On Friday, September 6, Sinai Temple’s Teen Center traveled to Camp Ramah in Ojai, CA for the annual Teen Leadership Retreat. The theme of this year’s retreat was Self-Care and Wellness, through a Jewish lens. The teens focused on three main pillars of self-care: spiritual, physical, and communal.
The group learned about spiritual origins of self-care through concepts like Shmirat Haguf, guarding the body, and they found their places in the universe through stargazing and Heschel text on the importance of awe and wonder. The teens engaged in the physical aspect of self-care, including Salsa lessons, highlighting the joys of cooking and dance, Salsa Y Salsa. They learned about the supportive power of togetherness through group activities, most notably a Havdalah ceremony, led by the Teen Executive Council, during which the group harnessed the power of community and were reminded of how the connections shared through tradition can provide a place of refuge when in need of support or a safe space to explore oneself and find peace.
It was a wonderful weekend spent in a beautiful place and helped set intentions for the year to come. The group came together as individuals and left as a more caring, more connected community.
For more information about Teen programs, please contact Jason Druyan, Teen Center Director, at [email protected].