Camp TEKO's virtual summer
For Abby Kirshbaum, director of Temple Israel’s Camp TEKO, shutting camp down completely in the wake of COVID-19 was never an option. The TEKO team was planning for a possible virtual summer long before they officially knew camp would be canceled, essentially planning two camps at once.
So, when the time came, the TEKO crew was ready with TEKO Ba’Bayit (TEKO at home.) Planning and executing a Zoom summer camp wasn’t ideal, but Abby and her teammates Delia Koolick, Izzy Gleekel and Ben Bitton were up to the task.
“I love a new challenge, especially a creative one,” Abby says. “And this has been one of the most creative challenges I’ve ever had the privilege to take on.”
The first obstacle: cost. How much were families willing to pay for camp from their own homes? Abby did her due diligence, calling more than a dozen families to talk through the question, and eventually landed on a charge of $100 per week.
“It was nerve-wracking to know that people were going to need to choose whether they wanted to pay,” she says. “By charging, we wouldn’t be able to provide Jewish content and programming to all of our families."
But within the week of making the decision, TEKO learned they would be receiving a grant from Minneapolis Jewish Federation’s COVID-19 Summer Camp Fund. Days after most camps in the region announced they would not be operating this summer, Federation granted $1 million to help the camps recover from the tremendous economic impact.
“Maybe it was serendipitous,” says Abby, “But it ended up being the exact amount of money we needed to offer TEKO Ba’Bayit for free.”
Providing TEKO Ba’Bayit free of charge allows the programming to be more flexible—which Abby thinks is key to its success. No pre-registration is required, and families are encouraged to show up when the timing and program works for their campers. “Our families are using our programming to craft their summer at-home experience. We want to be here to enhance their day to day experience at home – as opposed to asking them to make a commitment before summer even starts."
During the planning stages, TEKO staff worried about Zoom fatigue—after months of distance learning, would kids be tired of Zoom? But three weeks into TEKO Ba’Bayit, Abby is pleasantly surprised to see that’s not the case at all.
“They’ve loved it, and I can tell they’re actually finding meaning. We were so nervous; we thought they were going to be disengaged. But these kids are so used to the screen and they know how to do it.”
Not that the TEKO staff expects kids to be on Zoom all day during the summer. Some campers pop in for morning flag, which is 15 minutes of morning rituals, announcements and song session, then go outside. “Which is great!” says Abby. “We want them to get outside! We’re a camp!”
Overall, Abby is thrilled that campers get to experience a piece of TEKO amidst a turbulent summer.
One camper said during Friday morning activity that his hero of the week was Abby, for making sure that we could have TEKO this summer. “TEKO holds a very special place in everyone’s heart as a place of new opportunities and that first place where you understand what your Jewish identity in the summer looks like,” Abby says. “It’s going to be really special next year when we get to be together in person.”
Teko Q&A
What does a day at TEKO Ba’Bayit look like?
Throughout the day, we offer four Zoom programs and two pre-recorded videos for each camper. Campers are able to join us on Zoom for at 15 minute morning flag & song session, a 30 minute morning chug (activity) with their age group, a 60 minute afternoon elective led by an expert and a 30 minute tochnit erev (evening program) where we have adapted classic Camp TEKO games for the screen. All campers have access to two new videos each day. Every day there is an Omanut (art) video and either a Teva (nature) or Sports video.
Are you finding that kids are still forming relationships over Zoom?
Yes! We've seen friendships being made, I’m watching campers chat with other campers, doing things like recommending books and following up on other conversations they’ve had.
The campers are also creating a bond with me, the associate director, Delia Koolick, the assistant director, Izzy Gleekel, and the head of programming, Ben Bitton. I’ve never had this close of a relationship with so many campers. Sure, it can be hard for me to be on Zoom all day, but I get to see the kids, and I’m ecstatic to be there!
What’s been your favorite part of TEKO Ba’Bayit?
I’ve been blown away by the kids at afternoon electives, a time when campers and their families (or their nannies) can learn something new. I’ve been surprised by how much they can take in—we did gardening and the kids ate it up. I was going to teach a Zumba class, but after I saw how much the kids love learning, I realized I needed to change it up and we learned about our muscles, about intervals, and how our body does exercise. That has been my favorite part – watching them learn.