“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.”

This popular quote inspired the name of AYF’s free online summer programming, but the lesser-known half of Albert Camus’ words sparked the AYF programming team’s mission:

“And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”

In a year marked by a pandemic and calls for social justice, Miniwanca program coordinator Jensen Pennock said it was important for campers to find that strength in community this summer, even if it can’t be in person.

“We have that quote on the wall in our office at Miniwanca, and when we walk past it in winter, it reminds us that we hold summer inside us,” Pennock said. “Even in the darkest of times, we have ourselves and we have community.”

Invincible Summer, which will take place weekdays July 6 through July 31, isn’t meant to replace the traditional summer camp experience, but rather to supplement the work campers do each year to become their best selves and to connect with their communities.

Merrowvista director of camp programs Chris Wellens said while Merrowvista and Miniwanca are special, beautiful places, the magic of camp comes from community, not a fixed location.

“You don’t have to be at camp to be your best self and live the values of camp,” Wellens said. “Being your best self is only really useful if we can live those practices everywhere.”

Invincible Summer programming designed to connect participants and help them put the values of best self into action. Options include:

Large community events These online gatherings will be open to anyone via Zoom and will feature familiar programs like opening and closing councils, Night’s Doings, Evening Reflection and more.

Small group opportunities Campers from Trailblazers, Four Trails, and Avail communities will receive email invitations to gather on Zoom with a camp staffer and peers to chat, play games, and reconnect.

Weekly interest groups Campers can sign up for fun activities like crafts, yoga, and more, led by a camp staffer. Each program will meet online twice weekly for about an hour at a time.

Inspired Best Selves This program is designed to inspire participants to learn more about who they are and how they plan to live as their best selves this summer.

Grab-and-go activities Each week, campers can access activities to complete away from screens that will be available on our website.

My Virtual Mission Anyone can join the AYF in a race to complete the distance equivalent of a Four Trails experience by logging their physical miles on this online platform.

“Our goal is to not have kids in front of screens all summer,” Wellens said. “The screen time will serve as a touchpoint to check in for tools and connection, but then we encourage them to explore the spaces around them and build new routines and skills, just like they would at camp.”

To encourage this development, AYF director of program development Lauren Abrami said campers will have the opportunity to earn virtual badges and take part in a Founder Medal challenge through activities posted on Canvas, an online learning platform.

“There will be different badges they can earn, different challenges they can undertake,” she said. “Sometimes, they may earn a badge for joining us for a Zoom call to engage with their friends from camp, but then they’ll complete assigned tasks offline to earn their physical Founder Medal at the end of the summer. We’re encouraging balance.”

That’s also why campers will have the flexibility to attend as much or as little programming as they’d like. Pennock said they recognize not everyone can commit to five full days of programming each week, and she encouraged them to join for whatever interests them most.

“You can choose what you want to do,” she said. “Maybe you just want to start your day with the Call to Community. That’s great, and it’s only 20 minutes on Zoom each morning.”

Abrami said she’s most looking forward to hearing what youth have to say about the world right now. “I can’t wait to see camper faces, to hear the voices of our kids, particularly at this time,” she said. “Even though we’re still on our screens, my hope is it feels a little different, that they can play and connect in a way they weren’t able to during the school year.”

The post AYF launches free online programming, Invincible Summer, on July 6 appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

Summer 2020 will undoubtedly be different than years past, but president Anna Kay Vorsteg shared that the AYF community has already exceeded her expectations. 

“This pandemic has issued a very real test of our values and priorities, and we passed,” Anna Kay said. “We collectively passed so beautifully.”   

In April, Anna Kay made the difficult announcement that summer 2020 could not proceed as planned due to the coronavirus pandemic, but even she was not prepared for the deluge of goodwill from the wider Founder Friends community.  

“It’s so emotional for me, and I was aware that we were sending out news to thousands who shared that same emotion,” Anna Kay said. “Historically, when I’ve sent hard news of a much smaller scale, I’ve received some mad or sad reactions. I expected some negativity. I was bracing for it. But the night the announcement went out, my phone lit up with texts and calls of support and a willingness to help.”  

