Introducing changes to the
Dor L'Dor Israel Program
An update from Jonathan Cohen,
President of The Cohen Camps
Dear Cohen Camps community,

 The Dor L'Dor Israel Program and CA/CAT/CIT programs have some big changes ahead! We are very excited about this new direction and what it will do for our teens at Camps Pembroke, Tel Noar, and Tevya.

I'm writing to give you an update on our plans, and to share the reasons for this evolution. While these changes most affect our oldest campers, the whole community will benefit and grow. All of us at The Cohen Camps recognize that change can be hard, and we greatly appreciate the ongoing partnership of everyone in this camp family.
FAMILIES OF SUMMER 2019 DLD-ELIGIBLE TEENS:
Thank you to the those of you who have already contacted us with questions. Now that we have progressed further in the planning, we have more to share, and I hope you will find most answers below. We look forward to seeing some of you at the upcoming DLD Summer 2019 Family Information Session on Sunday, November 4. By sharing this information in advance, we’ll plan to focus that day on the Israel portion of next summer’s program.
About the fresh DLD and Leadership Development Programs
Jewish life and learning at camp will continue to culminate in the Dor L'Dor (Generation to Generation) Israel Program for our oldest campers. Those completing 10th grade will join peers from all three Cohen Camps for an intensive four weeks in Israel, a trip that is physically, spiritually, and intellectually stimulating. Returning to camp, DLD teens will take on a new role, sharing their Israel exposure with younger campers and furthering their leadership learning.

In Summer 2020, teens who have completed 11 th grade may apply for a position in the first cohort of our new, dedicated Leadership Development Programs at Pembroke, Tel Noar, and Tevya. These teens will participate in a full summer of focused learning and leadership experience. Mentored by senior staff, and in weekly training and reflection sessions, teens will leave these summer experiences with meaningful skills, hands-on experience, and substantial training to put on their resumes for college and other employment. This will be their first step in a journey as a staff member, in a role that we expect to be as impactful as an internship, applicable both at camp and beyond.

While we are still evaluating costs for the Leadership Development Program, we expect that it will be no more than 50% of the usual full season tuition. As is our usual practice, financial assistance will be available to families that require it.
Why these changes?
Each year, about 115 teens travel to Israel with DLD—totaling 2,415 teens since DLD’s launch in 1996. Through annual parent and teen surveys, we have studied our families’ recent feedback and our teens’ experiences in Israel and at camp. The results have led to several years of staff discussion and consideration.

DLD families have said that they would prefer a DLD program that costs less.

Additionally, it has become clear that the current structure is trying to do so much that it is not serving our teens as well as possible:
  • Making time for counselor-related training during the trip in Israel sometimes limits time for the richness of being immersed in the Israel adventure. Additionally, many teens have a difficult time enjoying and fully appreciating the trip with worry and reminder of becoming a staff member hanging over them.
  • The Israel experience is intense, with new sights, tastes, and adventures every day. Five weeks is a long time. Families have reported—and our staff has observed—more of our teens experiencing exhaustion or anxiety as the trip continues.
  • Quality Israel-based staff consider four weeks their standard. Setting our program at five weeks has limited our hiring pool.
  • Teens have told us that they need time to decompress and process their experiences after they get back to the US. Some also want additional time to prepare for fall AP classes. Doing so (or even catching up on sleep) at camp can be at odds with jumping into a leadership and learning role.
  • Quality camper care is essential. It’s not fair to the program’s teens—nor, indeed, to younger campers—to ask them to learn to provide quality care in two weeks. They deserve more thorough training.
  • Teens love the community service experiences they have in Israel. Parents and teens have asked for community service to become a greater part of our US-based program.
  • American Camping Association rules restrict the number of under-18-year-olds a camp can hire, which is why First Year Counselor slots have been limited. The new structure will eliminate that restriction so that more teens can return in the year following Dor L’Dor and, after that, as First Year Counselors.

