Program — Camp Biluim

A Day in the Life

A TYPICAL DAY AT BILUIM

8:30 Wake-up

8:55 Mifkad/Chadashot

9:15 Breakfast

10:00 Nikayon/CIT for Kinneret Nikayon

10:30 Chug A

11:45 Hadracha

1:00 Lunch

1:45 Menucha & BFL

3:15 Chug B

4:15 General Swim

5:15 Menucha

6:00 Dinner

7:00 Free Time & BFL

8:00 Mifkad

8:30 Evening Program, Ra’ad Hayom & Evening Snack

9:45 Free Time/Shower Time

11:00 In Tents/Health Check

11:30 Lights Out

Wake Up

Wake up takes place at 8:30 am on Sunday-Tuesday, and Thursday-Friday. On Wednesdays, campers and staff enjoy a one-hour sleep-in, to ensure they stay well rested throughout the week. On Saturdays, campers may wake up anytime before noon.

Morning Mifkad

Mikfad (flagpole) is both a location in camp, as well as an important part of every day. Every morning before breakfast, the entire Biluim family comes together to make announcements and raise the Canadian and Israeli flags while singing Oh Canada, and reciting the Judean Pledge.

Breakfast

Delicious hot breakfasts are served every day in our Chadar Ochel. Breakfast choices range from freshly baked croissants to scrambled eggs and hash browns. A selection of cereal, yogurt, fruit, and oatmeal are served every day.

Billy Minute/Avodah

After breakfast our campers have a little bit of time to get themselves ready for the day. Some of our campers are assigned to daily Avodah - work - to help tidy up our space. Others may help our campers in Kinneret get ready for their day - a great leadership opportunity.

Chug A

Each camper has the opportunity to choose two chugim (activities) for the summer. Please see below for a detailed list of chugim that we offer at camp.

Hadracha

Every day our campers meet in the same groups for one of the cornerstone programs of Biluim, Hadracha. This is an hour for our campers to learn about their own leadership styles, and have a chance to better understand their identity.

Lunch

Our dairy lunches feature traditional camp favourites like grilled cheese and lasagna, with a healthy twist! Additions to the menu such as sweet potato fries, bean salad, and whole grain bread ensure that campers get the nutrition they need. Freshly made soups, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, salad, fresh fruit, soy nut butter, and bread are available every day. Lactose free alternatives are also available daily.

Menucha

After lunch, everyone enjoys an hour-long rest period. Campers use this time to write letters home, read, hang out with friends, or make use of some of the many activities that are open to them during this time. Campers can use this time to go down to the courts for a casual game of basketball, make friendship bracelets in the arts and crafts room, or challenge a tent mate to a game of ping-pong.

BFL Hour

Campers in our Biluim Football League use this dedicated time after lunch and dinner to play with their team against another.

Chug B

This hour allows our campers to further develop their skills!

General Swim

Whether you’re windsurfing, sharing a pedal boat ride with a friend, practising your strokes, or just splashing around with your tentmates, general swim is an opportunity for campers to enjoy what they love most about the waterfront. Our buddy system ensures that all campers are accounted for during this time, and general swim is run under the watchful eye of our Waterfront Director and our team of Royal Lifesaving Society certified lifeguards.

CIT Program

Biluim campers have the opportunity to volunteer in our Counsellor-in-Training program at Camp Kinneret and develop valuable staffing skills.

Evening Program

Every night, our entire camp comes together to participate in evening programs that have been developed by our experienced staff. These programs range in themes, covering everything from social media to Israeli culture! All of our evening programs encourage teamwork between campers, and offer the campers a chance to meet new people and develop strong relationships with one-another.

Activities

Chugim

Each camper has the chance to select three chugim per session during the summer. We change chugim at the halfway point so that everyone can experience multiple activities. In addition to our classic camp activities, our campers get the chance to partake in specialty chugim that our staff develop based on hobbies and interest. Every summer we add new and dynamic chugim to our roster! Some examples of our chugim include:

Arts & Crafts
Fashion
Landsports
Archery
Hockey
Basketball
Bama (Drama)
Tennis & Pickle ball
Fitness
Biking
Aquatic Activities (Canoeing, kayaking, waterpolo, and water toys)
Glee
Dance
Yoga
Music
Rikud Zumba

Big Sibling Little Sibling Program

At the beginning of the summer, each camper at Camp Biluim is paired with a camper aged 7-15 years old from Camp Kinneret, our junior camp run on the same site. After a filling out a brief survey, campers are matched with those who share similar interests, and/or life experiences, and are from an age group that they the Biluim campers are interested in working with. For the duration of the summer, our Biluim “big siblings” spend time with their little siblings, including participating in organized programs, being buddies at general swim, and sitting together during Shabbat meals.