That outpouring of kindness was just the beginning. The AYF was flooded with messages of understanding and a desire to best support the organization during this unprecedented time.   

“Everyone recognized our shared loss. There’s something special about that. They understand that this isn’t a business relationship. It’s so much more than that,” Anna Kay said. “I’m so touched by the messages that showed they cared not just for the fiscal state that we were in, but the emotional state, as well.”  

Shortly after the announcement, the AYF hosted virtual Town Halls for parents, campers and seasonal staff to help process the news. 

“The people who blew me away were some of the campers I spoke with who’ve worked toward these culminating experiences for years. This is their Voyageur year or their Odyssey year.” Anna Kay said. “I’m sure a part of them is so deeply upset, but the fact that they could keep that disappointment from coming at us is remarkable. The maturity required for that is so impressive.”   

Anna Kay said her focus has now shifted to the broader world and how campers, summer staff, and National Leadership Conference attendees can support their own communities.  

“This is an invitation to be our best and apply it in a sincere way at a needy time,” Anna Kay said. “For example, instead of coming to the AYF this summer, maybe we challenge our teenagers to bring the AYF into a household that desperately needs childcare, when it is safe to do so. They could bring routine and schedule to a family and introduce the AYF mission. Imagine 1,000 households with AYF enkindled spirits as their childcare this summer.”   

As AYF transitions to virtual summer programming, Anna Kay encouraged all Founder Friends to lean on each other and reach out for support during what will a difficult summer for many.   

“In times of trouble and times of challenge, just like all those trips we lead, part of why we can accomplish those remarkable things is we are doing it with others,” she said. “We won’t let the physical distances between us keep us from community this summer.” 

The post Our Community Rises to the Challenge appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

(Did you miss Chapter 1? Catch up here!)

Chapter 2: Whales, Sails and the Waterfront Trail

Dear Wishing Tree,

My name is Trevor and I was supposed to be a camper at Merrowvista for the second time this summer . Last year was one of the best summer’s I’ve ever had even though Merrowvista was all so new. I remember driving up with my parents on the first day and being so nervous that it would be weird, but it ended up being really cool. I met so many people and did so many cool things that I couldn’t stop thinking about it the entire school year.

I really, really liked the waterfront, especially the sailboats because I had never been on one before. I don’t live by any water, so I haven’t gotten to sail since last August. I am good at it too, the waterfront person Chloe told me that I was really close to getting my Skippers License, and I only had the Interest Group two times! I was really looking forward to trying to get it as soon as I got to camp this summer, and it stinks that I won’t be able to.

Is anybody going to be using the Waterfront this summer? Do you think that the boats are gonna get rusty without anybody using them? Has camp put the dock in yet? Do you think that I could get my Skippers License if I come next summer? I just hope I don’t forget what I learned.

Your Friend,
Trevor from Mahoosuc

Dan Hole Pond is no ordinary New Hampshire watering hole. Sculpted by the volcano that erupted there 200 million years ago, the caves and tunnels that make up the bottom of the pond had become the home to a very peculiar family of whales. Their ancestors had been carried there by the glaciers that had shaped the valley thousands of years ago, and ever since, the Whales had lived peacefully among the nooks and crannies of the pond.

The Wishing Tree had been told by its nosy roots of their existence decades ago, but the Tree was not completely fluent in Whale-ian until recently. After receiving Trevor’s letter, the Tree knew that the Whales needed to hear it, so remembering the deep tones of Whale-ians, he shouted down the hill, towards the waterfront.

(Translated into English from Whale-ian)

Good morning down there!
Can you hear me down the hill?
I can’t believe that you live in that water
Just thinking about it gives me a chill!

It was so good to see you jump
During the Valley’s Awakening
I think you even splashed me up here!
You hit the water like an earth-a-quakening!

