Camp Cool Age, a summer camp for older adults, first began from a conversation between Jordan Fruchtman, the chief program officer of the Lawrence Family JCC in San Diego, California, and a friend’s mom. When he mentioned he runs the traditional summer camp for the J, she asked why there isn’t a program for people her age where they can have fun and connect.
Since then, Camp Cool Age has been in development and marketing phases with its inaugural run beginning the week of May 13. It will feature fun, relaxing and recreational activities for local seniors during the day. Some sessions include pickleball, meditation and mindfulness, crafting, ax throwing, and a Shabbat experience. Having a wide variety of offerings campers want to do ensures they’re properly served.
“There’s a big demographic shift happening across the country and especially here in San Diego,” said Fruchtman. “We have above the national average of folks who are 55-plus in our community. We know there’s a lot of active adults in their 60s and 70s who are looking for fun and engaging experiences.”
How Audience Influences Decisions
While taking inspiration from typical summer camps for youth, Fruchtman emphasized the need to make choices with the needs of older age groups in mind. For example, the day camp will only happen Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As such, Tuesday and Thursday are left open for any appointments or errands participants may have during the week.
Another difference is the inclusion of happy hours at the end of two of the days. These experiences include wine tasting with a sommelier and trivia to increase opportunities to create connections.
Fruchtman explained these fun activities are meant to provide programming not typically available for this age range. In designing Camp Cool Age, the JCC looked at three things:
- Connection to self. Having opportunities where participants can partake in or be introduced to the hobbies they love can strengthen self-identity often discovered at traditional summer camps.
- Connection to community. Cultivating a sense of belonging among participants and encouraging feelings of community is a big hope for participants.
- Sense of purpose and giving back. Especially for this age group where many are retired after substantial careers, reminding them of their impact on the world around them is vital.
These ideas have greatly influenced what will be offered at camp along with suggestions from participants. For Fruchtman, the importance of participant-facilitator collaboration is the biggest takeaway from planning the event.
Involving Participants
“When we’re creating something, we should be working with the people it’s being created for,” said Fruchtman. “The exciting part is I have the opportunity to work with so many people in this demographic who all help shape what we’re going to do at camp. All these ideas come from participants or the community.”
Another way campers are getting involved is through spreading the word about the camp. Because it’s the pilot program, a big focus for the JCC is marketing and it’s utilizing many different methods.
Traditional channels the J is using include magazine ads and e-blasts, but Fruchtman also noted the effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing. These messages come from ambassadors in the age group who encourage their peers to sign up for the camp. This year, the JCC is hoping for 25 to 35 participants but the maximum is approximately 50.
“Recruitment is a challenge,” said Fruchtman. “Camp Cool Age is something that’s brand new, so people don’t know really what to expect. A lot of times people are reading the brochure and think this is an overnight experience, but it’s not. There’s a lot of misconceptions about what it might be because it’s a pilot. Once we get it off the ground, we can start to grow the program.”
Hopes are high with Camp Cool Age. If the camp is run successfully this year, it opens the door of opportunity for future possibilities. Creating programming that serves members in new ways is never without risk, but the smiling faces and new experiences it creates are often worth it.
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