Jewish summer camp is one of the most powerful builders of Jewish identity and leadership in our community. Year after year, camps rely on returning senior staff to support this mission.  Senior staff are young leaders who mentor campers, shape culture, and carry forward the values that make camp such a formative Jewish experience.

But camps are increasingly losing these experienced staff for a simple reason: many must choose between returning to camp or pursuing internships and early career experiences that help launch their professional futures and provide much needed financial support. When that choice arises, camp often loses.  Not because the commitment isn’t there, but because the opportunity cost for the senior staff is too high.

There is a simple, community-driven solution. By offering six-week internship during May–June, organizations and professionals can give these young leaders exposure to the professional experience they need while enabling them to also return to camp for the summer. The impact is a true win-win: camps retain the experienced staff who make camp meaningful and safe for thousands of campers, and young leaders gain valuable professional exposure while continuing to deepen their connection to Jewish life and community.

Students seeking internships have expressed interest in fields including education, music, film and television, science and research, healthcare and mental health, legal, engineering, business, marketing and PR, real estate, and finance.

If you or your organization can host a six-week intern this May–June please contact Diana Shedletsky, [email protected] to start the conversation.  We’d love to hear from you.