BUNKING PHILOSOPHY – CAMP RAMAH IN THE POCONOS

Overnight camp presents a unique opportunity to meet campers from a variety of backgrounds and develop new connections through the experience of communal living. While the bunk is a place that allows campers to connect with old friends, we appreciate reinforcement that a core value of camp encourages children to widen their circle of friends. The tzrif (bunk), the edah (unit), and greater camp community offer the opportunity to meet new lifelong friends. The camp friends you have now were strangers to you once!

There is a purposeful arc to our curriculum as campers move through the edot. The tzrif is often at the center of the experience for young campers. As they grow, that experience shifts focus from the bunk to the larger edah. The addition of unit-wide plays, trips and programming build cohesiveness and connection across the members of the edah. This happens most successfully when campers maintain existing friendships while simultaneously seeking out and embracing opportunities to engage with new friends.

The bunking process of over five hundred campers is no small undertaking and it is always our intention to create a positive environment for each individual camper. Per our policy, bunk requests are balanced with prior data/experience and staff feedback to build towards a comprehensive experience for each camper. Bunk makeup CAN CHANGE from year to year and campers may be placed with different campers than they were in a previous summer. As the case with generations of campers, our goal is for your child to look back on their camper experience and feel the impact of the relationships they have built by embracing this philosophy:

“My bunk was the same since Notzitzim, and that’s exactly how we liked it. In Shoafim, when my bunk was split, it felt like the end of the world. It was actually a blessing in disguise. It forced me to branch out and become friends with girls that were right in front of my eyes for years - I was just never open to forming new relationships. You can become so close by Gesher, but only if you put in the effort, and that’s what is so special about it. I would’ve never made those friends if my bunk wasn’t split.

When I look back, I couldn’t even tell you who was in my Gesher bunk, because we all were one banot, and we wouldn’t have been if we didn’t have that extra push.” – Alexa Jakubowitz

BUNK REQUEST PROCESS

Campers are invited to submit 3 bunk requests (in order of preference) via our Bunk Request Form, available in your child’s dashboard through CampMinder. Gesher campers may ONLY SUBMIT 1 request. There are no bunk requests for Taste of Ramah. Bunking requests are optional.

Bunk requests will not be accepted via email. Bunking Request Forms are due by April 30, 2024. Forms received after the due date WILL NOT BE HONORED.

While we cannot guarantee bunk requests will be fulfilled, we strive to honor at least one request. Please note that session length and physical bunk capacity may impact bunking. Bunking requests will be reviewed ONLY when ALL the following specifications are met:

1. The bunk request form is received by April 30th, 2024 via CampInTouch.

2. No more than 3 names are listed. (Gesher campers may ONLY LIST ONE NAME)

3. Requests are mutual.

4. There are no contra-indications from previous camp experience or staff feedback.

5. Campers are in the same year in secular school studies.

6. The completed Camper Intake is also submitted by the due date.

7. Tuition is paid in full or coordinated with our Registrar, Debbie Lacks, at debbiel@ramahpoconos.org.

If there is a concern with a camper that you feel is detrimental to your child's camp experience, please email Rachael Abrams. Please note that these requests supersede bunking requests.

All bunking is final. No refunds will be offered for campers who choose not to attend due to bunking. We do not guarantee bed placement in the bunk. Campers will be notified of bunk assignments in June, provided that all mandatory forms have been submitted and financial commitments are current.

We appreciate your understanding and support of this philosophy.

For questions about bunking and bunk requests, please contact Rachael Abrams at rachaela@ramahpoconos.org.