Here up on my stoop
A letter I want to read to you with care
Please excuse my awful accent
My Whale-ian is far less than fair.

The Whales heard the tree as their voice was far from ignorable, and they swam cautiously towards the dock. There were 19 whales in total in their pod ranging the oldest, Finson, who had just the week before turned 214 and was about the size of three school buses put together, to the smallest of them all, Blubson, who was roughly the size of a very small car.

His brothers and sisters were almost double his size and constantly poked fun at him for it. You see, where most whales prided themselves on being able to swim in a straight line, Blubson’s stunted growth and faulty fin resulted in his swimming patterns to be more…unique. Where his family and friends could travel directly to their destination propelling themselves with their huge fins, Blubson would swim in figure 8’s, zig-zags and loop-di-doos, resulting in a much longer journey.

Blubson’s aunt, Blubbles, who also was significantly smaller than the rest of the pod told him “You know, when I was a young calf, I was just as small as you were, maybe even smaller! Whales our size can fit into places others can’t, like caves and crannies that make up this pond, places that your brothers, sisters and cousins can’t go.”

Aunty Blubbles had shown Blubson the secret network of caves that only they could reach, there Blubson collected small artifacts of camp that had dropped in the water. Goggles, Buddy Tags, and Spray Painted Tennis Balls were the most notable items of his collection.

While he was thankful to have his own space, Blubson still wished that he be just as strong and fast as his peers. He lingered in the back of the pod as The Wishing Tree read Trevor’s letter from the Meadow.

After they were finished, the Tree sang out…

Now that you’ve listened
I have something to show!
There are parts of the Best Self
That only campers do know!

Watch them! Observe them!
As they swim and they paddle!
Watch them flock to the Waterfront!
Birds of a Feather, like herds of Cattle!

I challenge you to learn
from them all that you can!
The Bell has rung, get to it!
Whales of the Hole that is Dan!

The living, purple thunderbolts that had pranced around the valley before raced past the Squirrel Biff down the Waterfront Trail. Rounding the final corner of the trail, the energy started to shift and morph until it looked like hundreds of campers were running down the hill!

You see, the Wishing Tree is more than just a Tree who can talk, their memory is so sharp that they can create visions of campers in the valley, almost like a movie playing out in real time. For the Whales, the Tree had chosen to show them a lively day at the waterfront, where campers could be seen putting on sunscreen, strapping on their PFDs and, much to the Whales delight, completing distance swims!

The Whales inched closer and closer to the shore, and while they couldn’t talk to the ghost-like-campers, they swam alongside the boats and leaped over the glowing purple kayaks. Before they knew it, the Whales were playing volleyball, smacking the ball over the net with their tails as Finson kept score nearby. The younger whales immediately started planning for the distance swims, with the strongest and fastest Whale, Scrombo, bragging that he would be the first to complete the Trident.

The Whales were all very interested in the beads that hung on the camper’s buddy tags, with each distance swim earning the camper’s a different bead. For Birch, campers are given a green bead, for Outpost a blue bead, for Strawberry a red bead, for the Triangle a yellow one, swimming the Diamond gets you a Flower bead, and campers, or whales that complete the Trident proudly hang a red heart from their buddy tags.

Blubson had retreated to his personal clubhouse in the eastern side of the pond. He sighed as looked at all his treasures of campers past. He knew that he could never keep up with the rest of his friends on the distance swims, and his tail was far too short to play volleyball.

Aunt Blubbles saw that he was missing and went to check on him in the cave. There she saw Blubson fiddling with a pair of green goggles in the sand.

“Blubson, my dear boy, what are you doing down here! You have to see what they’re doing with the chocolate pudding on the shore! They’re eating it without hands and making an awful mess!”

“I don’t know Aunt Blubs, I don’t think that I can do anything that the campers are doing. I can’t keep up on the distance swims because of my fin, and I’m worried that they’re going to think I’m the volleyball if I try to play. Scrombo told me that I should try Diving for Treasure. I think he was joking. I mean, I’m a whale. Diving for Treasure really wouldn’t be that hard.”

