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Pag* Two f» VI iPgHfc ; • V' *. : . ' . *•’ THf SOUTHMN ISRAHJTE * ' f Friday, July J, 1970 AMERICAN NEWS REPORT by Ben Gallob Jewish Summer Camp Finds Means to Cope With Drug Use by Staff and Campers Officials of a Los Angeles Jewish summer camp, faced with the problem of drug use by staff members and campers, responded with a stated and en forced ban on all drug use at the camp and by seeking to make camp programs so mean ingful that no one at the camp would want to use drugs. The problem and its solution were described by Mike Schles- inger, program director of Camp JCA of the Los Angeles Jewish Centers Association, in a report in the current issue of “Jewish Community Center Program Aids,” a quarterly publication of the National Jewish Welfare Board. He reported that the problem cropped up initially at the 1965 camp session when camp offic ials learned that a few staff members were using marijuana both in the camp and on their days off. At the 1966 camp ses sion, more people were noted to be involved in drug use but camp officials felt none of the campers had become involved. The annual winter vacation weekend for senior high cam pers in 1966 proved to be “a traumatic event" — and one “practically centered” around drugs. Both staff members and senior high campers ‘“had be come nearly obsessed” with the matter. At a teenage reunion, several weeks later, the camp director started what was to be come a long “and continuing” process of meeting the issue head-on. The problem was seen by camp officials as existing on three levels—personal, institu tional and legal. Institutionally, the camp was viewed as linked to society, represented by the families of the campers and staff members, a board of com munity leaders, “and the camp’s reputation in the general com munity." The officials concluded that the camp, as a social in stitution, must develop “a clear, THE ORIENTAL FOOD FAVORITE OF ATLANTA FAMILIES FOB THt VERY BEST CANTONESE CUISINE IN THE SOUTH ImHGKOHGI CMNCSf —d AMERICAN RESTAURANT honest policy” on the drug problem “which will be accep table to parents, board, agency, staff arid campers, and still be consistent with the philosophy of the camp itself.” Out of much such discussion, objectives emerged. On the staff level, the goal was seen as cre ating a meaningful limit on the drug problem, with elimination of hypocrisy and sneaking. With campers, the goal was to elim inate not only all drug use at the camp “but alsq all of the faking and phony role-playing that is frequently employed to be ‘cool,’ ‘hip’ or *in’.” The task was also viewed as one of cre ating a camp atmosphere in which campers could “honestly examine their own feeling” about drug use. The first step was to make the camp policy on drugs generally known to the community, the program director reported. He said it was deemed essential that staff, campers and their parents know the policy before they came to camp and so, “in our initial interview with prospec tive staff members,” that policy is spelled out. Staff applicants not in agreement with that pol icy are advised not to seek a camp job. The official added “we explain to staff members the limit on drug use at the camp, its rationale and the sanctions: immediate dismissal.” The policy also is explained to campers, both before and after they ar rive. They are told that “drugs are out at camp and that break ing this policy means going home. The problem for campers who use drugs becomes the risk: is it worth jeopardizing their stay at camp?” During the first two years of this policy enforcement, in 1967 and 1966, some decided it was worth the risk and “we pain fully had to send several cam pers home both summers.” But during the 1969 season, “no campers were sent home and no saff member was dismissed.” The program director explained that the fact that no one was caught in 1969 “does not mean that there was absolutely no drugs used in camp but to the best of our knowledge—and we are reasonably confident of this — no one did.” In the “tight and intense camp community,” he added, camp officials “are very knowledgeable about what is going on.” Officials knew that many of the young campers used mari juana frequently or occasionally in the city and they asked such campers why they did not bring the drug to camp. The answers varied. Some said “we like camp and don’t want to be sent home.” But most offered a more in volved answer: “We don’t need drugs here.” This answer was by far the most common. The program director then analyzed means used to help drug users to reach that de cision. He declared “we must strive to make the camp com munity really relevant, mean ingful and helpful. One of the primary keys is to motivate campers and staff to make the Furniture, renovating by qual ity craftsmen. Wood - and metal stripped, repaired, re glued, and refinished, cane- ing and upholstering. Antiques lovingly rsstorad l Service Industries 377-6227 camp important enough to war rant the disuse of drugs.” The result of that effort was that “many campers expressed the feeling that because of the at mosphere, relationships, activi ties and life style of the camp, the daily experience became so meaningful and exciting that drugs no longer added a new dimension, as is so often the ra tionale, but instead detracted from it.” Elaborating on that point, Mr. Schlesinger reported that “the vast majority of campers have a very strong feeling toward camp. They see it as their com munity, one which functions in their interest. They want to make it work.” One of the camp tools for bringing about that at titude is a camper council, in which campers “directly affect program and policy.” Thus, campers as well as staff “share the responsibility of making camp a great place for as many people as possible. Our campers really feel this and are extreme ly involved in working for the camp, both in the city and in the camp itself.” Within this framework, he added, camp officials “try ex tremely hard” to make non-use of drugs a value for both staff and campers. The idea “is to strongly stress some of the posi tive aspects of not using drugs in addition to expressing the negatives of drug use. Peers can frequently accomplish this more effectively than those outside one’s peer group,” he noted. The program director reported expectations that the 1970 camp season would bring new prob lems, in that the use of pills, “the uppers and the downers” —pep pills and tranquilizers — "seems to be increasing very rapidly, even surpassing mari juana in appeal to young peo ple.” Camp officials consider use of pills “a new threat” to the summer camp, “one which we will also try to meet as di rectly and openly as possible.” Copyright 1970, JTA STAN'S Radio TV Eleetroole Service PHONE: 261-4789 329 PHARR ROAD, N. E. ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30309 NOW 6 LOCATIONS IN ATLANTA, PLUS ATHENS, GA. Atlanta's First and Finest ill • Ravioli ■ Latagna * Why speculate on fluctuating money markets when Atlanta Federal Guarantees this rate! fliunnn FEDERAL SAVINGS MAIN OFFICE: MARIETTA AT BROAD • ANSLEY MALL • BROOKHAVEN • BUCKHEAD • .COLLEGE PARK GREENBRIAR • MA8LETON • ROSWELL-WIEUCA • STEWART-LAKEWOOD • TENTH STREET • WEST END