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SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM
Days at Hatikvah are full of fun. Campers swim, play sports, create, cook, dance, spend time outdoors, take part in favourite camp traditions and share countless laughs with their friends. There is always something happening and always something to look forward to.
Below, you’ll find just some of the activities that fill those days. They are an important part of the Hatikvah experience — but they are only part of the story. As you read through them, we invite you to look a little deeper at what is happening while our campers are busy having fun.
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A football game is never just a football game. Campers are learning how to be part of a team, how to win and lose, how to encourage someone else and how to keep going when things don’t go their way.
Time at the waterfront can mean trying something that feels intimidating, trusting the people around you or discovering that you can do something you didn’t think you could.
Even the simplest moments of camp require campers to make decisions, navigate friendships, solve problems, compromise and think about someone other than themselves.
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This is what happens every day at Haitkvah. With each experience, campers become a little more independent, a little more resilient and a little more confident in themselves. They learn to care for others, take responsibility for their choices and understand what it means to be a part of a community.
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Over the course of a summer — and especially over many summers — those small moments add up. Campers begin to know themselves better, trust themselves more and understand the kind of person, and community member, they want to be.
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The activities may fill the schedule, but the growth that happens through them is what makes the camp experience so powerful.
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LAKE LIFE
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At Hatikvah, the lake isn’t just part of the scenery - it’s at the centre of everything we do. Campers spend at least half of every day at the waterfront, swimming, canoeing, paddle boarding, waterskiing or simply hanging out with friends on the dock or in a boat. Under the care of our team of trained lifeguards, campers have the chance to build their skills, gain confidence, try new things and enjoy the simple fun of spending summer days together on the lake.
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SPORTS
Sports and games are a big part of life at Hatikvah. Campers can hit the soccer field, shoot hoops on the basketball court, take aim at archery, head out on a bike and enjoy a wide variety of other sports and games. Whether they’re trying something new or playing a sport they already love, campers have the chance to stay active, build their skills, work as a team and, most importantly, have fun with friends.
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CREATIVE PROGRAMMING
Creativity takes many forms at Hatikvah. Campers can work with clay in ceramics, make friendship bracelets, cook in the kitchen or over an open fire, play music, dance, explore photography and so much more. With a wide variety of hands-on activities to choose from, campers have the chance to explore their interests, try something completely new and discover talents they may not have known they had.
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SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Some of the most special moments of the summer are the traditions campers look forward to year after year. From the excitement of Maccabiah and Survivor to Dancing with the Staff and so many other uniquely Hatikvah traditions, these are the experiences that become part of a camper’s story.
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They are the unforgettable moments and shared experiences that campers talk about long after the summer is over — and cannot wait to come back and experience again. As campers grow up at Hatikvah, these traditions connect one summer to the next and one generation of campers to another. They create a shared history, a deep sense of belonging, and some of the very best memories of growing up at camp.
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JEWISH LIFE
At Camp Hatikvah, being Jewish isn't something that happens during a particular program or at a particular time of day. It is simply part of life at camp.
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Campers celebrate Shabbat, dance together at Rikud, learn about Israel and experience the traditions and values that have connected Jewish people for thousands of years.
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There is something powerful about being surrounded by hundreds of other Jewish kids — laughing together, cheering together, singing together and sharing the traditions that connect them. At Hatikvah, campers experience what it feels like to truly belong to a Jewish community and to be proud to be part of it.
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And perhaps the greatest gift of all is the relationships they build along the way. Campers form deep friendships with other Jewish children; they grow up together, return summer after summer, and become part of a community that extends far beyond the gates of camp.
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Hatikvah doesn't just give children a Jewish experience for the summer. It gives them a Jewish community they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
