Hi, I’m Eliana, and I am on the regional general board of ECRUSY and am planning the spring convention. I know there is some apprehension from some of the middle school age kids about going to this convention, but I wanted to just reach out to let you know how much fun the convention is going to be! It is at Ramah Canada, and is called Crave Con, meaning that lots of the programming will be based on tv shows from Crave! Being at Ramah Canada will bring a lot more of the camp energy, and just like at camp, programming will mainly be by age, with middle schoolers and high schoolers mostly being separated, and sometimes brought together.
My first USY convention in Canada was in grade 8 because that is the year we moved to Ottawa. When I was in Grade 8, I went to the spring convention, and it honestly really got me into USY. It was really nice to have some activities with the “older kids” because we got to hear about how much fun they had in USY, and it made me feel really cool to say I had older friends not only from Ottawa but from Toronto and other cities in Canada. Everyone who goes to convention is so friendly, and like camp, there really is somebody and something for everyone!
I can’t share all of the programming plans, because that will take all of the fun out of it 🙂 , but we will be doing a MasterChef inspired cooking challenge and we will have different elective times where everyone can choose where they want to go. From sports time to creating Shabbat decorations, there will be the perfect balance of structured time and down time for everyone to bond.
I started Gesher in Grade 5 when we lived in Florida, and participating in USY has been a big part of my Jewish identity. I have so many meaningful memories and friends from these experiences, and I really want the younger Ottawa kids to get engaged and be part of USY the way I have been.I’d be happy to talk to any of you parents or kids if you have any questions about convention or any suggestions on how we can make the experience more suitable to your child. Specifically, for those who went to spring convention last year, let me know what may be holding you back from registering again. We’d love to make sure everyone has the best time and if there is feedback to receive we are definitely interested in hearing it! I just know Crave Con is going to be so much fun, and I really hope everyone can make it.
Early bird registration pricing has ended, but Cantor Green has discretionary fund money available to help with costs. Reach out to me today (emitzmacher@gmail.com) if I can help in your decision making!
Eliana
