Daniel Samowitz – Part Time Jewish LifeTeacher

I recently had one of the most meaningful educational experiences. On Years 7 and 8 camp the Peer Support Leaders really accepted the challenge of being educators, guides and Dugma Ishit (leaders by example). Personally, to be able to guide this cohort through the last year Hadracha (Leadership training), Ayeka (Year 10 camp), Chaveyah (Chaveyah) and then see them take those experiences and become the leaders we know they can be, has been incredibly rewarding. I have felt so strongly this last week that we are doing something right at the Emanuel School. Seeing students stand up and take responsibility for the younger generations of our School is truly inspiring. Daniel Samowitz (Samo)

Here are a few reflections from some of the peer supporters themselves:

Before camp I did not truly understand what it meant to be a leader. During the Jewish Studies Hadracha course I was told the qualities that a good leader generally possesses and I was shown examples of leaders through history who exhibited these qualities. In the Peer Support training program I was shown strategies to be a good leader and I was given situations about my chanichim, in order to see how I would solve them, but what I have discovered over camp is that nothing can prepare you for leadership.

In the peer support meeting at the end of the first day, all of us went around and we spoke about our days. A lot of us critiqued our personal performance trying to find something we could improve on throughout the rest of the camp. We didn’t come back together as a group until the last night where we all told each other about our amazing and fulfilling experiences, where we were able to truly be madrichim. We reflected on how we acted before camp and even though camp was only 4 days I think I speak for most of us when I say that we all grew as people and as leaders in those 4 days. One of the Peer Support Leaders commented: “In training we were given an example on paper of a conflict that had broken out between 2 chanichim and we were asked how we would resolve it and today I had the same issue happen but in real life with my chanichim”. This really resonated with me because it made me realise how much I had learnt about leadership, not in a classroom, but by having the opportunity to meet and lead 25 different children who all had different needs, which in turn allowed me to experiment and find out the kind of leader I what to be. 
Ashlee Orleow

This camp, which we attended as Peer Support Leaders to the Year 7s was more beneficial to becoming a stronger leader than any other previous experience of mine. There is nothing like physically being in the moment, having to care for, look after and lead a group of people, except for actually doing it. No course in a classroom or training day can compare to an experience in which we had to quieten the Year 7s, help them with all their problems, guide them, listen to them and have fun with them.

The most important thing that I learnt from camp was what it means to be a leader, and how to properly execute what we had planned for the group. Prior to the camp, I had been ‘taught’ about what being a leader means and how to be leader, except it only really hit me when I was at camp. To be a leader is to guide a group of people in the best direction possible, whilst ensuring it is safe and enjoyable. It also means to ensure that you learnt something from it, and therefore it was a worthwhile experience for everyone involved.

The camp also taught me how to execute planned activities, one of the most vital roles of a leader. What this trip taught me was to be flexible, and understand that what is planned might not work, and that it may have to be totally overhauled and replaced by something else to fit the timing, or to suit the group better, and that this is ok. This happened often on camp, as well as throughout the peer support experience this far, and the more it happens the more capable I am of planning the optimal experience for my chanichim – the participants.

The whole camp, and Peer Support program too, has been a totally new experience for me, and has totally changed the way in which I view being a leader, and also how I lead groups. I strongly recommend that more opportunities like this are offered in the School, and I would love to continue to be a part of the leadership within the School, in one form or another.

Thank you so much again for the camp Samo, it was one of my favourite school experiences so far without a doubt!
Matthew Joffe

Peer Support camp for me was the most amazing experience, opening me up to so many new learning opportunities with both my friends, the camp leaders and especially the kids. I would go as far to say as it was the most important lesson I have learnt in my whole High School life. Learning that everyone is an individual, and that one crying kid may have a completely different mindset to another, was eye opening. It seems like an easy concept to get your head around but being surrounded by it for 4 days really makes your mind grow to a new extreme. I learnt at this camp how to deal with naughty kids, chatty kids and homesick kids + many more, but the main thing I learnt was that all those kids weren’t who I thought they were at the beginning of the camp. I believe learning first-hand how to deal with all sorts of people really helped me become a better person and a great leader. I wish everyone could have this same experience as me, as it was truly life changing.  
Mia Shapiro

Being a Peer Support Leader on Year 7 camp was an incredibly fulfilling and enjoyable experience for me. Being able to get to know the amazing Year 7 kids over the 4 days will be, without a doubt, one of my most memorable experiences from school. The incredible connections made with everyone involved in camp made the experience even more enjoyable.
Benjamin Leslie

I think I can honestly say that the time I spent on camp with the Year 7s last week will be among the most valuable and worthwhile days of Year 11. The sheer amount of amazing lessons learnt and skills gained, (along with many a mistake and a quick cover up), all within just 4 days is outstanding.