The Big Sibling/Little Sibling program is one of the most magical parts of Biluim. It gives Biluim campers the chance to experience the role of being a staff member on a smaller scale, and places importance on seeing themselves as role models that the younger campers look up to. In many cases, these “sibling” relationships result in friendships that last far beyond the summer months.

CIT PROGRAM

At Camp Biluim, we believe the best way to learn is through experiences! All campers at Camp Biluim have the chance to take part in our CIT program, which gives them the opportunity to learn from qualified staff members, first-hand. Camp Kinneret, our junior camp run on the same site (for campers aged 7-15) is the perfect place for our Biluim campers to exercise their leadership skills and learn how to program, run a successful chug (activity period), and care for campers. The CIT Program pairs Biluim campers with Camp Kinneret staff members during various activity periods, giving them the chance to run or help run activities under the supervision of trained staff members.

TRIPPER IN TRAINING

Those campers who are interested in going on become trippers in their future camp careers, or even those who just want to spend a bit more time paddling/hiking/making bonfires, are encouraged to join our Tripper in Training program. Under the mentorship of our qualified and professionally trained trippers, the campers in this program will have the chance to help lead trips of campers between the ages of 7-15 years old from Camp Kinneret, our junior camp. As well as helping to lead trips throughout the summer, these campers will also participate in an amazing end-of-summer rock climbing day-trip, as a thank you for their hard work!

tripping program

All of our campers can have the experience to see the beautiful Laurentian’s in some form or another. Some trips focus more on hiking and exploring the trails of Mont-Tremblant Provincial Park, and some focus more on canoeing. All of our camping trips are run under the supervision of our highly trained tripper and assistant tripper, certified by both Wilderness First Aid and the Royal Lifesaving Society.

Trip to Montreal

What could be better than experiencing Montreal with more than 100 of your new best friends? We take in all of the highlights of our vibrant city, enjoying many of the city’s best food, art, and entertainment!

CAMPER INITIATIVES - VA’ADOT

At Biluim, we encourage our campers to develop their programming skills through hands-on, experiential learning. The best way to do this is for campers to run their own programs! We strongly support campers who wish to create, write, and implement their own programs for their peers throughout the summer, as well as those who wish to adapt programs previously run in past summers. With the support and mentorship of their staff members, campers are given the necessary tools, materials, and time to create and run these programs, which are often seen as highlights of the summer. This is also done through Va’adot or committees, that run specialized events and experiences for their peers and for our Kinneret campers.

Hadracha

Camp Biluim Canada is dedicated to the development of ones Jewish identity, understanding of ones self, collaboration, sense of community, and leadership. Drawing examples from the Bilu, a group of pioneers recognized for being some of the first to settle the Land of Israel, a great deal of emphasis at Camp Biluim is placed on the practice of Hadracha B’Dugma, leadership by example.

Moreover, Camp Biluim Canada fosters confident, Zionist leaders with our diverse summer training program. The chanichim are given the opportunity to realize their full potential as the future leaders of our Jewish communities nationwide. The type of leader that Camp Biluim aims to develop is a caring, self-aware and positive person who embodies sincere passion for Israel, Judaism, and Zionism.

Chanichim at Biluim are encouraged to develop the skills necessary to lead effectively. These skills include the ability to listen and communicate, the ability to address a large group of people, the ability to work well as part of a team, the ability to develop informal educational programs, and the ability to create an environment that brings out the best in people. A leader is one of who looks out for others, and recognizes that even the smallest actions have the greatest impacts. In order to develop these leadership skills, all Biluim chanichim partake in self-efficacy and team building exercises as part of the Hadracha (leadership) program.

The Hadracha program is a facilitated session with a group of up to twelve peers, which takes place daily. The program’s curriculum is modeled in the three phases of creating a safe space, confronting ourselves and our fears, and finally empowering others. Combined with many other diverse leadership opportunities, the Hadracha program creates a unique and individualized experience for every camper.