With summer well underway, Aleinu
is at it again working to keep our children safe.
Camp counselors are being trained
with Mashi Benzaquen, MSW, who facilitates the Aleinu Counselors’ Boot
Camp. These interactive workshops cover important topics pertaining to summer
camp, including Creating A Positive Camp Atmosphere and Dealing with Difficult
Campers and Situations. Counselors have the opportunity to share their past
experiences, ask questions, role-play real-life scenarios, and troubleshoot
hypothetical situations. Each year, counselors find these workshops stimulating
and thought-provoking, and most importantly, they always report walking away
with new tips and more knowledge about their summer jobs.
At the core of this training is
the Aleinu Camper/Counselor Contact Guidelines, which were compiled by rabbis
and mental health professionals with the intention of protecting children from
any and all forms of inappropriate touch or child abuse while in camp. While
these guidelines protect campers, it is always emphasized that they protect
counselors as well, by keeping them within certain guidelines and free of any
suspicion or accusation.
The Boot Camp concludes with a
research-based segment on Bullying Prevention that debunks many myths about who
bullies and victims are, and how to best deal with bullying situations. Though
prevention is the best cure, it is not unusual for counselors and camp
directors to contact Aleinu throughout the summer to consult with professionals
regarding the bullying and other situations that come up in camp.
Counselors truly benefit from
this training, as evidenced by their willingness to reach out to Aleinu for
further assistance in certain cases. For example, Mrs. Benzaquen recently
received a phone call from a group of counselors at a Los Angeles-based
overnight camp seeking guidance on a situation with a group of campers who were
being bullied. After reviewing certain aspects of their training and talking
through the specifics of this situation, the counselors felt prepared to handle
the situation with their campers more effectively, leading to a complete resolution.
If you are interested in training
your future camp counselors, please Contact Mashi Benzaquen at mbenzaquen@jfsla.org or call 310-247-0534 for more information.