We are so excited to announce our 2021 program calendar. While none of us know what our world will look like in 2021, participant and staff safety is our #1 priority. We believe we can create a safe operating environment for in-person programs, while delivering on our mission to ensure that Jewish youth and young adults have the confidence, skills, and community support to navigate life’s challenges and thrive in the face of adversity.
Registration for all in-person programs will open on January 1, 2021. Learn more about our 2021 programs in our three core program areas: Therapeutic Expeditions, Wellness Programs, and Professional Development.
2021 Therapeutic Expeditions
Four students hiking
2021 Program Dates:
Session 1: June 3rd-July 4th
Session 2: July 8th-August 8th
Get Un-Stuck. BaMidbar’s Therapeutic Expeditions are immersive month long experiences for young adults looking to jumpstart their future. Discover who you are, who you want to be, where you want to go, and how to get there. The program uses wilderness and adventure-based experiences as a vehicle to promote self-reflection and therapeutic growth, while helping participants build a toolkit to face life’s challenges. Licensed mental health professionals provide individual and group therapy, and develop individualized treatment plans for each student.
We help Jewish emerging adults build resilience and overcome obstacles. Our therapeutic expeditions serve individuals (ages 18-28) who may or may not have a history of mental health challenges, but who are struggling to find their way forward as they transition from adolescence into adulthood. Life challenges may include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- A “failure to launch”
- Identity exploration
- Negative life patterns
- Mild substance use or abuse
- Academic or employment challenges
Learn More
2021 Wellness Programs
Students high five while hiking
BaMidbar partners with youth and young adult-serving Jewish community organizations to provide customized 3-10 day wilderness-based adventures. BaMidbar’s wellness programs are not therapeutic, and are created for all Jewish youth and young adults.
Are you a synagogue looking to create a rite of passage experience for your B’nai Mitzvah or confirmation classes? Are you a day school hoping to support your seniors with a successful transition into college? Or are you a Hillel hoping to build community on campus, and engage students in a new and unique experience?
Take your community OUTSIDE to try something different, seek fresh perspective, and build connections. We work with diverse organizations to create a customized curriculum and itinerary for the group. Give us a call today to share your goals, and we’ll craft an experience unique to your community’s needs.
Learn More
Ongoing Professional Development Programs
BaMidbar empowers Jewish professionals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support whole-health wellness in the populations they serve. Professional development programs focus on mental health literacy, experiential education, and Jewish learning through a wellness lens. Visit our website for the most up to date information on virtual and in-person professional development programs. We add new courses to our website every month!
Joyful celebration
Digital Simcha: Online Fun & Games
November 10th & November 17th
12:00-1:00pm MST
Following our theory-heavy introduction to Zoom Fatigue and online experiential facilitation, this course is a chance to step back and play. Learn new games and see how old games can be adapted for an online setting. Over two sessions, we will introduce and play a variety of games that you can bring to your virtual community. Bring your sense of fun and creativity, and be ready to engage! Participation in BaMidbar’s original “From Zoom Fatigue to Digital Simcha” course is not a prerequisite for joining this program.
Student practicing yoga
Wellness Without Overwhelm
November 19th
5:00-6:30pm MST
As we all juggle competing demands, our social, emotional, and spiritual health are taking a toll. What is “whole-health wellness,” and what helps you live well? How do we prioritize and practice self-care during these very challenging times? In this interactive Zoom session with BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy, we will explore a multidimensional approach to wellness and self-care that can be used as a framework to support self-reflection and a quest for balance during these challenging times. This session will also explore how Jewish tradition can support our whole-health wellness.
Ice breaker
Experiential Educator Course
May 2nd-5th, 2021
(Denver, CO)
November 15th-16th, 2021
(Boston, MA)
December 5th-7th, 2021
(Los Angeles, CA)
This retreat is designed for youth and young adult-serving Jewish community professionals interested in expanding their understanding of mental health, wellness, and experiential learning in order to better support their students and actively promote social and emotional growth.
Spend three jam-packed days with experiential educators from across the country. Using classroom-based and hands-on, outdoor, experiential approaches, learn to create, frame, facilitate, and debrief experiences that push participants to examine questions around meaning, values, purpose, and identity. Discover tools that can be used to support emotional, spiritual, and communal growth, and make space for personal and professional reflection on wellness and what Judaism has to say about what it means to “live well.”