Sci-Tech Camp to open in California next year

The Foundation for Jewish Camp has added URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy West to its Specialty Camp Incubator III cohort.

Building on the success of two previous incubators, the third one will lead to the launch of six new camps in the summer of 2018. The addition of the sixth camp (to be located in  California), as well as the entire program, is made possible by a combined grant from the S.F.-based Jim Joseph Foundation and the Avi Chai Foundation.

“Foundation for Jewish Camp has fine-tuned the incubator into a deeply effective model for creating dynamic, engaging Jewish immersive experiences,” said Barry Finestone, president and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation. “One of the great successes from the first incubators has been URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy, and we are especially excited to see this camp come out west — a region with vast potential to blend this specialty with Jewish learning and values.”

Sci-Tech Academy West is an expansion of URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy outside Boston, which was part of the Specialty Camp Incubator II.

Since 2010, the nine specialty camps incubated have served more than 6,000 campers, with nearly half reporting that they had never attended a Jewish camp before. The camps continue to surpass enrollment and retention goals, proving the demand for Jewish specialty options in the summer camp marketplace.

Incubator III will provide expertise and support to the new cohort of six individuals or organizations as they plan and implement their vision for expanded models of nonprofit, Jewish specialty camps. FJC expects that each of these new specialty camps will serve approximately 300 campers and 40 college-aged counselors per summer.

Other camps in the new incubator are:

JRF Arts, in Southern California, focusing on the film arts

Moshav Eden, a West Coast camp dedicated to teaching children, teens and young adults how to steward the earth and strengthen food systems

Ramah Sports Academy, an overnight camp in the Northeast

Sababa Beach Away, a surfing and watersports camp on the East Coast

URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy, in the Mid-Atlantic region. — eJewishPhilanthropy.com

Source: “Sci-Tech Camp to open in SoCal next year,” J Weekly, January 19, 2017