“Oh come Blubson, there has to be something that you can do. Let’s go out there and join the others. You heard the Tree. Maybe you can learn something from t.he campers. It’s better than sitting in here all alone.”

Aunt B led Blubson out of the clubhouse and back towards shore by his fin. He lagged behind as he usually did. The rest of the whales were busy doing their first distance swims, racing and darting between the rocks near Birch.
“See, all of my friends are out there getting their first bead, and I don’t think I’ll ever get any,” said Blubson to his aunt.

“Just wait, Blubson. There has to be something out here for you.”

Out of the corner of his eye, a sailboat gracefully glided by. The camper on the boat was smiling and laughing as he used the wind to steer the boat. It seemed like magic to Blubson. His whole life he never imagined ever going outside the water.

He swam towards the right side of the shore as fast as he could, and it just so happened that one boat was left tied up on the edge of the shore. Scooting up the bank, Blubson grabbed the rope in his mouth and struggled to pull the boat into the water. Eventually when the boat was floating, Blubson jumped out of the water with all his might and hoisted himself onto the bow. The surface of the boat was slippery leading Blubson to slide right back into the water.

Scrombo and the rest of the whales chuckled in the distance as they admired their shiny green beads. “There’s no way he’ll ever get that thing to work,” scoffed Scrombo. “Besides, Whales aren’t supposed to sail.”

Two weeks later, the entire pod of whales gathered to watch Scrombo attempt the Trident, as he had flown through all the other distance swims. Hanging off his tail was a multicolored bracelet with all the beads, glinting in the sunlight. The Wishing Tree watched from up the hill, eager to see progress that the Whales had made.

When it was finally time, Finson blew out an enormous geyser of water from his blowhole as the signal for Scrombo to start his attempt. While he started out very strong, an hour in, Scrombo was struggling to keep up his stamina by the time he reached Strawberry Point. The Wishing Tree realized that Scrombo was not going to make it, and worried that he would be stuck out there.

Just as Scrombo was about to throw in the towel and call it quits, a certain whale on a sailboat came flying across the pond. Blubson masterfully worked the sail with a series of ropes and pulleys he had found in deep reaches of the pond. Tying the various ropes to his fins, Blubson had learned to captain the ship! With speed and grace Blubson careened the boat towards the struggling Scrombo. Blubson threw a rope to Scrombo, who took it in his mouth and caught his breath.

“But … but how Blubson? Aren’t Whales supposed to stay in the water? How can you possibly be sailing? You don’t even have hands!” Scrombo sputtered out.

Blubson looked towards the ropes and knots he had looped around his fins, “Ya know, you can learn a lot by just watching. And it really looks like you could use a spotter right about now. Are you ready to finish this thing?”

Scrombo smiled a huge Whale smile and nodded his head sheepishly. Blubson pulled on the sail from the bow steering the boat towards camp. Taking a much slower pace and making sure to take rest breaks, Scrombo and Blubson worked together to complete the rest of the Trident.

The Wishing Tree took note of the sailing skills that Blubson had developed in the past weeks! Almost as if it was floating on top of the waves, the boat easily maneuvered along side the steadily swimming Scrombo, working the sails like a breadmaker would craft a perfect loaf of pumpernickel, the little whale sailed in figure 8’s, zig zags and loop-di-doos around the pond. The nautical patterns that he had come to know so well from years of lopsided swimming became the perfect way to show off his new sailing prowess, and the rest of the whales noticed as they splashed and cheered.

After another hour of tireless work, Scrombo finally made it back to dock with the sailing whale following close behind. The entire pod rushed to crowd around the boat, the old and ancient Finson was the first in line to say “Oh dear boy, I in my entire life have never seen anything quite like that! You’ve shown that there is truly nothing a Whale can’t learn! Hear Hear Young Blubson, to the Whale who Sails, to the first of his kind! And to Scrombo the Strong, the first Whale to earn this coveted Heart bead for completing the Trident, yet another remarkable feat!”

