The kids arrive for UP Summer Camp tomorrow! We’ve spent the last two days in our own mini-camp– going through team-building exercises, working on our teaching skills, talking about what it means to model the dynamics we hope to develop in the campers.
We have such a mix of old and new coaches this time around– and in a couple of senses. We have people who have never been to the Middle East before (and for the first time ever, we’ve gone international with a coach from Australia and one from Hong Kong!), and resident Coaches In Training (CITs) who have never coached before. And then, of course, the veterans… the mentor coaches who live in Israel and have been working with many of these kids for nearly a year and the “returners”– the American coaches and staff who have been here once, twice, even three times before.
And every year we get a bit more organized, a bit more prepared for the inevitable chaos, but we never feel quite ready. It’s 3am and most everyone has gone to bed after a flurry of last minute discussions about spirit, schedules, and expectations. Follow us here and on facebook for the latest UP Camp happenings.
You can also follow our media team, Maggie and Nathan, our photographer, Rachael, and our Director of Coaching, Josh for some more personal perspectives on UP Camp.
