Jewish Camping

I just returned from a weekend at the Union for Reform Judaism's Kutz Camp. I was up there helping out in the dining room for a group of junior youth groupers (grades 7-8), who were, for the most part at the Kutz Camp for the first time. Does the name of this camp sound familiar? We briefly mentioned it during our discussion in the Reform Judaism class last week.
Kutz is different from most camps, because it is usually home to only high school students, (with the exception of some college staff, and jewish professionals).
I had a very interesting conversation with the Site Director there this weekend, as i was pleading my case for the position that i want to take this summer. It seemed to be very fitting for this blog, so there's your reason for this entry. :)
While Kutz seems to be the exception for most Jewish camps out there, (with the exception i think being the Young Judea Camp which hosts only High school students), most camps start with units as young as 11 and 12 years old, with many of these kids going to the camp well into their teenage years, and sometimes into their early to mid - 20s as staff.
I find that many non-jews, while they too attend camps, a.) often do not attend a religious camp, and b.) do not attend a summer camp for an extended period of time. Why have we as Jews created these self-enveloped communities for young jewish children and young adults?
Hopefully (if all goes according to planned) i will have to opportunity this upcoming summer to supervise a group of incoming college freshmen, who will be staff at Kutz for the first time. When you ask this specific group of students why they are coming back to work at kutz, the answers all seem to be to exact same.

"Kutz has had such an important impact on my life, and has helped me to identify who i am as a Jew"

And it's not just the Kutz Camp that's creating these kind of impressions - similiar answers can be found on the applications for CIT and first year Counselors at Jewish Camps across North America, including the 12 other Regional Camps that the Union for Reform Judaism has jurisdiction over.

Many of my Jewish friends who i've met at NYU also have fond memories of their Jewish Camping days, and many of them have served as staff at their home camp for at least one summer. There's even a facebook group dedicated to us Jewish Camp Counselors, who frankly, must be a little bit crazy for doing it year after year.

I'm sure this topic will come up at some point during our class discussions, because the camping is such an integral of jewish life in North America today, no matter what denomination you affiliate with.

Some food for thought. :)