With that, Finson carefully placed the bead on the bracelet hanging off Scrombo’s tail. The Tree had teared up a little bit watching the whole event take place, and as soon as the heart shaped bead was in place, he sent the roots to drop something in the water. As the laminated card hit the surface of the pond, the exhausted Scrombo swam away from the bead ceremony to retrieve it. He swam back to the bow of the boat where Blubson sat and handed him the very first Skippers License earned by a Whale. Blubson blushed as Scrombo sent a huge burst and water into the air in celebration and gratitude. The Wishing Tree bellowed:

You! Young Blubson!
Congratulations on your certification!
The way you carve and shape the waves,
It fills me with deep elation!

You’ve learned more from the campers
Than anyone else in your pod,
And for that, we the trees salute you,
If we had necks, we’d be sure to nod!

The Wishing Tree chuckled as he spoke, so pleased to see the Whales take so well to the ways of the camper. When the Tree conjured up Blubson’s Skippers License, he made sure to make a copy for himself. He instructed the roots to take it to the (Circle Circle) and to place it on the far left side of the first row of benches. Glowing with purple energy, the laminated paper sat near the unlit fire, waiting for the other artifacts to arrive.

The post Wash Your Hands, Send Your Letters: Chapter 2 appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

Ready for Chapter 2? Watch or read online now! 

Chapter 1:  When You Wish Upon A Star … Or A Tree

by Kal Bowers and Caroline Zerilli

Sarah sits on the front stoop of her house re-reading the letter she had spent the better part of that morning writing. The lined paper was smudged with eraser marks and the careful handwriting filled every inch of the page. Dear Wishing Tree, the first line read.

Sarah shook her head because of how silly it all was. It was a tree after all, why did she spend so long writing a letter to a tree. Her older brother had lent her an envelope and a stamp and she took her time to make sure that the stamp was stuck perfectly in the corner. In blue pen, she addressed the letter to 147 Canaan Road, Center Tuftonboro, NH, but hadn’t gone as far as to put the letter inside. If anyone was to ever actually read this, she thought to herself, they would think she was absolutely crazy. She reads aloud one more time.

Dear Wishing Tree,

My name is Sarah and I was a 3-Week Pioneer last summer at Merrowvista. I’m really sad that I can’t be a t camp this summer because I was going to be a Trailblazer for the first time. It would have been my 3rd year in a row, I can’t imagine not being there this summer.

Sometimes I hear on TV that the world is never going to be the same again. Does that mean that Merrowvista is never going to be the same again? I hope not. I really want to come back. I feel weird about writing a letter to one of my leaders, so I thought that I would send one to you.

What are all the staff going to do without the campers there? Is anyone going to be there at all? It’s so sad to think that nobody is going to be in Tri-Py. We drove past my school today and it was empty. I don’t like doing school online and I miss my friends, but I’m trying my hardest.

My mom keeps on telling me that Merrowvista is going to try to do some cool things this summer online, which is great…I just wish I could go there. I’m getting tired of staying at home all day and so is my brother.
I hope you’re doing okay and are getting some water and sunlight. I wish I could leave my house and come hang out with you for a while. I’m worried about what is happening and I really could use some camp right now.

Your friend,
Sarah from Tri-Py

She folded the letter three times, hamburger-style, and slid it into the envelope. Sarah then decided that she wasn’t going to send it, even though she could just walk to the end of the driveway and put it in the mailbox. It wasn’t going to change anything. It felt like summer was being taken away from her and a letter to a tree wasn’t going to help.

She didn’t want her brother or parents to see the letter, so she tucked it in the bushes beside the stoop. Before going back inside, she pushed the letter deeper into the dirt, to make sure that nobody would find her silly letter because after all: trees can’t write back.

