Brandon Hults

Kenneth Willmott 

OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I

Arizona State University

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 A petition was created on social media by a group of former staff called “Better Camp
Chi” during the summer of 2020 that was targeting issues of inclusion that they believed
were not being addressed. The director and full-time staff members took immediate
action to open a dialog with the group to address their concerns. My role in this situation
was not direct, but as a current employee observing how it was handled by the full-time
year-round leadership team. Along with this point of observation into the situation is my
personal reaction also as member within the alumni community. The petition circulated
to members in the alumni community prompting hundreds of comments that attacked the
premise of the petition as taking advantage of the current environment of social unrest,
and while some of their ideas were in good faith, they went about it in a destructive
manner choosing to go public before any dialog with the camp was attempted. Camp Chi
formally responded to the petition in a post to the alumni Facebook group explaining how
they have either already taken action to address many of the issues brought up, or are
actively working towards many of the goals they set. In the response they provided
specific examples of how they have addressed many of the issues brought up and the
grants that they received to make it possible. They wanted to emphasize that they have
not been as publicly outspoken about changes that taking place in camp as they could
have been. They also included their email and phone number stating that they are always
open for anyone in the community to share ideas, concerns, and feedback.

Symbolism is an integral part of any camp community and this is especially true with
Camp Chi. An organization's culture is revealed and communicated through its symbols,
and these symbols can take on many forms (Bolman & Deal, 2017). Camp Chi’s logo is a
flame and its used to represent the values we hold true and the spirit of our community. It
is often said that we keep the flame burning through upholding our values of kovod and
chesed, the Hebrew words for respect and kindness. The flame burns bright when we
share our love of the community with the next generation of campers.

For the group of staff that created the petition they were heavily influenced by the social
justice movement that is taking place around the country. They saw the cries for justice
and felt an obligation to reflect on their time at camp with a critical social justice lens.
They recognogized that justice meant holding everybody accountable. This includes
places that we love and find comfort in, as they are often the institutions we are hesitatnt
to criticize. They belived that Camp Chi has not upheld camp’s main values of Kavod
(respect) and Chesed (kindness) by dismissing racism, transphobia, homophobia, and
sexism. Values characterize what an organization stands for, qualities worthy of esteem
or commitment. These values are intangible and define a unique character that helps
people find meaning and feel special about what they do (Bolman & Deal, 2017). When
they had experiances that went against these values it created a situation where they did
not feel the meaning and passion that every camp staff wants to have in the work that
they do.

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 One issue with symbolism in an institution is that when you have big concept of worldy
values that individuals try to uphold, each individual will have a different vision of what
they think those values mean. Events and actions have multiple interpretations as people
experience situations very differently. Events and processes are often more important for
what they express or signal than for their intent or outcomes (Bolman & Deal, 2017). As
these alumni from Camp Chi grow into themselves and discover what these values mean
to them, they take that and reflect on their younger experiences with a critical lense. They
are comparing their adult values they have grown into, to an experience they had many
years ago. Even if that experience was fully positive at the time, they can pull out the
rough patches and blame the institution. When you have young staff working at an
overnight camp, not all of them will be comfortable navigating every social situation, and
that is a reality of camp being transformative as a coming of age experience.

The values that count are those an organization lives, regardless of what it articulates in
mission statements (Bolman & Deal, 2017). The group added amendments to their
document after having dialog with the camp team stating: “We acknowledge that some of
our demands are already in place as official Camp Chi rules, but are not necessarily put
into practice in a way that measurably affects camp culture or the day to day and we
believe that further growth can be explored.” I think that the camp team should have
included in their response, that the issues that were brought up are reflections on past
experiances that caused discomfort in a continually evolving social environment. Some of
the changes that the group wants are their interpritations of the values and symbolism that
camp represents to them. Some of the changes they wanted such as removing gender
from all aspects of camp, is simply not the kind of camp that we are. Camp Chi makes
every effort to accommodate any childs needs and will identify them however they would
like and accommodate their need to the best of our ability on an individual basis. The
integration of boys and girls living quarters and the removal of gender from every aspect
of camp life, however, is simply not possible for our organization. What Camp Chi
needed to emphasise it the different representations of the values we uphold. The action
that they did take immediately was the removal of all gendered language in camp
documents and on our website, as a first step in making changes that fit our current social
enviroment. They explained to the group that if a family did not want the
accommodations we work really hard to make to meet an individual childs needs that
they would connect the family to some of the many other camp options available. There
are jewish camps in the JCC network that specialize in a gender neutral experience and
exist to meet the needs of those campers.

