Change, Camp, and College: A Summer of Transition

“Change is hard, we can help.” That’s my mother’s pitch to clients. As the head of Savills North America’s Change Management Division, she helps companies and their employees navigate a multitude of workplace transitions. Whether that’s helping a nonprofit blood bank consolidate their offices or assisting a Fortune 50 telecommunications company return to the office post-COVID; my mom and her team work tirelessly to ensure strong communication and trust between employer and employee as they undergo these changes.

I thought this summer would be similar to previous summers: I’d be a Nitzanim (entering 2nd grade) counselor, I’d live at camp, I’d work hard on my social skills and I’d build friendships. But things didn’t go according to plan. Change came. It was hard. But, help was available. 

Let’s start with how the summer started. What was going well? What wasn’t? 

The one change I anticipated, becoming a Gabbai (prayer coordinator) went quite well. While it took some adjusting, I enjoyed helping organize the camp services. I was used to doing this from my position as my grade’s tefillah coordinator at school. Now, I got to do this with a team of four others, which meant less pressure on me. 

The camp environment was also quite comfortable. I felt like I knew everyone. I had an established support system and was knowledgeable about my job and the camp dynamics. When I needed to take a day off of staff week for my father’s yahrzeit, I knew who to ask, and I knew what I’d miss.

But, in the background some challenges began to emerge. First, it was the looming stress of my upcoming transition to college. Between orientation, course selection, and general preparations for the move, this transition hung heavy in my mind. And it was stressing me out. This stress took away my attention, made me more on edge, and zapped the little energy I had in the already energy-intense camp environment. 

At the same time, the social dynamics were difficult. In retrospect, there was no easy fix to the dilemma I was in. Boys my age (those just graduating high school) live in Tzion, a dorm where around 20 boys sleep in a large room with low-quality bathrooms and no central AC. Cortney (my camp point person) and I were clear with the camp administration: this would not be a suitable place for me to live. So, we looked for alternatives, but there weren’t many. We ended up settling on Gould, the dorm I had stayed in the previous summer, which had just been renovated with new bathrooms. From a sensory and facilities standpoint, this was the perfect environment for me. I felt comfortable showering and using the bathroom, something I hadn’t the previous summer. And, the boys living in Gould were quieter, meaning my sleep quality was much better. 

But a challenge emerged: Who do I hang out with? Tzion quickly developed their own culture that was hard to break into, and the boys in Gould were a year younger than me, which made it awkward to socialize with them. No one excluded me, but due to my difficult positioning, I didn’t really have a place to belong.

Then came the heat. Summer heat has always been one of my toughest sensory challenges for me, but this summer felt worse than previous ones. I consistently couldn’t make it through the day with my campers. I felt dehydrated. Tired. Sick. It didn’t help that I was juggling my college orientation, meetings with my academic advisor, and preparations with my mom for college move-in. The stress and the heat overwhelmed me and further made it even harder to socialize. I started having regular sensory overloads, being overwhelmed by a basketball dribbling in the hallway, kids whispering in the room next to me, even a bag of chips rustling in the wind. Something needed to change.

At this point, I was far more independent than in previous summers. Cortney and the camp administration entrusted me with incredible latitude in making my own decisions. In conjunction with Cortney, I made my first decision: to switch jobs in camp. I began working at the pool. I developed my own position, that of “Senior Swim Support Specialist”. I assisted various swim classes by providing campers with one-on-one support. I also supplemented lane line positions, giving certain edot (age groups) a little less work to do. But this wasn’t just helpful to the swim staff, it was helpful for me. The swim staff had more opportunities to socialize and collaborate than other staff, and most notably for me: I could cool off in the pool. Soon, one of my primary sensory issues was pretty much solved.

Still, I found it difficult to engage in the post-camp activities. The stress of college still loomed large, and I continued to face significant social barriers. Eventually, I decided to start commuting. This gave me the space to manage my college stress much more effectively. However, I didn’t fully give up on the post-camp environment. Notably, I decided to continue working my Gabbai role, which remained fulfilling, including by staying back in my old room for Shabbat. 

I got to finish my summer doing what I loved most, engaging with campers in the pool and with staff in tefillah. My last day working was Maccabiah (color war). I worked alongside the rest of the swim staff on relay races. Unfortunately, I made camp history by being hit on the head with a canoe, so I had to take the next day (which was actually supposed to be my last) off. Then, after resting up, I came back to camp for my final Shabbat, and notably, Tisha B’Av, a fast day which is commemorated beautifully at camp. I read Megillat Eicha (the Book of Lamentations), participated in meaningful learning, and finished my summer with a somber morning service.

This summer was an important learning opportunity as I head into college. I entered a new stage in my partnership with the camp administration. I was entrusted to make my own decisions, and in return, I thought carefully about how those decisions would benefit me and the camp. As I considered my options, I leaned upon a concept that I talked at length with one of my recent podcast guests, Sarah Parkes: Customized Employment. Disabled or not, everyone has strengths and weaknesses, so why not customize employment around that? I’m good at organizing services and engaging campers in the pool, so I built my jobs around those strengths. In the process, I removed one of my greater challenges, the heat, from the equation. Looking for those small, but necessary tweaks, saved my summer, and I so grateful that not only the camp administration, but also the swim leadership, Jodi, Debbie and Shosh welcomed my idea with open arms. 

So, my takeaway from the summer? Even if something has worked before, it might not work again. Trying something new, a different idea or position, might work. Change is hard. But if you push yourself and surround yourself with the right support, it might not be as hard as you might think.