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Camp Insights: 2020 Jewish Camp Trends Survey


What are the key trends shaping the world of nonprofit Jewish summer camps? 

For the 2nd consecutive year, JCamp 180 surveyed camp professional and lay leaders to understand the impact of societal trends on camps. This year we also asked about the implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic on summer 2021.

Take me to the Full Trends Report

Key Trends

23 trends were rated as to their significance to - and impact on - camps. Three of the top trends are noted below:
 
  • Pressure on young adults to earn income and build their resumes’ and ‘High levels of anxiety and mental health challenges amongst campers’ remained atop the list for the 2nd year.
    • Innovative strategies to make camp attractive to young adults continue to be critical.
    • Mental health already was a significant issue pre-Covid-19, and will undoubtedly pose a serious challenge this summer (exacerbated by additional constraints including restrictions on staff leaving the camp) and most likely for several years to come.
  • 'Economic hardship and income and job loss’ was the one new item at the top of the list in this year's survey.
    • Undoubtedly influenced by Covid-19, this has implications for financial aid and resulting stresses in many camper families.
Covid-19 further impacted camps as well:
  • While camper retention is doing relatively well at most camps, recruitment of new campers has been slower.
  • As we continue down the hybrid (digital and in person) path, the camp field will need to invest more in learning about and acquiring new tools and sharing insights and best practices about how to use this new medium for everything from recruitment and parlor meetings to donor engagement and staff training to communication with parents and remote working.
>>Download the full Trends Survey

Have any feedback about the survey? Please let us know.

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Who we are: JCamp 180 is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF). Our goal is to significantly enhance the long-term effectiveness of nonprofit Jewish camps in North America. To meet this goal, we provide affiliated Jewish camps with consulting services, annual conferences, shared resources, professional development, and matching grant opportunities. Find more at www.jcamp180.org