JORI working to change culture

In the wake of our country’s concern about the “Me Too Movement,” Camp JORI recognizes the need to be a safe place and have safe spaces. We have to strive to ensure that harassment, abuse and gender power dynamics become a thing of the past.

Camp JORI is taking the initiative to educate and provide resources to camp staff about preventing, identifying and reporting sexual misconduct, as well as creating a campaign to change camp culture around the issue of sexuality and gender expression.

Training will be done ahead of this, and next summer and throughout the year through in-person programs and online materials. We will be working with our staff and campers with sensitivity training led by licensed professionals as well as our seasoned senior staff.

Camp JORI encourages campers and staffers to report sexual pressure, misconduct, homophobic language and bullying at camp throughout the summer. Summer camps are a great place to begin to change the culture and attitudes of young people. Since camps are trying to develop the future leaders of our Jewish community, it only makes sense that camps begin the learning process of what the next generation of Jewish community leaders will look like. 

Our young people, both staff and campers, have the power to shift the culture and to influence change of our future relationships.

RICKY ‘CHIEF’ KODNER (ricky@campjori.com) is director of Camp JORI in Wakefield.