Now in its second year, our 5 Days/5 Ways program is an innovative Chesed camp targeting middle school students. The kids come together for one week over the summer to learn about and participate in acts of kindness, community service and good deeds throughout the area.
Focusing on a different theme each day, the camp instills Jewish values and teaches the kids skills in inclusion and consensus building. The goal of the program is for participants to develop a moral commitment to make others’ needs and concerns their own, and to learn to care about others in their community who are outside of their daily lives.
The camp first incorporates projects and activities that teach about Jewish values, and then puts their new skills into action by taking them out into the community. Kids spend their week packing donated clothing and school supplies for underprivileged kids, delivering sandwiches they made to senior centers, making and distributing dog toys to local pet stores and washing ambulances at the local volunteer ambulance corps, among other activities.
Kids exit the program feeling happy, involved and inspired to carry out their own acts of kindness. Watch a video from our pilot year to learn about the program and the impact it had on the participants:
To find out more about Areyvut’s 5 Days/5 Ways program, please contact Daniel Rothner at (201) 244-6702 or [email protected].
The IMPACT Travel Program is a collaborative effort with Tal Tours that facilitates teen summer service trips to interesting destinations such as Portugal, Uganda, Argentina and Costa Rica. Visit impactsummer.com to learn more!