The rain that night was loud and monstrous, with huge sheets of water washing the street outside Sarah’s house on Fork Avenue. The early summer bushes and flowers were thankful, but the letter buried in the dirt was not faring well. The blue ink, that Sarah had painstakingly applied hours before, had begun to run down the envelope and into the soil.

If it had been left alone all night, the letter would have been turned into an unreadable pile of mush by morning. But something peculiar happened that night on Fork Street.

As the ink crept deeper into the soil of the bush, the roots started to twist and turn slowly, pulling the letter deeper and deeper into the earth. The underground system of bushes that Sarah’s dad had planted five summers ago reached out like hundreds of tiny helping hands, straightening the corners of the page and absorbing the water that had once made it wet.

The letter traveled through the roots for the next few hours until it eventually rose from the ground on a certain stump across the path from Blueberry Cabin, delivered by the hundreds of miles of plants that knew what must be done.

The Wishing Tree had been asleep for months as they preferred not to be awake during the winters. They had tried to stay awake one winter decades ago, and the valley was beautiful. The snow hung on their fellow ancients and lazily drooped into fluffy piles on the ground. But it was too quiet in the winters, they had decided that they should conserve their energy for the warmer months.

Although it was early yet, the Tree was pleasantly surprised to feel the roots beneath nudging them awake. The letter dropped on the stoop in front of them was in pristine condition, despite a 100-mile journey. Their branches creaked and groaned as one of the limbs reached down to grab the letter. They struggled to grip the corner of the envelope as their branches were not designed for such small things.

Eventually, the Tree read slowly and intently read the letter from Sarah. Once finished, they closed their eyes. Ripping a young sapling from the ground for a pencil, The Wishing Tree wrote their response on the other side of Sarah’s letter.

It’s happening again, oh what do we do?
We haven’t seen a year like this since 1942!
Sarah, I remember you well,
The one with the bright yellow sandals,
I remember all of the campers,
Even the ones who used only candles.

I’ve seen buildings erected,
New directors elected
I’m so honored that a letter to me you’ve selected.
I share your disappointment in this Summer’s cancelation
For it’s the campers who make the magic,
not a place of staff creation.

Humans are not the only citizens of this valley
This letter you wrote, you’ve inspired a call to rally!
The magic will happen, we the Trees will see it through
Thank you for what you have started,
Something only a camper could do.

With the placement of the final period of their response, lightning flashed across the meadow. The roots swung into action pulling the letter back into the mud. The clouds above seemed to rush to get out of the way, leaving the sky wide open for lightning to strike. The rocking chairs on the Farmhouse Porch began to rock back and forth, the stacks of cups in the Eating Lodge rattled on their racks. And as if thunder could speak, the Wishing Tree bellowed:

To the Bears of the Ledge!
To the Fairies of the Bahn!
We musn’t let the spirit of camp be completely gone!

Wake up! Look alive!
Yes, I’m talking to you down there Whales!
I’ve received an important message
Thanks to the work of Root Mail!

To the Porcupines of New Jersey!
To the Rock Trolls of the AC!
It’s me your old friend, the tall and mighty Wishing Tree!

Lone Inspector, get your clipboard!
Paul and Patrick, start the Gator!
We must get started now, no time to wait for later!

With all of you awake,
I call the Summer of 2020 into session!
The campers need us, it’s from them we learn a lesson!

As the Tree roared the last word of it’s call, a magnificent purple beam of light struck the Four Fold Fountain. All four spouts burst with living thunderbolts that in no time had spread themselves out across the entire valley. They raced from corner to corner, prodding awake the inhabitants that had been sleeping for decades.

As they skittered and slid across Dan Hole Pond, The Whales breached its glassy surface, elated to escape the depths of Dan Hole. The energy danced around the rafters in the Bahn, inviting the Fairies open up the Four Fold Tournament Plaques that had served as their front doors for the last century.

The Rock Trolls of the AC shook off the moss and dirt that kept them lodged into the side of the steep hill. The Bears, happily hibernating near The Ledge, felt their fur stand on end as the electricity danced on the mountain.

