More Than Summer: How Camp Kesher Builds Life Skills That Last
Camp Kesher is filling a gap that’s all too common for neurodiverse youth: a lack of accessible, joyful, age-appropriate summer experiences.
A day camp that celebrates and embraces differences, Kesher blends adventure, skill-building, and real-world learning to help participants thrive, all in a safe, inclusive environment.
Each morning, campers meet at the J before setting off on a field trip.
“Whether it’s paddle boating, yoga, or creating their own ice cream flavor at a shop that employs people with disabilities, every activity is designed to be both meaningful and fun,” says Zina Segal, Senior Director of Community Impact and Engagement.
These carefully planned, fun-filled experiences also help campers practice life skills, like ordering food and navigating social situations, all in a supportive, low-pressure environment. Camp Kesher offers different sessions for high school and young adult participants, ensuring age-appropriate programming for every camper.
“They’re learning to move through the world more independently,” Zina adds. “And they’re doing it with peers, not parents, which builds their confidence. So many programs are centered around the disability, but Kesher is centered around the person. It’s about joy, friendship, and discovering what’s possible when you’re surrounded by people who see your strengths.”
Susan Clay, whose daughter Sara attends the young adult session, says that Kesher has been life-changing for her family.
“We plan our whole year around it,” she says. “At this age, especially in their twenties, young adults with disabilities still want to be active. They still want to make friends. Without Kesher, those opportunities just don’t exist.”
Sara found her love for yoga at camp and now attends a weekly adaptive yoga class.
“She’s also made real friends who she stays in touch with all year,” Susan adds. “It would be so easy for somebody like Sara to settle into isolated routines, but when she can engage in socialization for those two weeks during summer, that really encourages her to keep being social throughout the year.”
This kind of excitement is a sign of success, says Alison Pasternak, who serves as the J’s Inclusion and Disability Services Program Coordinator.
“If they’re having fun and forming friendships, we’ve done our job,” she says.
Campers also get to hone their communication and social skills through experiences like turn-taking at lunch or expressing preferences to a server, Alison says. Camp Kesher provides the prime, low-stress place to do so while having a good time.
“A lot of services for teens and young adults are focused on job readiness or therapy, which are important, but fun and recreation matter too,” she says. “Our campers need a space where they can just be themselves and enjoy their summer.”
The sense of belonging at Camp Kesher is why Rachel Berger and her son Ben return summer after summer.
“Ben has the chance to go out into the community and do the kinds of things that most teens do with their friends,” Rachel explains. “If not for Camp Kesher, he wouldn’t have had the support and supervision to enjoy those experiences without his parents.”
Ben, who’s ready to enter his third summer at Kesher, looks forward to camp every day. He even researches upcoming field trips on YouTube to prepare for the fun ahead.
“As Ben moves from a high school student to a young adult, his experiences at Kesher are helping him in his internships and as he engages in the community,” Rachel says.
Even former campers remember and credit the program with helping them become more confident in social settings. Graham Sage, now 18, is one of them.
After two years at Kesher in 2022-2023, he’s returning this summer to the J as a shadow counselor for elementary school campers, ready to support other neurodiverse children in the same way he was once supported.
“Kesher means ‘connection’ in Hebrew, and that’s what this was about: developing deeper bonds through travel and field trips,” he says.
Camp Kesher is bringing summer fun to neurodiverse high schoolers and young adults — the kind of fun they need and deserve.
“It’s reassuring to know these kids can enjoy fun activities for a couple of weeks during summer in a safe environment with caring staff,” says Caroline Pak, whose son Ryan has been attending Kesher for three summers. “It’s hard for working parents to find something for older kids with special needs to do that’s not just video games.”
Diagnosed early with ASD and ADHD, Ryan struggled to fit into traditional camp models. He eventually started attending Kesher at the J, a place he already spent so much of his time, starting when he was a preschooler.
“At Camp Kesher, Ryan has learned to cooperate with others in group settings and has become more confident reaching out to neurotypical peers at school,” Caroline shares.
For Ryan, and so many others, Kesher is a place where they can navigate the world on their own terms, and have fun doing so. Because at Kesher, summer is more than a season. It’s a launching pad for what’s possible.
