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Building confidence and resilience: 750 young people join JLGB summer camp
Jewish participants from Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Hertfordshire, London and Essex enjoy jam-packed week of activities
Seven hundred and fifty young people and leaders from Jewish communities across the UK came together for JLGB’s (Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade) 2026 summer camp.
Founded in 1895, the UK’s oldest Jewish youth movement brought participants from Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Hertfordshire, London, Essex and beyond to its flagship annual initiative, including 130 adult leaders and 80 young leaders.
Campers climbed high ropes and zip wires, paddled across the lake by kayak and paddleboard, tackled giant inflatable obstacle courses, treasure hunts, tested their aim at archery, performed on stage and explored creative workshops including drumming, dance, drama, crafts and skills workshops.
Evenings transformed camp into carnivals complete with fire performers, fireworks, talent shows, musical theatre, giant interactive game shows, karaoke and themed parties.
Ellie Palmer, senior camp director, said: “I first joined JLGB as a nine-year-old, and the experiences I had here helped shape the person and leader I am today.
“That is why leading summer camp is such a privilege. Many of the adults and young leaders creating the experience today once arrived as campers themselves. Every generation is given the chance to grow, lead and then give something back to the next.”
Describing JLGB as “far more than an organisation”, Palmer calls it “a community, a support network and, for so many of us, a family. Seeing today’s young people begin their own JLGB stories is what makes camp so special.”
Alongside the senior camp programme, JLGB welcomed more than 100 younger children aged eight to ten for activities such as colour runs, safari adventures and building cardboard rockets.
Simone Silver, junior camp director, said: “For many of our younger campers, this is their first time away from home. Our responsibility is not only to make it safe, joyful and unforgettable, but to help each child discover a little more confidence, independence and belief in themselves.”
She added: “The child arriving nervously today may return one day as a young leader, a volunteer or even a trustee, ready to give someone else the same sense of belonging they were once given.”
A major highlight of the week came as more than 80 guests visited camp, including representatives from the department for culture, media and sport, community partners, supporters, alumni and friends of JLGB.
They joined JLGB president, Lord Levy, for a special celebration marking the 70th anniversary of The Duke of Edinburgh Awards and recognising the charity’s history of enabling Jewish young people to participate through a fully kosher and Shabbat-friendly framework.
During the visit, three 90-year-old JLGB alumni were honoured for their continued contribution to the organisation, whilst two exceptional young leaders, Sam Rose-Isaacs and Rebecca Silverstone, received awards from the local deputy lieutenant on behalf of His Majesty The King in recognition of their outstanding service as cadets.
Chief executive of JLGB, Neil Martin said: “Young people are growing up in a world that feels uncertain, divided and increasingly complex. They need more than activities to fill their time. They need communities that help them build confidence, find belonging and develop the resilience to face whatever lies ahead.
“Summer camp is joyful, colourful and enormous fun, but its greatest success is something much deeper. It reminds every young person that they matter, that they are capable of extraordinary things and that they are part of a community that believes in them. For 131 years JLGB has been helping generations of young people discover not only what they can do, but who they can become. That mission has never been more important.”
Summer Camp forms part of JLGB’s year-round work engaging more than 4,000 Jewish young people through local groups, schools’ programmes, volunteering, leadership development and The Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
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