programs, Dr. Joe Goldfarb, the camp will benefit from Inclusion as a new component. “We will work hand in hand with each other,” he said. “We are excited to see how the program will impact children and adults with special needs in an excellent camp setting.”
Limited registration for campers ages 8-14 is still available for Yachad at Camp Yavneh. For more information, visit yachad.org/summer, or contact yachadsummer@ou.org or call 212-613-8369.
To view the original article in the Jewish Journal of Massachusetts, click here.