When people think of summer camp, they picture sunny days and campfires. What they don’t always see is the training that happens behind the scenes — not just in June during pre-camp, but all year long.
In the lead up to camp, 350 summer staff from all over the world gather in Ortonville for several weeks of robust training, led by top industry professionals and practitioners. While this training is greatly beneficial and allows staff to get to know each other and become better, more equipped leaders, offering the premiere experience of Tamarack also requires more — with training and learning that doesn’t stop when the season ends.
One great example is the Camp Management Fellowship through the Foundation for Jewish Camp, which I was fortunate enough to participate in two years ago, prior to my summer as supervisor of Kaufman Specialty Village last summer (my third summer as a supervisor overall). This highly competitive program allows select supervisors to learn alongside peers from across the country. During the fellowship, they take an in-depth look into communication, feedback, accountability and what it really means to be a leader at camp and in the world. It is a valuable time and helps with one piece of Tamarack’s mission, developing people.
Six of our current supervisors were part of this year’s cohort:
- Molly (Shiffman)
- Aiden (DeRoy)
- Rebecca (Charach Sheruth)
- Evan (Wolfe)
- Arthur (Kaufman Specialty)
- Sari (Kahn Ruach)
Before working at camp, I thought of it as a fun summer job. But through training like this, I’ve realized camp offers leadership skills and connections I haven’t found anywhere else. Tamarack doesn’t just hire for the summer; it invests in the people who become a part of the family — I’ve seen these benefits in my own early professional journey. After graduating from Michigan State University this past May, I joined the Tamarack year-round Advancement team as the new marketing and communications coordinator.
Professional development opportunities like the ones Tamarack offers its staff make everything better for campers during the summer and the entire community.
