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in
the

A Peaceful Shelter

Jewish camps
proactively serve the
mental health needs
of young people.

two fulltime social workers on staff and
another specifically dedicated to working
with young boys. Tamarack trains all its
staffers in suicide and self-harm preven-
tion, as well as how to
help campers deal with
anxiety. A Camper Care
Team is staffed with doc-
ROB STREIT JN INTERN
tors, nurses, social work-
ers and parent liaisons
ummer camp is a rite of passage for
to help kids if problems
most Jewish youths. The formative
arise.
experiences camp affords young
“Camp is really a reflec-
Franki Bagdade
adults often carry over into real-world
tion of what’s going on
application, such as teamwork and the
in the community and
ability to adapt.
society, and we’re seeing
But as any teen or parent knows,
the same things the whole community is
these can be the most turbulent years in
seeing,” says Franki Bagdade, Tamarack
someone’s life. Mental health issues often
director of camper care.
manifest themselves during this time —
“We’re seeing an increase in anxiety
frequently undiagnosed or untreated.
and mental health concerns happening
Summer camp presents teens with social
at younger ages, so that’s why we’ve been
situations that can
proactive, and we’ve more than doubled
sometimes be stress-
our social worker support in the last five
ful, which can trigger
years,” Bagdade says.
feelings of isolation or
Rabbi Avi Orlow, vice president of
depression.
program and innovatin for the New York-
What happens when
based nonprofit Foundation for Jewish
a young person experi-
Camp, says camp should provide an
ences a mental health
escape for kids.
crisis at camp?
“Camp itself can serve as a protective
Ron Polster
“There is an awareness factor, creating a sukkat shalom (peaceful
of the stigma around
shelter) from the busy lives of kids and
mental health,” says
teens today,” he says. “While at camp, they
Camp Ramah in Canada Director Ron
are in a safe and welcoming environment
Polster. “It’s important to talk about.”
and have far less exposure to harmful peer
The Ontario-based camp hosts about
pressure, social media, electronics and
400 kids at any given time and has four
other external factors that may negatively
social workers on staff who work as parent impact mental health.”
liaisons. Campers undergo a pre-summer
Teen mental health has received a good
screening before arriving at camp.
deal of attention lately given the rise of
“We have meetings with campers and
school shootings. The Centers for Disease
families as problems arise, or we might
Control and Prevention says one in four
talk with therapists back home,” Polster
children in the U.S. is affected by an anxi-
says.
ety disorder, and 80 percent never receive
Tamarack Camps in Ortonville has
treatment. Suicide rates among teens age

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July 5 • 2018

jn

15 to 19 have been climbing since the late
2000s. Males are more likely to commit
suicide, though the rate for females is the
highest since 1975.
Camp counselors and administrators
are faced with the difficult task of identify-
ing campers who are showing early signs
of mental illness.
“We are always cognizant of kids hang-
ing out by themselves,” Polster says. “There
are so many staff and specialists that outli-
ers are identified quickly. Kids often will
come to counselors directly with issues.”

RISING AWARENESS

Administrators have noticed campers
using the mental health services available
to them at an increasing rate. It may be
part of a larger pattern.
“It goes up every year. If you’re read-
ing newspapers, following the media and
trends everywhere, it’s happening in our
country and it is certainly happening
here,” Bagdade says. “I think we’re talking
about it more, which is amazing, and more
people are able to get treatment. But we
are seeing a higher prevalence.”
Camp Ramah has seen a similar uptick.
“In a positive way, it’s talked about more.
There are more occasions to talk about it,
and people are more comfortable,” Polster
says.
Nationwide, camp
administrators are try-
ing to get ahead of any
issues that may arise
during the summer.
“We have heard from
camp professionals that
they have made adjust-
Rabbi Avi Orlow
ments to their intake
forms to glean additional
information from fami-
lies to be able to care for campers through-
out the summer in various situations,”
Orlow says.

CAMP RAMAH

sponsored
by our
community
partners

Getting help early can lead to better
outcomes for teens. The CDC says mental
disorders are chronic illnesses, which may
persist throughout someone’s life. Without
proper diagnosis and treatment, problems
at home or school often arise and may
continue into adulthood.

A PROACTIVE APPROACH

Camps are taking a holistic approach
to helping teens struggling with mental
health issues. Instead of dealing with prob-
lems as they arise, camps take preventa-
tive measures to ensure campers’ needs
are met.
Tamarack’s Bagdade encourages the
entire staff to check in with each camper
on a one-on-one basis every day.
“That’s not just the responsibility of the
bunk counselor, but also the responsibil-
ity of our lifeguards and our art specialists
and our dance teachers — everyone who
is part of camp, so we’re giving the invita-
tion for campers to share with us if they
are struggling,” Bagdade says.
Teens who struggle at camp oftentimes
become counselors themselves as they get
older. They frequently form a bond with
a particular staff member and want to
provide that kind of support to younger
campers who may be working through
similar issues.
“It happens all the time. I get that reason
often during interviews,” Bagdade says.
“People want to come back because they
felt like they were really supported by our
staff or by some of our amazing counsel-
ors who were mentors to them. Those
staff really connect so beautifully with our
campers who are struggling.”
There is a similar retention rate at Camp
Ramah.
“They kept coming back to camp, and
some are our head staff. We have a 90
percent return rate in campers and staff,”
Polster says. “It’s a continuum.”•