Perhaps There is Hope...אולי יש תקוה - Lamentations 3:29

Friday night services two weeks ago were the most ordinary and, simultaneously, the most extraordinary services of the summer.  Mincha was led by Rachel, Shir HaShirim was read by Noam and candles were lit by Shelby.  Kabbalat Shabbat was led by Jonathan, Ma’ariv was led by Tyler and the d’var Torah was given by Ari.  Sounds like every other Friday night at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin.  What made this ordinary Erev Shabbat so extraordinary?  The people who led services all came from the Tikvah Aidah, our special needs program,  and the Atzmayim Program.  Several of the campers have Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome.  One of the campers was born both blind and deaf, and he led Ma’ariv.  There was something else that felt ordinary about this extraordinary group leading services: it was totally typical of camp.  Tikvah and our independent living skills program, Atzmayim, are such an embedded part of camp that nobody thinks twice when Tikvah/Atzmayim participants take public leadership roles.

Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and the entire Ramah camping movement are, and historically have been, at the forefront of partnering with the special needs community to design and create programs for this extraordinary group.  Some of our camps take a more “mainstreaming” approach where participants live in typical camper cabins with special assistants and extra staffing.  Others, like here at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, take a hybrid approach where Tikvah campers have their own cabins and specialized staff, are connected to either the Bogrim or Machon aidot, and participate in both “typical” camp aidah activities as well as those designed just for them.  Our camps differentiate our programs so that a wide variety of special needs can be met in ways that will insure the greatest success.  As is so often the case, it is the so-called “typical” campers who partner with Tikvah campers and staff members of Tikvah who are most transformed by the experience.  They become ambassadors for and often choose to become professionals in the field of special needs education as a result of their experience with the Tikvah program.

What follows are the words of ARI SCHNEIDER-GANS, a graduate of the Tikvah program and participant in the Atzmayim program, which he shared with the entire camp on Friday night:

Shabbat Shalom.

Tikvah. This common Hebrew word, meaning “Hope,” has been used all throughout Jewish history. It can be found in so many places that the Israeli national anthem takes the word for its title: HaTikvah. The word has also meant a lot to me in my own life. Six years ago, I came to Camp Ramah in Wisconsin with almost no hope. I had struggled at other summer camps and was pessimistic about my chances for success. In 2007, my father told me that he wanted to send me to an environment that was friendly for people like me. He found the Tikvah program here and as they say: Vizohi Rak Hahatchalah- This was only the beginning.

When I first started Tikvah I was the only person standing in my circle. But during my summers here I began to see myself growing and changing in positive ways. Tikvah helped me make these changes—not by forcing a new perspective on me, but by helping me realize my own potential. It took a growing circle of people here to guide me to that conclusion. The Tikvah tzevet I had over the years--Ralph Schwartz, Barak Lanes, Joseph Eskin, and especially Daniel Olson--struggled with me in some areas. But for every hard time there was a learning experience for me, and possibly even for them.

The circle gets bigger with all of the friends who supported me too. They were my Tikvah aidah-mates, of course. They shaped my summers by sharing brilliant ideas for Tikvah Lunch Theaters, and filling my free time with fun antics. They are my friends for life.

The circle is completed by all the Machon aidot that spent their summers with Tikvah. Without Machon ’07, ’08, ’09 and ’10, many fun things like the plays we did, the sports we played, and chaver time in particular would not have been nearly as fun. I would like to ask anyone who has ever been in that circle—Tikvah campers, Tikvah staff, and Machon chaverim, past and present—to rise. Na Lakum. Look how big this circle is! I realize now, six years later, because of all of you, that my time in Tikvah was one of the best times of my life. 

If Tikvah was designed to help me feel comfortable in my own skin, Atzmayim is helping me discover an even bigger circle: the adult world. I was nervous to begin this program because I was so comfortable as a Tikvah camper. After much encouragement from Ralph Schwartz and Margaret Silberman, however, I was willing to give it a shot. I now work at the Olson Memorial Library in Eagle River, which has friendly staff and provides an easy-going environment. Working at the library really has been a benefit to me, and it helped me get a job at a radio station back home.

My work at the library would not have been as successful without the daily social and job skills class we have led by Scott Rosen. Scott is a very helpful individual who is full of insight and knowledge, and he has helped to fuel my summers in Atzmayim even when I was having a difficult time. Indeed, in both Tikvah and Atzmayim, the tzevet have been truly exceptional.

On behalf of all members of the Tikvah program—past, present, and future—I would like to conclude by saying that Camp Ramah in Wisconsin has become a large part of all of our lives. The members of this community here have encouraged all of us to make a name for ourselves in the world. I am so proud of my affiliation with Camp Ramah and have so many moments and memories that I am excited to share with an even bigger audience. Of course, the most important audience is already sitting right in front of me. Todah Rabah L’Kulam Sh’Yoshvim Po, thank you to everyone who is sitting here, for making us the people we are today, as well as the people we may become in the future.

