Achva: What's New for 2013

We often get asked what has changed for this coming summer from last summer. So here is a rundown of our programs and some of the changes, and there were some big ones, for the 2013.

Achva East

East is staying pretty much the same. We are adding back Atlanta, which was taken out last year due to the way Tisha B'Av fell on the Sunday the tour usually begins. This tour is already stocked with so many great sites and activities and last summer the kids had a phenomenal time. 

Achva West

This tour is also not changing too much either.  West has been such a success and the feedback so positive that there really is no reason to change a winning formula.  Due to the timing of the calendar we have some minor adjustments for 2013.  This year's tour is two days longer than last year and includes the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and a Shabbat in Phoenix.  Also, due to the whole virus scare in Yosemite, we will be using a nice hotel instead of our usual tents there.  The tents we stayed in were not where the virus was traced to but we don't want anyone to have even the slightest concerns about it.

Achva Alaska/Hawaii

This is a brand new tour for 2013 and it looks to be awesome.  The combination of Alaska and Hawaii is enough to make even some well traveled parents envious.  If you have not yet seen the itinerary, please check it out.  We are pulling out all the stops to make this one of the best Achva trips ever.

Achva Israel

This trip may look the similar but there are some important changes afoot.  We have taken a great Israel trip and made it even better.  We have added a leadership element which will help every participant not only have a fun time but develop leadership skills and better understand what is going on in Israel today.  The tour is a tad shorter than last year but we have added a few different elements that are new for 2013.  While the program always had a lot of Chesed programming, we have added a four-day Chesed program for an extended experience working with the Ethiopian community. This will allow participants to develop stronger relationships and really make an impact on people's lives.   

We have also added an IDF training piece which will be four days of both fun and challenging training in what it means to be an Israeli soldier. There will be some physical and mental exercises conducted by real IDF Commanders to simulate what goes on in the field of combat. Participants will get exposure to some of the weapons soldiers carry, survival techniques and the decision making process. The last new piece is what we call the Start-Up Nation piece which is a way to bring our participants together with Israeli technology entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who are on the front lines of the Israeli high-tech miracle. This will be an extremely interesting piece whether you can program a computer or barely know how to turn on your smartphone. 

The rest of the trip and still the majority will be all the amazing touring and exciting activities that Achva is famous for.  Feedback from last summer was phenomenal both in terms of the group dynamic as well as the touring so we plan on keeping that going for next year.  

Hurricane Warning

So the recent Hurricane Issac which hit the Gulf Coast areas brought back memories for a lot of people of Hurricane Katrina and reminded us again of the life-changing devastation that hurricanes can bring. This reminded me of an article written by a lovely young lady from New Orleans who went on Achva following Hurricane Katrina.  Her family, living in New Orleans, was, to put it very mildly, adversely affected by the storm. But her spirit and positive attitude will always be remembered by those who spent that summer with her on Achva West.  Below is a link to the article she wrote which was subsequently printed by the Viewpoint magazine.  I think this article shows clearly how Achva is about so much more than kids going on a trip.  Its about people caring for others and bringing Jewish kids together from wherever they may be from.  The article also reminds us of the rich history of Achva West that just cannot be duplicated anywhere else.  Check it out:

An Experience Like No Other by Ruth Brown, New Orleans, Louisiana

Our Web Site for 2013

You probably found this through the Achva web site which now has a link to the Achva blog.  If you have not seen the updated site yet, you should take a look.  Although it looks similar, the web site for 2013 has been completely reorganized to make it easier for you to find more information about all our programs.  More information is now organized specifically by program.  For example, we now have a separate FAQ about each program, not just Achva in general.  We are also more connected to social media than ever before including all our considerable activities on Facebook.  

This blog will, G"W, be updated monthly with new entries that will discuss our programs and summer program issues in general. Feel free to check back in every once in a while or subscribe to this blog to keep up with the articles.  We will also post links to new articles on our Twitter feed (although I know the vast majority of you are not Twitter users but that's a whole other issue.)  If anyone who went on Achva would like to contribute to this blog, please let us know. We would love to add your content assuming the material is appropriate for this blog.  

So thanks to everyone who helped make the newly renovated web site possible and looking forward to an exciting 2012-2013 season.  

Future Home of the Achva Web Log

We have created this web log to post information regarding Achva and all of its summer programs.