Learning about the symbolic frame has allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the
differences that indivudials have in interpritating the ideals of the organization. The
symbols along with all the meaning behind it are much bigger than any one of us. It
translates into a vision of what we see in the organizations past, present, and future.

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 Vision turns an organization's core ideology into an image of the future and a shared
fantasy, illuminating new possibilities within the realm of myths and values (Bolman &
Deal, 2017). I have also learned that culture forms the superglue that bonds an
organization, unites people, and helps an enterprise to accomplish desired ends (Bolman
& Deal, 2017). Our jewish culture allows us to view this situation through a symbolic
lense that binds our community closer in time where we are being socially distant and in
a political climate that only fuels divisiveness. Giving the community a platform to
express their own vision for the future of defining our values and how they are
interpreted is of upmost importance to Camp Chi. In a recent blog post sent out to the
entire community, they adresss further the reflection they are having and the actions
being taken to include all voices at the table of this discussion. This message to the
community is intertwined with symbolism as this frame was at the forefront of this
message that we thoughtfully shared with our community:

”In the days preceding Rosh Hashana, tradition asks us to do what is called Heshbon
Nefesh, an accounting of the soul. That means we take this time to turn inward, reflect on
everything and take note of where we missed the mark. The tradition is more than just
doing some internal thinking. It requires us to lean forward and take the first step in
refocusing our actions and repairing that path we are on. It is in the vulnerability of these
conversations with others that we begin the process of trying again, becoming closer with
those around us, showing empathy, making a commitment to do better, and asking for
forgiveness. This year, more than ever, Camp Chi is taking this tradition literally. As we
get ready to turn 100, we look back to forge ahead. For nearly a century we have
continued to be a leader in the camping world, provide a safe and welcoming community,
and educate young people on the Jewish expression of universal values so that every
generation grows up to be the best it can. Each summer, we hope that the campers who
come through our doors find their home away from home, learn who they are and who
they want to be while discovering the activities and the people that make them happy. We
also hope that through the camp experience, whether for one summer or ten, our campers
grow into adults who care about the world around them, who stand for kindness and
respect and understand the power of community.

As an organization, we always strive to do our best. Recent world events have sparked a
desire for social change and it has given us reason to reflect on how we can expand
resources within the framework of Camp Chi and its values. We are fortunate to have a
community of campers, parents, staff and alumni who support us, enlighten us, share
opportunities with us and help us respond wisely and with compassion. Through careful
examination of how important topics such as race, diversity, gender identity and inclusion
for all apply to camp, we recognize that, we, too, are always learning and growing.

Before we can usher in a new century of Camp Chi Magic, we must learn from our past,
be true to the strong foundation these 100 years have given us, and take our responsibility

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 seriously as the stewards for continuing the tradition of Camp Chi Magic into another
century. We ask forgiveness for the times we may have fallen short, both as individuals
and as the organization, and resolve to do all we can to keep the flame burning bright.
Change can be difficult, but as we have learned from the past 100 years of Camp Chi, our
camp will continue to do the hard work, live by our core values of kavod (respect),
chesed (kindness) and kehillah (community), and move forward together.

As we go forward, we commit to lead with compassion and curiosity, to provide a space

to explore topics about which the world is passionate, to try new things—to change for
the better and ensure that the next generation of campers will continue to dedicate
themselves to being ambassadors of civility and humanity. With the Jewish New Year
upon us, we commit to taking time to pause, to reflect, to live our values and to keep the
flame lit today and every day.

Shanah Tovah Umetuka! May you have a sweet and good new year!”

References:

Bolman, L., & Deal, T. (2017). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership.
New York, NY, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Wartell, A. (2020, September 17). R&R for the New Year: Refocus & Repair. Retrieved
September 25, 2020, from https://campchi.jccchicago.org/blog/rr-for-the-new-year-
refocus-repair/