In 2022, the AYF Board of Directors and senior leadership team embarked on a multiyear strategic planning process to assess what the organization does well and how it can grow.

“The AYF is fortunate to be in possession of these magical properties where we create program communities focused on what kids need right now,” said President Liz Marshall. “The strategic planning process gave us chance to step back, be thoughtful, and to tune up language and mission to best meet the needs of kids of today and the future.”

Setting up the AYF for the next 100 years is no small task. That’s why leadership tapped Tucker Branham of Change Develop Move, a consulting organization with national reach, to help with the strategic planning process. In addition to her professional expertise, Branham is also a Miniwanca program alumna and former seasonal staffer.

“Tucker has a unique combination of professional experience and a personal understanding of the AYF’s strengths,” Marshall said.

Branham and the leadership team began the process by listening. They spent months consulting with individuals across the AYF community, including current and past staff and program participants at National Leadership Conference, Miniwanca and Merrowvista; parents and caregivers; and board members. They also conducted surveys and focus groups about the values and direction of AYF work.

“While listening to alumni, I was struck by how frequently the same words and themes came up across the generations: inspirational programming, celebrating the best in others, exploring different perspectives,” Branham said. “People feel passionately about the experience they had and want to make sure those experiences are available to others in the future.”

This feedback laid the foundation for a strategic planning taskforce and staff committee to begin developing and implementing a strategic plan.

Marshall said the next step was to identify and assess the organization’s values. “At a moment like a centennial, you can go in a lot of different directions. There are a lot of competing priorities,” she said. “Starting the process with values means wherever we go will be grounded in culture code of the AYF. It will keep key decisions around policy, practice, and assessment rooted in the common language of community values.”

With these values established, the taskforce turned its attention to the AYF’s new vision and mission. The vision, Branham explained, serves as the “grand why” of the AYF’s existence and the impact it aspires to create. After careful consideration, the AYF declared its new vision for the next 100 years: Inspired people unleashing their best in the world.

“This language harkens back to the inspiration at the core of the organization since it was founded in 1925, interpreting it in a new way for this century,” said former President Anna Kay Vorsteg.

The new mission statement articulates how the AYF intends to put that vision into action: The American Youth Foundation dares people to discover and celebrate the very best in themselves and others, inspires them to explore diverse perspectives and complex challenges, and emboldens them to live courageously, engaging their full capacity.

“The AYF’s incredible strength lies in its legacy of powerful youth programming,” Marshall said. “The language and vision of original founders – that all people should be welcome to the work of discovering and developing their four-fold best selves – is evident in our new mission. We are continuing the tradition of everyone doing their own internal work to become their best, then contributing to a larger community.”

Developing a new organizational vision, mission, and values is careful, theoretical work. The second phase of the strategic plan creates and implements strategies and objectives that put those concepts into practice.

The AYF is evaluating five strategic components to ensure the relevance and reach of its transformational youth programming: participants, staff, programs, places, and finance. Each of these components has key objectives and targets to reach in the next few years.

For example, the AYF recognizes that increasing recruitment and retention rates are vital to attract and retain a broad and diverse base of participants open to pursuing their best and supporting the best in others.

“There’s a real need to rebuild and fill our communities,” Marshall said. “Growing back to our full capacity post-pandemic is not quick or easy, so before we can expand in significant ways, we have to shore up the core of our unique program communities and fill them with participants.”

By 2026, the AYF hopes to be back at full enrollment of summer camp programs, serving more than 500 Merrowvista campers, nearly 800 Miniwanca campers, and nearly 300 National Leadership Conference participants. Data-driven, outcomes-based decision making regarding program offerings, staffing models, and more are vital to this process.

The strategic plan also includes a focus on the physical sites and facilities through a master plan for renovation and upgrading the sites with safe, inviting buildings to house programs. Finance goals include expanding revenue as a nonprofit by looking to new partnerships with individuals, family foundations, and corporate organizations that can invest in and help fund existing and new program initiatives.

“This is why it’s so important to undertake the strategic planning process before the centennial campaign,” Marshall said. “It will help us understand where we want to grow organizationally and to be intentional in the work of rebuilding after the pandemic.”

Ultimately, the strategic plan illustrates the AYF’s continuing commitment to investing in youth.

“Our first and most important value supports youth through powerful programming in community,” Vorsteg said. “The AYF is doing the vital groundwork necessary to meet the needs of kids today and the next century through outdoor adventures. We will continue to empower them to connect with their own ideas and values, so they can act with purpose and integrity to improve their communities and the larger world, now and for decades to come.”

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As the AYF announced in October, Anna Kay has decided the end of 2023 is the right moment to pass the torch of leadership. The Board of Directors has selected current Vice President, Liz Marshall to assume the presidency beginning January 1, 2024.