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have had, to be able to shape and guide this amazing group of year 7 students to be the best they can be and strive towards their full potential.

And whilst all of this has happened, I feel that I too have been shaped by the group I have lead and have really made awesome relationships with all of the kids involved. Never have I felt the quote “‫לבנות ולהיבנות”: “to build and to be built” to be more relevant than right now!

Going on survival camp as a leader instead of a participant really gave me a newfound respect for all the teachers and leaders in my life. It can really be tough at times working constantly with a group of young kids but it truly is so rewarding and that feeling makes it all the more worthwhile.

Not only did we bond with all of the Year 7s but I feel that our tzevet (group of leaders) of 6 in Szenes really came together and brought out the best in each other and we were always so supportive of one another. This was further complemented by the help of Samo and all the other staff involved.

From waking the kids up every morning at 6 am to September by Earth Wind and Fire through a speaker on full volume, to running pre-discussed activities or games with mere seconds to plan and even having campfire singalongs and makeshift dance parties, the camp really was such an amazing and unforgettable experience.  
Joshua New

Over the course of 4 days, the Peer Support Leaders watched the Year 7s grow, flourish and learn. The most talkative learnt to quiet down, the least participative learnt to take part, and the struggling individuals began to cope. Through activities run by the Peer Support leaders, all these things were made possible. The lightly developed relationships between Year 7 and Year 11 prior to camp would now be unrecognisable, and the new and everlasting friendships will be held onto as tightly as the memories left behind at Somerset.

As a Peer Support Leader, I feel proud to have so strongly influenced such individuals with the intention of becoming a closer year group. I am so excited to continue furthering my relationships with each of them over the next 4 months, and assist them in learning from their peers. Through this experience, I am rewarded with the satisfaction of their happiness, and the skillset to lead myself in the right direction when necessary. 
Mia Port

I don’t feel that I can describe camp as anything but inspiring. The Peer Support Leaders were inspired by the children, who were inspired by The Peer Support Leaders. The experience of this past week has let me learn things about both myself and others, in an environment that I usually wouldn’t be able to do so in. I am thankful for becoming closer with these kids, as they are truly amazing people. I could not have asked for a more eye-opening experience.  
Nina Brown

As a Peer Support Leader on Year 7 camp this year, I can truly say it was one of the greatest experiences of being in High School. This camp has built bonds between us, the leaders, and the chanachim in Year 7, which will enrich the peer support program as it is no longer being run by scary strangers in Year 11 but rather by friends in Year 11 (who are not as terrifying as one’s first impressions may make us out to be).

When we were not laughing or having fun on the camp, all of us, the Year 7s and the Peer Support Leaders were learning, not just from the camp itself but from each other as well. All of the Year 11s were thrown into the camp with little briefing and experience in leading a group and many of us found ourselves to be improvising as the program went along. This was vital in beginning the development of each of our leadership skills. I found myself learning more effective ways of leading over the course of the camp, which I could not have done if I was not in the position I was in. Additionally, I found time to get to know each student in Year 7 individually, developing personal bonds between leader and student.

Returning to the camp as a Peer Support Leader gave me an insight into the intricacies that are involved in planning and running activities. After returning from the Chavayah program, I have a newfound respect for the madrichim that accompanied us as they were required to do much more than I originally thought. This camp has given me valuable leadership experience that will assist me next year for any possible madrich positions.

Looking back, all I wish is that the camp was longer as it creates a very personal environment not replicated at school. There are many activities that I would have liked to have run that were not possible due to time restrictions. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity and only hope the Year 7s enjoyed the camp as much as I did. I look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationships made on the camp and progressing further into the peer support curriculum. 
Dylan Herdan