After the disappointment of having to cancel last year’s JLGB’s 125th Anniversary Summer Camp last year, the organisation were delighted to be able to welcome around 400 young people to this years camp last week.
The camp, which took place in Colchester, Essex saw young people from Jewish communities across the country come together to enjoy an action-packed week of fun, entertainment and learning.
Participants had the opportunity to take part in a wide range of adventure activities including zip wire, mountain biking and archery. They also got to develop new skills such as steel drumming, as well as discussion groups regarding issues such as leadership, identity and mental health.
JLGB Chief Executive, Neil Martin OBE, felt that being able to have summer camps back this year was ‘wonderful’ and paid credit to all those involved with the organisation who were able to make it all possible.
“The dedication and inspiration of the most amazing volunteers and staff, uplifting the next generation to be their best selves.”
The evenings saw nightly performances where members and leaders took to the stage to express their inner creativity through song, dance, music, as well as an ‘epic’ quiz which helped to get the grey matter moving.
Throughout the camp, various measures were put in place to ensure a safe return to face-to-face and residential activities, in line with National Youth Agency guidelines. All participants had to take lateral flow tests on arrival to prevent outbreaks during the week. Numbers of attendees were significantly reduced, and participants remained in their ‘bubbles’ during their time in camp.
To accommodate everyone, participants were split into age groups over the week meaning that younger participants school years 6-8) were their for the first part of the week, and older age groups (school years 9-11) enjoyed the second half.
Ethan Fox (17), from Redbridge really enjoyed the whole experience, and felt that the best part for him was being able to see friends after such a long time apart.
“It has been a difficult period and it was incredible to see camp run so seamlessly, from the organisers to the participants; everyone had such a great time. It was an excellent experience for me as I look forward to help with the running of JLGB camps in the future and for them to improve on this excellent camp year after year and for them to become bigger and better.”
With the new school term starting soon, it is hoped that after the enforced hiatus due to the pandemic, weekly groups will be able to get back to normal as much as possible. A new centralised system, ‘JLGB FUEL’ will power local groups, providing them with shared themes, resources and programmes, further enhancing JLGB’s impact across the UK. As a result of this, JLGB will be able to open up new groups in new areas with minimal effort and in greater partnership with local communities.
To find out more about your local JLGB, call 020 8989 8990, email hello@jlgb.org or find @JLGBHQ on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