“The AYF grew with me through the decades as I worked hard to shape and evolve it as a values-driven organization, offering youth and adults empowering programs that inspired their best,” Anna Kay wrote in a recent letter. “I am deeply grateful to have served the mission so long and am thankful for all this loving, learning community has gifted my family and me.”

Board Chair DD Danforth Burlin said this is a graceful transition to a new chapter after a lifetime of professional service to the AYF. “Throughout the years, Anna Kay has brought strong leadership focused on youth empowerment, a commitment to holding our organization to the highest standards, a robust and joy-filled laugh with thoughtfulness to everything she does, and a steady hand at the tiller,” Danforth Burlin wrote in October. “Anna Kay has been the AYF’s greatest advocate.”

Liz said Anna Kay has been a transformative leader, adapting the work of the AYF to best support today’s youth while adhering to the organization’s original vision of best self and balanced living.

“From her earliest days as a cabin leader through the many leadership roles she filled, her vision has been a true north star for the AYF and for me as a mentor,” Liz said. “Her genuine love for this work and commitment to expanding our reach has been an inspiration. Her steady guidance has prepared me to step into the role with incredible enthusiasm and excitement.”

This transition is the culmination of a carefully crafted succession plan developed by the Board of Directors and Anna Kay. Liz has a lifetime of experience with the AYF, from her earliest days as a camper to 14 years as Girls Camp Director of Miniwanca and then Director of Advancement for the organization. She became Vice President in 2021.

“Liz has the full support of the Board as we begin this new chapter of leadership at the American Youth Foundation. We have seen Liz shine in her role and are confident that she is ready to carry the organization into the future,” Danforth Burlin said. “Liz is a dynamic thinker, a respected leader, and a deep believer in the Four-Fold way of life. As Board Chair, I am thrilled that Liz is grabbing the torch.”

Liz said she is honored to take on the mantle of leadership and thrilled to guide the AYF into its next century.

“I am ready to carry the torch of leadership for this organization that has shaped me and so many others,” she said. “It’s such an honor to work on behalf of the kids we serve and make an even greater impact in our vibrant, positive program communities. Now more than ever, we must heed the call of our timeless mission to live at our best and to make our world a better place. I can’t wait for the journey into the AYF’s next era.”

As for Anna Kay, she is confident that whatever comes next in her life, the AYF will continue to be part of it. “I have every intention of maintaining a connection to this community and the values we share, and pledge to do all I can to fuel this organization I love, as it enters an exciting and necessary next chapter.”

The post Aloha to outgoing President Anna Kay Vorsteg appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

Team AYF began the year excited to make more programs happen than we could in 2021.

And yet, it seemed nearly every door we previously walked through was now a wall: the struggle to rent vans, supply chain delays and price increases, difficulty recruiting seasonal staff, more children dealing with emotional health needs.

Bringing a new program season into motion is never easy, but this year, walls rose at every turn.

And then, those we serve – the campers, the staff, the participants, the alumni – arrived, and doors appeared.

Once they crossed the thresholds of Miniwanca and Merrowvista, campers and participants discovered new strengths in themselves and others. Staff and volunteers found the joy and pride that results from overcoming challenges. We all saw what can be accomplished when we bring our best to the task at hand.

Volunteers appeared when hands were short. Campers adjusted to changes in trip itineraries, menus, and activities. Service-learning projects greatly enhanced what was once weary.

In the footprint of the beloved Assembly building, the National Leadership Conference community constructed a stage with curtains and lights.

Odyssey ascended Mt. Katahdin, and Voyageurs descended Mississippi River headwaters. So many charged through doors of possibility to make good things happen.

In summer 2021, the AYF saw a short season that served a population of youth more fragile than I had ever experienced.

This year, I witnessed improved physical, mental, social, and spiritual health in all, especially our younger campers. They made the rich discovery that we all need the positive presence of others to do great things and to keep us happy and healthy.

Much credit for this positive outlook goes to our new Care Teams, who focused on supporting the mental, emotional, and social health of our campers and staff. The extra love and support they provided was the most important enhancement made to our summer program communities.

This season demonstrated the power AYF programs have against the now well-documented youth mental health crisis. Our programs teach children that if a door is not obvious, they can find or build one with the best in them and the help of others.

We will continue the important work of getting people outdoors so they can discover the in-doors to all the promise and possibilities ahead.

Your support allows us to offer life-changing outdoor experiences that inspire young people grappling with the limitations and challenges of so many closed doors in their lives.

Thanks for ensuring we keep moving forward at a time when too many give up when faced with walls. Together, we can unleash a generation who hear the call and know they have the resources and resilience to build and open doors.

Anna Kay Vorsteg
AYF President

Support the AYF – contribute to the Annual Fund today!

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