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From Rookie to Role Model: Exploring the overnight camp staff experience of new vs returning
10/28/2025 1:10 PM
Every summer, overnight camps welcome both eager first-time staff and seasoned returners—each bringing different strengths, needs, and expectations. Following summer 2025, Foundation for Jewish Camp’s annual Staff Satisfaction Insights survey gathered responses from over 3,000 seasonal staff across 90 overnight camps, covering topics such as training, supervision, appreciation, and camp’s personal impact.
In this session, we will share findings on how new and returning camper-facing staff experienced camp differently this past summer. We will also highlight the differences between staff who indicated they would like to return and those who said they would not, examining these patterns separately for new and returning staff. Participants will reflect on how their own staffing experiences align—or differ—from the data and collaborate on turning large-scale trends into actionable retention strategies. Together, we will explore how to transform summer 2025’s rookies into summer 2026’s role models.
Bethany Berger
Bethany is a Manager of Learning and Research at the Foundation for Jewish Camp, where she leads data collection and evaluation efforts to strengthen the field of Jewish camping across North America. She oversees national initiatives such as the Camp Census and Satisfaction Insight Surveys, transforming data into actionable insights for camps, partners, and funders. Bethany holds a BA in International Studies from American University and an MBA from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. With a background in Jewish education, she is passionate about building inclusive, joyful communities and advancing the field through data-driven decision making.
Henry Weltman
Henry is an Associate Program Manager at Foundation for Jewish Camp, where he focuses on supporting and strengthening the experiences of seasonal staff. As an alum of Perlman Camp, Henry discovered his passion for Jewish camp through his leadership as a Cornerstone Fellow, leading innovative Jewish programming, Shabbat services, and Israeli dance. He earned a BA in Marketing and Economics from the University of Vermont and spent a semester abroad as a Nachshon Fellow, studying in Jerusalem at the Rothberg International School. Henry is passionate about creating training, mentorship, and leadership opportunities that help seasonal staff thrive.