The teen years are often tumultuous and challenging. Teenagers must contend with increased academic pressure, rapidly changing social dynamics, morally ambiguous decision making situations and many new and unhealthy temptations. Too often young teenage boys, 13 – 15 years old, lack the skills and experience to successfully navigate through these and other obstacles.

Kadima is an early intervention wilderness program for at-risk Jewish 13 – 15 year old boys. At-risk behaviors include, anger, declining or unexplained low performance in school, defiance, low self-esteem, risky behaviors such as promiscuity, experimenting with drugs or alcohol, hanging with the “wrong crowd”, sneaking out at night, and skipping school.

The Kadima approach to behavior change is based on the proven educational methods of Kurt Hahn, familiar to most people as the Outward Bound model, William Glaser’s Reality Therapy and Judaism, particularly the moral shaping mussar tradition.

Kadima is eight days of wilderness canoeing and camping throughout the Adirondacks. Through personal and group challenges, structured and spontaneous learning opportunities, reflection and group meetings participants acquire skills for better decision making and problem solving leading to a happier and more fulfilling future. Our group sizes are never more than seven students. This is consistent with best wilderness practices; ensures plenty of attention for each student; and keeps the leader to student ratio at a very safe level of under 1 instructor per 4 students.

Why eight days? Eight in Jewish tradition represents commitment, dedication and determination. One of Judaism’s strongest expressions of commitment, the brit milah, or circumcision, takes place on the eighth day in the life of a newborn baby boy. Eight is also associated with the holiday of Hanukkah, when we celebrate the determination and dedication of the Macabbis. Commitment, dedication and determination are what it takes to succeed at Kadima and in life.

Kadima is a project of Burning Bush Adventures (BBA). BBA combines Rabbi Cohen’s love and knowledge of Judaism with his expertise as a wilderness guide in order to provide families, groups and at-risk Jewish teens with powerful nature and Torah based learning experiences . Rabbi Cohen directed at-risk and delinquent teen wilderness programs for over ten years with Outward Bound and other similar programs. He was also prison chaplain for five years. He has been guiding wilderness trips for 30 years.