About

Our Vision and Goals

Ramote Expeditions' vision is to create an environment in which every participant can thrive and feel respected while engaging in activities that depend on determination and perseverance. Wilderness adventures demand responsibility from each boy as an individual as well as from the group as a whole. The group learns to trust each other and work together as a unit. The very nature (pun intended) of wilderness adventures places one in situations where the usual option of doing less than your potential is no longer a possibility. Determination, trust, and responsibility are absolute necessities for truly enjoying wilderness adventuring.

Throughout the summer there is a clear emphasis on taking our experiences, accomplishments, and lessons learned and integrating them into our lives. Clearly, the boy who comes to the program expecting a fun and exciting summer, leaves the summer with much more than a few action packed adventures and a couple of rolls of beautiful pictures. The experiences and memories have an impact that will last forever.

The Ramote Atmosphere

Ramote provides teens with a once in a lifetime experience that both challenges and motivates them in a healthy and growth-oriented environment. Ramote caters to an eclectic group of teens, as our main criterion for acceptance is middos. Our groups are very small with a high staff ratio, this allows for a unique mix of participants while enabling the staff to set the tone and influences. The atmosphere is one of friendship, mutual respect, self-awareness, and responsibility. The staff at Ramote understands the challenges facing Jewish teens today. We are diligent in creating and maintaining a high-energy forum in which all participants can discuss their concerns and questions in a positive Torah atmosphere. We readily share our own experiences and insight while remaining transparent role models and mentors.

The vehicle we use to accomplish these goals is wilderness adventuring. Our trips are action packed and often very strenuous, this combination forces all participants to tap into their inner strength and drive. The result is an empowering sense of accomplishment that plants the seeds for further success. We continue our relationship with the boys throughout the year(s), to help maintain that which they have gained. Ramote is far from your standard summer camp, it is designed to launch each and every participant into a path of growth and a lifetime of achievement and happiness.

Trip Description

All of our adventure activities start off on a beginner level but will become progressively harder and more challenging throughout the summer. Activities include day hikes and backpacking, mountain and road biking, canoeing and canoeing overnights, survival and orienteering, as well as other wilderness based activities and team-building workshops. There is a strong focus on the technical skills in each of these activities. Survival/Wilderness improvisation workshops and orienteering workshops will be given, both of which will be implemented into an actual adventure(s) which will require the use of the skills learned.

Participants are required to come to all davening and learning sessions. Because of our intense schedule, our learning is structured around each day's adventure. Approximately forty-five minutes per day is devoted to shiurim/chavrusos, however, the focus is more on our group and individual discussions. Through years of experience, we have found this to be the most productive and fluid recipe for a truly awesome and growth-filled summer.