The second oldest aidah in camp, Machon (entering 10th grade) is an aidah full of unique opportunities. The campers are leaders in camp now and are given more opportunities to embrace those leadership roles. One of the unique parts of the Machon summer is the partnership with Tikvah, the aidah for campers with special needs. Machon and Tikvah have sport and classes together throughout the day and have many peulot erev (evening activities) together. Machon campers can also choose to be Tikvah chaverim (friends) and have the chance for more one-on-one interaction with the Tikvah campers.
This summer, campers in Machon had the chance to participate in "intensives" instead of the regular activity areas (such as art, radio, woodworking, etc.). During their intensives, the campers were able to spend more time in their chosen activity area and get more deeply involved in them. For example, campers who chose the Tikvah intensive had the chance to spend more time with the campers in Tikvah and helped to create the Tikvah Arts Festival. Campers in the Nagarut (woodworking) intensive are hard at work creating a new ark for their tefillah space.
Another highlight of the Machon summer is the Trip Around Wisconsin, which will be happening next week (watch for more blog posts on that later). The five-day long trip includes stops in Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay and is a chance for the aidah to explore the state and its institutions while learning about how institutions interact with each other. Not to mention, it's also going to be a lot of fun and a great bonding experience!
Gita Karasov (Rosh Machon): I like working with Machon because Machoners have endless energy and are constantly keeping me on my toes. We're having a great summer together.
Matthew K. (Machon): I like how much freedom we get in Machon, now that we are starting to be considered adults. We have a lot more time to do things we enjoy doing. There are so many options of what we can do–it's hard to choose and it's different every day. I do really like hanging out on the Point with friends. It's great that we have our own special space.
Einav F. (Machon): I really like all the free time we have to spend with our friends. It's fun to hang out on the Point with all the guys. I also really like Shabbat here at camp.