As you can imagine, there was not a dry eye in the Bet Am when Ari finished speaking and that is just as it should be.

As we enter Shabbat, all of us at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin are appreciative of the willingness of every family to send their child to camp. We are honored to be a place where campers of all kinds, those who learn physically, those who are visual learners, those who learn by doing, make up the diverse and inclusive community that is Ramah Wisconsin. 

Todah Rabbah Ari for sharing your profound and moving thoughts with us all. 

Shabbat Shalom.

The Impact of Working with Special Children on Staff members.

Lilli Flink, a staff member in the Tikvah Program at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, recently shared this essay with me.  It is part of her application to graduate studies.  It captures the impact that working in a special needs program such as Tikvah has on a staff member as well as the importance of such a program.  The Jewish community needs to hear the words of Lilli and understand that it must DO MORE for members of the special needs community and their parents and loved ones.  It also demonstrates that working in these programs leads people to make them lifelong commitments.  Thanks Lilli for sharing this.  If you wish to share it, please forward in its entirety and please credit Lilli Flink for the work.

     I have had the best summer job in the world. No, it’s not because of the money, the benefits, or the title—those are far from prestigious. It’s for the community, the challenges, the support, the final feeling of immense reward, and much more. For the past three summers, I have been a camp counselor in the Tikvah program at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. Tikvah is a specifically designed program for adolescents with Asperger’s Disorder, ADHD, and high-functioning Autism. Working as a counselor in the Tikvah program has been extremely rewarding and challenging for many reasons. For two months straight, I eat, sleep, and breathe special needs kids. My job tests my patience, but also makes me laugh harder than anything else. My campers struggle with behavioral and social disorders that inhibit them on a day-to-day basis, on both the individual and interpersonal levels. At camp, the Tikvah staff works to create a supportive, warm environment for our campers to succeed, cultivate positive relationships, and work towards individualized goals. These kids are infinitely more than what they look like on paper or at first glance. They are extremely talented; some are geniuses, some trivia fiends, and others amazing artists and singers. As a part of the Tikvah program, my campers are not defined by what they cannot do, but by what camp empowers them to accomplish and brings out in them.

           Along with the numerous responsibilities I have for my campers are the everyday joys associated with their personalities. The comic relief in the campers’ unconventional ambitions often remedies the everyday stresses of my job. One of my most recent campers can be summed up in two words: ‘teddy bear’. Avi is tall, with curly light brown hair, and is shy at first. Once he trusts you and feels comfortable he assumes his happy demeanor and
talks incessantly. Every day I was greeted by Avi’s refreshing delight in life, a soft handshake,  and his cheerful catchphrase, “boy, aren’t I looking sharp today?” Memorable moments like this made my summers worthwhile.

           Over these summers, I have learned a tremendous amount from my supervisors, colleagues, and campers. Being a Tikvah counselor is intensely gratifying, as it refocuses my intentions and priorities and puts life into perspective. Many campers struggle to form and maintain social connections at home. That is why we, the staff, essentially create a family and a community for our campers—so that they can have positive mentors and learn basic life skills such as healthy eating habits, living actively, job techniques, and how to lose gracefully. Through living at camp, they learn appropriate social skills and develop meaningful friendships—abilities they may not otherwise ever acquire.

           As a Tikvah counselor, I have gained a deeper understanding of the social boundaries and challenges confronting my campers as they relate to their peers. Through this process, I have also become more acutely aware of my own social boundaries and interactions. Because I consistently reminded my campers of basic social skills and cues, I was forced to be a constant role model for them through my own behavior and actions. I also gained insight every summer into new approaches towards our campers and programs due to the innovative, hard-working staff. Because the nature of our program demands creative and dynamic activities, our staff learned to operate as a cohesive group—one that communicated well, organized and prepared, and, most importantly, learned to be flexible. Not only have I grown as an individual by being around my campers and teaching by example, but I have also learned a great deal from the talented staff with whom I have worked and planned. Above all, by developing skills as a Tikvah counselor, my passion for special needs has deepened.

           This job has simultaneously tested my patience and forced me to re-imagine the hidden and oft-overlooked potential of adolescents with special needs. By leaving my comfort zone to create a magically positive and influential atmosphere like the one at camp, I have seen Tikvah campers create friendships with typical adolescents that outlast the eight weeks of camp. It is truly a highlight to watch these bonds develop and enable our campers to take advantage of the opportunities that Ramah offers.

           My campers have taught me more than I will ever teach them. They have enabled to me to overcome some of my inhibitions, take risks, and find laughter in the hardest moments. These three summers have also helped me develop a passion for programs like Tikvah—ones that enable teens with special needs to achieve what other teens do naturally. While I am uncertain of what area of medicine I will ultimately pursue, I can see myself devoting my professional career to helping kids like Avi and my former campers, and it’s all thanks to my first summer job.