Upcoming In-Person Retreats for Youth Professionals
Are you looking to expand your skills as an educator and actively support your students in building mental health and wellness? Join BaMidbar for Mental, Emotional, and Social Health for Experiential Educators (MESH-EE) as we return to in-person immersive learning this spring!
MESH-EE is an opportunity for Jewish communal professionals to gather in a community of learning to expand their understanding of mental health and wellness through experiential education and a Jewish lens. Over the course of the retreat, professionals will explore ways in which they can foster social and emotional growth in teens and young adults they serve, and build the tools and supportive network they need to actively promote resilience and help their students thrive.
Boston Details
Dates: April 4-6, 2022
Location: Warren Conference Center, Ashland, MA
Who’s it for? Jewish Communal Professionals
Learn More
Register Now
Denver Details
Dates: May 12-15, 2022
Location: Ramah in the Rockies, Sedalia, CO
Who’s it for? Jewish Communal Professionals
Learn More
Register Now
Registration is Still Open for BaMidbar’s Summer Wilderness Therapy Program
It’s been a tough few years. Do you know a young adult (18-28) who could use extra support this summer?
When: June 30 to August 8, 2022
Where: Colorado
BaMidbar’s Wilderness Therapy program is a 40-day immersive, wilderness-based, therapeutic program for emerging adults (ages 18-28) looking to find direction and chart a new path forward. BaMidbar’s 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.
Learn More
Apply Today
“BaMidbar was a wonderful experience that really helped me to regain my happiness and confidence. It taught me tools that are going to help me make a plan for the future.” ~BaMidbar Alum
BaMidbar helps Jewish emerging adults build resilience and overcome obstacles. BaMidbar’s wilderness therapy program serves emerging adults (ages 18-28) who are struggling to find their way, and may or may not have a history of mental health challenges.
Join BaMidbar’s Summer Team
We are currently hiring for seasonal staff to support our Wilderness Therapy programs. We are seeking applicants interested in our Field Guide position.
Read below for position information and use this link to apply today.
Field Guide: Working in BaMidbar’s Wilderness Therapy program, Assistant and Lead Field Guides serve as mentors and wilderness guides for young adults struggling with mild to moderate social, emotional, behavioral, and academic challenges. Through applying therapeutic concepts, teaching technical and fundamental skills, integrating Jewish values and traditions, and connecting personally with students, staff serve as a support system for program participants. Using BaMidbar’s supportive, strengths-based approach, Field Guides encourage students to move beyond their comfort zones to experience new, unexpected levels of confidence, personal achievement, and growth. Learn more HERE or apply HERE.
501(c)(3) Public Charity Designation Announcement
After six years as a fiscally sponsored program of Ramah in the Rockies, BaMidbar is thrilled to announce its official designation as an independent 501(c)(3) Public Charity. In 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General advised urgent action to address the youth mental health crisis exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that the present and future wellbeing of our country depends on how we support and invest in the mental health and wellness of the next generation. While mental illness, trauma, and addiction are as common in the Jewish community as in the rest of society, there are limited resources within a Jewish framework. BaMidbar was founded in 2016 to address this deficit.
This public charity designation positions BaMidbar for further opportunities for programmatic and operational growth to address the mental health crisis facing our community. As an organization that sits at the intersection of mental health, Jewish learning, and experiential education, BaMidbar is uniquely situated to facilitate comprehensive change around mental health in the Jewish community. You can read the full announcement on our website here.
We are so grateful to you, the BaMidbar community, for supporting the organization in getting to this important juncture. Please consider supporting BaMidbar today and celebrating this important milestone with a tax-deductible donation. Click here to visit the online donation page.
Listen to Jory’s Interview on the “Two Rabbis And…” Podcast
Last month, Jory Hanselman Mayschak, BaMidbar’s CEO, joined Rabbis Dan Kaiman and Marc Fitzerman from Congregation B’nai Emunah on their podcast. Listen to “Two Rabbis And…” where Jory shares about BaMidbar’s mission and vision, illustrates how the organization has grown over the years and answers questions about mental health and wellness in the Jewish community.
Listen to Jory’s Podcast Interview
Read What Three JTI Peer Wellness Fellows Have to Say About Mental Health
“I would want people to know, especially with the pandemic, that [teens] are trying their best. People might not be as on top of their game as they were before the pandemic. Everyone’s still trying their best to get everything done and stay on top of what everyone is expecting of them. But sometimes it does get to be a huge burden, a bigger burden than it feels like it ever has been.”
Launched in Fall 2021, BaMidbar has partnered with Jewish Teen Initiative Boston and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston to pilot the JTI Peer Wellness Fellows Program. Check out this article from JewishBoston to read what three of the Fellows have to say about mental health in their communities.
Read the JewishBoston Article
BaMidbar is working to scale its highly replicable Prevention programming model. We are actively seeking partners to launch the Wellness Fellowship in other communities across the country. For more information and to inquire, please contact Emily Heeren, Program Director, at EmilyH@BaMidbarTherapy.org.
Follow BaMidbar on Social Media
Did you see BaMidbar’s social media post on International Women’s Day, celebrating Jory, Hayden, Emily, and Rose? Check it out by clicking the buttons below. And if you’re not already following our pages, click Like and Follow.
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Have you participated in one of our education, prevention, or treatment programs? Another way to support BaMidbar is to write a positive review about your experience on Google!