How will the Dor L’Dor Israel Program be different starting in Summer 2019?
  • The Israel trip will now be four weeks instead of five, to reduce exhaustion and improve the experience. This summer’s trip will be a few days longer than four weeks, due to airline scheduling to and from Boston.
  • Dor L’Dor tuition will be lower than in recent years. We are still awaiting exact 2019 costs from Keshet, our Israel educational partner. We will know and share that with those considering DLD in Summer 2019 at the November 4 family meeting.
  • The Israel program will get to spend more time focused on the Israel experience and general leadership through a Jewish lens now that counselor-skill-related training can be omitted. Our program changes each year, so we will have more flexibility this year to extend/add meaningful experiences.
  • Our teens will have four full days at home instead of two, so that they can return to camp more rejuvenated. Returning on a Friday to a centralized location, they will board buses and be at camp in time for Shabbat. This extra time also allows our DLD staff to be better prepared for the time back at camp, too.

What will be the DLD teen experience back at camp?
  • While the specifics of the camp-based portion are still in development, a social action component will enable the teens to explore tikkun olam and perform community service at camp and in the community near their camp.
  • The teens will participate in staff-led reflection on their Israel experiences with the teens they grew up with at camp—a different experience than processing their travel with their mixed-camp bus groups.
  • Younger campers look forward to the weekly Shabbat updates sent in by the Dor L’Dor travelers. The camps are exploring ways for the teens to create programs for the younger campers through which they can share their excitement and be role models in conveying the personal value they found in connecting with the historical, religious and cultural aspects of the State of Israel. The teens will not need to focus on camper care. We will have more information about this part of the experience to share with Summer 2019 DLD families at the March 2019 DLD orientation meeting.
How are we thinking about the Leadership Development Program?
Teens taking part in the Leadership Development Program will gain much more training and mentoring than the previous DLD back-at-camp portion and additional First Year Counselor program was able to provide. When these teens come back as First Year Counselors in their summer before the intensity of college, they will be better prepared, with an extra year’s maturity and distance from their “camper days.”

More teens will be able to participate in this new program than we can hire currently as First Year Counselors, so more teens will be able to return to camp and their friends. Teens will apply and interview for this program, with selection based on the commitment and caring they have shown previously at camp and on Dor L’Dor. Teens who choose not to go on DLD will still be eligible to apply, although some preference will go to those who completed the DLD program.

It is likely that participants in the Leadership Development program will live together in dedicated housing—we plan to build small yurt villages at each camp, with privacy away from campers—so that they will continue to bond with friends. We envision that they will get to enjoy some out-of-camp trips and have some counselor-like benefits such as access to technology. Understanding that this summer is important as the teens prepare to apply to college, we will include skills training, time management, self-care, and goal setting that the teens will be able to experience, articulate, and use in the fall.

You may be interested in these articles about the benefits of camp counselor roles in teens’ futures:

We want your perspective and input!
Over the next several months, we will reach out and invite input from the Cohen Camps community to help shape the objectives and direction for the Leadership Development Program. We will send out surveys and invitations to focus groups, while also studying the best practices and innovations from other camps with related efforts. Your involvement will help us ensure that the ultimate program addresses the needs of our families and community and serves as a leading-edge opportunity that will benefit our young people, our staff, and our camps. We will continue to share updates as we have them.
FAMILIES OF SUMMER 2019 DLD-ELIGIBLE TEENS:
As mentioned above, we’ll focus the November 4 meeting on the Israel portion of the program. However, we’ll set aside a few minutes for Q&A about the changes overall. If you have such questions, I’d love to hear from you in advance so we may try to have answers on hand for you that day. Please keep in mind that we are in the early stages now and may not have answers to all questions.
Thank you for your interest and attention, and for being a part of the Cohen Camps family!

Warmly,
Jonathan -sig
Jonathan Cohen
President, The Cohen Camps
781.489.2070