Have you ever heard of the saying, “I live 10 for two?”
Typically, teens say this referring to the 10 months during the school year when they are students and the two months of the year during summer when they get to experience camp. When we hear this saying we tend to think of sleepaway camp; however, that doesn’t have to be the case.
Moshava Ba’ir, a day camp, demonstrates this perfectly. As a teen myself, I found it was a challenge deciding what I wanted to do during the summer and which program I wanted to join. Did I want to live away from home for weeks at a time, or did I want to be away from home during the day and be able to return in the evening? Did I want to be a participant in a program, or did I want to have a leadership role?
Working at Moshava Ba’ir seemed like the perfect mix. Day camps allow you to immerse yourself with campers in all the traditional camp activities during the day, while being able to recharge at night for the coming day. Regardless of what your job title is, you have responsibility over many children daily. This is a great leadership opportunity, allowing you to be a participant as a staff member in a large organized program while having adult staff to properly support you.. This is a perfect balance, which is why I chose to come back for a fifth year as a staff member this coming summer.
Teens applying to work at Moshava Ba’ir have many options as to what kind of role they would like, including partaking in activities or positions they are passionate about. From being a counselor to being part of the sports programs, lifeguarding, art, baking and many other categories, staff have numerous opportunities from which to choose when applying for a position. Regardless of your job title, where you come from or how old you are, all staff (tzevet) members are friendly and get to know each other throughout the course of the summer.
Moshava Ba’ir is infused with so much ruach each and every day. From the amazing field trip opportunities each week, to the onegs on Friday mornings which end the week on a high, the tzevet gets to experience it all and create e memories alongside their campers and fellow tzevet members. I also love meeting staff members who come from all over New Jersey and the greater tri-state area, and even Israel, including 75 teen olim who help create an inspiring environment infused with Hebrew and Israeli culture. Moshava Ba’ir creates summers for tzevet that they wish would never end. See you there this summer?!
Felicia Stendig is a freshman at Stern College and has been a staff member at Moshava Ba’ir since 2019.