The Family of Porcupines that live in Weston Shelter danced with the energy in the shadow of its luminous purple light. The (Hawks?) that occupied the bald-faced peak of Flagg Mountain screeched and cawed at the sight of the purple streaks flying up the Guerilla Trail.

Sarah couldn’t go to sleep because she kept thinking about the letter she abandoned. She thought about it in the bushes outside and didn’t feel right about it. She decided that she would sneak out when she heard her parents’ bedroom door close to retrieve it.

Slipping on her yellow crocs, Sarah crept down the stairs to the front door. Ever so carefully she slowly turned the knob, but it whined anyway. Her dog, Quinn, stared at her from her bed in the living room. Usually a barker, Quinn stayed quiet when she saw Sarah. As if she understood.

Sarah made her way to the stoop on her tiptoes and started to rifle through the bush for the letter. Fingernails covered in dirt, she dug on her hands and knees as the rain continued to pour. I guess somebody picked it up, she thought disappointedly.

Suddenly, she noticed a light purple glow coming from the hole she dug in the mulch. The corner of her letter started slowly to creep out from the soil, the roots seemingly pushing it through the earth. She tugged on the corner as the roots gently released their hold. On her hands and knees as she read the Wishing Trees response.

She looked up to the sky, to the north she saw flashes of what looked like pure purple lighting striking the earth. Sarah smiled and kept looking towards camp through the rain. I guess trees can write back after all.

The post Wash Your Hands, Send Your Letters: Chapter 1 appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

Over the past month, you have adjusted to changes and experienced the loss of many beloved aspects of your lives. You’ve heeded the call for distancing and made sacrifices to help your families and communities to weather this storm. Our communities, our nation, and our world are being changed daily by this coronavirus pandemic, and so too are the program possibilities for the AYF in 2020.

I write to share a difficult but clear decision – we will not be able to gather for residential programs at Miniwanca or Merrowvista this summer. That includes summer camp and Miniwanca and Merrowvista, the National Leadership Conference, Summer Seminars for Women, and Alumni and Family Camp. In truth, it is not a decision, but a blinding recognition. Along with national leaders in outdoor programming, we are announcing that we need to make a major change of course this season. In this time of physical distance, we will offer only free online programming to connect our community until we can safely gather in person.

Our AYF directors and Board members have been working for the past month to consider every barrier and issue before us as we prepared for Miniwanca and Merrowvista camps and the National Leadership Conference. After exploring medical practices and protocols, licensing regulations, accreditation standards, staffing requirements, and program promises, this team came to the conclusion that we will not have the staff, health screenings, resources or expertise necessary to conduct safe programs in the traditional NLC, in-camp and Four Trails formats.

We know this change comes as yet another disappointment among so many you have had to endure this spring. As staff, we share your deep sadness; we know what this means in the lives of all who have been looking forward to a summer experience at both Merrowvista and Miniwanca.

As we navigate this unprecedented time, we are keenly aware that many of our families are feeling financial strain and uncertainty. Please know we will provide full refunds of all fees paid in hopes of offering some relief. Our staff will email the families next week to initiate the refund process and to offer several options for a timely return of their deposits or apply their payments toward a place in summer 2021.

This news certainly will bring up questions for you and especially the participants and campers you are connected to. We do not have all the answers right now, but we will do all we can to support our communities through this transition.  The future of our summer camps will be more flexible, offering the possibility for more choices among program offerings. Campers enrolled in programs such as Voyageur or Odyssey will have options in 2021 like participating in the trip that was missed in 2020 or enrolling in another program. Participants in the National Leadership Conference will be able to continue through their program progression as they would have during the 2020 National Leadership Conference.

While the AYF is taking a different path this summer, we are still on mission and in motion, and we fully intend to be for another 100 years. Thanks to the generosity of our donors through the decades, our nonprofit is supported by an endowment that will help us navigate through this storm and stay vibrant and buoyant as we reach our centennial in 2025.

