As many of you know, 2020 saw our organization introduce over 5 new virtual programs and take a deeper look into how we perpetuate racism and other injustices. The past year of organizational learning and new program development has brought to the surface many of the conversations we’ve been having for years regarding program expansion and inclusion at CRS.

What began as a simple idea - to bring our education-minded alumni together to reflect upon our program - transformed into a two-part event which was many months in the making. Over the course of two Saturdays, we invited Rising Sun alumni currently working in education to take part in the Educators Think Tank on Rising Sun programming, which concluded last weekend. This event created the space for us to discuss and brainstorm topics focused on social justice education, inclusivity at Camp, and the future of our programs. The Think Tank had 8 differently themed sessions for alums to discuss and learn together, and we are excited to share our key learnings and takeaways from each with you.

As mentioned previously, the Educators Think Tank was months in the making, and there was a large amount of work that went into ensuring the idea became a reality. We have immense gratitude, respect, and appreciation for the following committee volunteers who met biweekly for months to create the vision, sessions, and overall event a reality: Barrington Fulton, Janessa Schilmoeller, Justin Shin, Mary Murphy, Megan Domine, Raina Dzuik, Ruby Lainez, Torben Schmidt, and Yena Purmasir. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

If you’d like to take part in initiatives such as this in the future, please make sure to keep your professional and academic information updated on our database. You can do so by filling out this quick form.

What follows is a short overview of each session.

Diversity, equity and social justice education at CRS

Facilitated by: Janessa Schilmoeller and Barrington Fulton

In our first session of the Think Tank, Janessa and Barrington set the stage and provided the context for the subsequent discussions on inclusivity and equity at CRS. Participants received the frameworks of anti-bias education and social action approach to aid in the transition from providing an educational space based on multiculturalism to one based on social justice. Participants were then asked to apply this framework to an occurrence at Camp which is familiar to many CRS alumni - the concept of Cultural Day at Camp.

Responding to Discrimination in Real-Time

Facilitated by: Janessa Schilmoeller and Barrington Fulton

In the session Responding to Discrimination in Real-Time, participants discussed how current community standards and staff expectations succeed in and fall short of handling cases of discrimination at camp. Concrete takeaways from this session include an annotated version of community expectations with suggestions from participants on what items should be changed and what points needed to be expanded. Central to the discussion was how disproportionately demanding our community expectations were for campers from minority groups. Some suggestions for improvement proposed resources and best practices to be provided by camp staff and administration to lessen the demand placed on campers through signing community expectations. Special attention was paid to standards regarding who is responsible for reporting discrimination and harassment to which staff members.

Economic Disparities at Camp

Facilitated by Ruby Lainez and Helene Mattera.

Participants in this session explored what measures are in place to eliminate barriers for equitable participation in the Rising Sun programs and discussed how to best create a supportive experience for campers from under-resourced communities at all stages of the process, including outreach, selection, participation, and support after the program. Participants discussed current practices and brainstormed potential solutions for time spent at Camp and post-season.

What are our Practices on Gender Inclusion at Camp?

Facilitated by: Raina Dzuik and Yena Purmasir

As the title alludes to, the focus of this session was on gender at Camp. The group discussed the following questions: why do we continue to operate asynchronous gender binary sessions? Are the potential merits of all-gender programming greater than the potential setbacks of single-gender sessions? An important question was additionally considered - who are we not including by having separate sessions? The group was overall in support of exploring having an all-gender program while pointing out that there would need to be work to ensure it is done so in a way that is safe for all who attend.

Introduction on Program Growth

Facilitated by: Helene Mattera

Helene’s session kicked off our second Saturday Think Tank and encouraged the group to stretch their minds leading into the discussion sessions much as one does prior to physical exercise. In order to do this, Helene facilitated an activity where participants were placed into small groups and asked to develop their own Rising Sun program using the LAJF mission as a guide. Helene further pointed out that while many aspects of our program have stayed the same for 90 years, we also believe our program must evolve with time to stay relevant to the teenagers of today and the challenges of the modern world. LAJF’s Certificate of Incorporation, the document which guides the mission and therefore the activities of LAJF, was further reviewed as a reminder that although Camp is remarkably the same, LAJF has a history of evolving and being reflective of the needs of the world. Once everyone adequately stretched their minds and peeked into the history of program evolution, everyone went into their second sessions to discuss the future of Rising Sun programming.

New Youth Initiatives

Facilitated by: Barrington Fulton and Megan Domine

In an effort to promote the LAJF vision and reach a new, more diverse group of potential camper candidates, this session hosted a conversation about expanding the LAJF program to participants younger than 14-16-year-olds. The session explored different ways LAJF could potentially expand its programming to allow new groups the opportunity to preview camp or learn about its values, including classroom presentations, short weekend trips to Clinton, middle school virtual programs, and developing relationships with partner schools around the U.S. According to the group, core program components that would be important to include in these programs include project time (teaching problem solving) and instructions (encouraging knowledge sharing).

Initiatives with Adults

Facilitated by: Torben Schmidt and Laura Wondra

This session presented the idea of having a professional gap year program for 18-25-year-olds to become trained in the CRS model. Some of the key discussion points were: what is a core value for the program to have? Who should this program be for? A lot of ideas for the program were generated from the session, including incorporating LAJF alumni mentorship and self-reflection on how our biases and identity affect youth work into the program. There additionally was a hearty discussion on how to balance ensuring the program is financially accessible for participants while being a source of income for the Foundation. The idea of a sliding scale for tuition, partnering with an educational institution to provide credits and making work exchange available were discussed. Overall, the pages of notes from this session will be referenced as we continue to explore creating a gap year program.

Programming for Alumni Post-Camp

Facilitated by: Janessa Schilmoeller and Mads Nissen

In Janessa and Mads' session on programming for alumni post-camp season, participants discussed how effective current post-camp programming is in meeting goals of alumni engagement, college applications, and career development. Participants also brainstormed ways in which post-camp programming could be expanded. Concerns about introducing campers to the wider alumni community and supporting campers through challenges immediately after the camp season were raised. The discussion focused on how one-on-one interactions operated, both within LAJF through a social work intern, and through alumni associations that provide post-camp check-ins. Securing support for post-camp activities was also discussed, both financially through scholarships and grants, and interpersonally, through mentorship and other alumni resources.