Kefiada Summer Camp
Requested Sum : $121,964
84% of total budget
Location: Partnership Region
// Project Description
An English-speaking summer camp during the month of July 2026 in the Region. The counselors in the camp are graduates of the Partnership programs and volunteers from Chicago. The summer camp has a diverse program of activities including trips to the pool, hikes, plays, various group activities, day trips, and more. The campers will be selected based on the recommendations of the English teachers in the elementary schools.
The English camp will take place in Kiryat Gat and will serve the communities of Kiryat Gat, Lachish, and Shafir. The idea is to create a learning environment with a somewhat different and inviting atmosphere.
// Project Goals
The goals of the project are divided into P2P goals which are strengthening the relationship between the partnership region and the community in Chicago through creating interpersonal relationships between the volunteers from Chicago and the host families and the Israeli counselors from the partnership region. Additional goals are to strengthen the volunteers' familiarity with Israel and the partnership region, to create a positive experience, and to strengthen the volunteers' attachment to Israel.
The Kefiada has also pedagogical goals which are strengthening the knowledge and confidence in English of the students in the partnership region, providing a quality response to the morning hours during the summer vacation, and promoting youth leadership in the partnership region through a CIT program.
// PTarget Population
Campers: 132 students ages 10-12 years old, who are residents of Kiryat Gat, Lachish, and Shafir.
Staff: 33 Young counselors (Israelis and Americans) and 4 professionals from the Region.
Additional Information
Outcomes / Evaluations:
short-term outcomes:
Improving the student's English level and achievements - first and foremost in speaking, creating an interpersonal and social connection between the members of the Israeli counselors and American counselors in the staff, and creating a warm family connection between the American counselors and the families that host them.
long-term outcomes:
Strengthening the relationship with the members of the Jewish community in Chicago who will serve as camp counselors, strengthening the familiarity of the residents of the partnership region with the Jewish community in Chicago and with the partnership's activities in the region, and connecting the campers of the Kefiada with the Jewish community in Chicago.
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// Project Timeline:
Preliminary preparations will take place from March until June.
The counseling team will participate in an orientation seminar. A week-long orientation will prepare them for professional work at the Kefiada. The Kefiada camp will operate from July 1-18, 2026, between 8:00-13:00, with counselors meeting for a morning briefing at 7:30 and concluding their day with a closing meeting until 15:00 (3:00 PM).
During the three weeks of Kefiada, P2LEAD will have there CIT program.
In addition to the camp schedule, social gatherings will be held twice weekly (every week), which will both enrich the counseling team and strengthen their bonds.
As part of an effort to create more engagement channels for young adults from Chicago in the Kefiada, we have created a collaboration with MASA:
MASA Volunteer Journey - Volunteers will come to Israel for 6 weeks, including two weeks of volunteering in Israeli society while living in Tel Aviv, and 4 weeks participating as full staff counselors in the Kefiada.