As we have often said in our AYF communities, “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.” Let’s lean on one another, offering the shelter of connection and understanding as we strive to live at our best during these uncertain times. We will look for you in new ways, gathering on the Cyber Sand Dunes and in the Virtual Valley, our online hubs for connection and virtual programs. Trust that when we can gather safely on the sand dunes of Miniwanca and the hillsides of Merrowvista, we will. I look very forward to seeing you there.

Until then, let’s do all we can to ensure our own health and the health of others. Let us bring our best to this needy world. And let us all…

Aspire Nobly, Adventure Daringly, and Serve Humbly

Anna Kay Vorsteg
AYF President

Andy Mulcahy
AYF Director of Operations

Liz Marshall
AYF Director of Advancement

Matt Loper
AYF Director of Programs

The post Adjusting Our Sails appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

Read An Important Update from AYF President Anna Kay Vorsteg

For the latest answers to your Frequently Asked Questions, please click here (updated Wednesday, April 15, 2020)

Over the past week, we have heard from so many of you, and I am both surprised and buoyed by the repeated theme that so many are sharing. At a time when we, in the American Youth Foundation, are concerned for the well-being of all of you: our students, campers, staff, and alumni, YOU are writing to express concerns for the health of our organization. These expressions of care and concern are perhaps the most flattering form of balance I have witnessed in recent times. Thank you.

I want to reassure all in our larger community that we are doing relatively well, not unscathed, but standing tall. Because of the generosity of so many of you and those who have gone before us, we are fortunate to have endowment funds to keep our work, our mission, up and running.

We regret having to cancel many of our spring programs and our largest scholarship-raising event, the Donald Danforth, Jr. Golf Tournament. What we don’t regret is the opportunity before us to increase our online presence while simultaneously planning for the exciting program seasons ahead.

And while you’re at home, we are reaching out to help you stay connected with us. We heard the call for spaces to build community, reconnect with balance, and put to use the tools learned at Miniwanca and Merrowvista. You are invited to join our virtual hub, AYF Founder Friends, located on the Slack platform, where we’re forming dedicated channels for alumni and friends to post messages and join live conversations. On our website, you can find new blog entries, the first written by AYF parent Gretchen Clayton, sharing her story from home with her campers.

The AYF has weathered many a challenge in her 95 years. I have complete faith that we will weather the extremes of this pandemic. Will it be easy? No. Will we need to flex, let go and support each other in new ways? Yes. Nothing less than our best will be called for.

For now, take comfort as I do, that we are blessed to be a part of a legacy organization. The good and generous actions of those “upriver” keep us afloat today. When the waters calm, may we look to do all we can for those “downriver.” For now, worry not about the AYF, but please do us an important favor, take good smart care of yourself, and those around you.

Ever Grateful,
Anna Kay

Anna Kay Vorsteg
AYF President

Posted on March 14, 2020

Please know our thoughts are with you all as we navigate the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 health crisis and all it is stirring up in our home communities. You are very much on our minds and we imagine soon the reverse will be true, you will be thinking about this coming program season.

We want you to know that we, in the AYF, are monitoring events closely and working hard to determine the best path forward for all of our programs. In the face of so much uncertainty, our goal is to address as we can, concerns you may carry about program offerings and operations at Miniwanca and Merrowvista this spring and summer.

We remain steady in our commitment to offer only safe, mission supporting programs. And while we do not yet know all of the ways the current health crisis will require us to adapt our practices and planning, we pledge to keep you informed of any changes.

As of this week, we have made the following policy shifts in an effort to provide immediate support to our families in uncertain times:

• The final payment date for 2020 tuition has been extended to May 1st
• If your child is unable to attend for any reason and you share this with us on or before May 1st you will receive a full refund or can opt to roll payments and registrations forward towards a 2021 program offering.

We want to assure you that until May 1st you will receive a full refund of all tuition and fees paid if, for any reason, your child cannot attend a camp or conference program. With travel and so many other restrictive factors in play, please rest assured that AYF will keep no payments for any cancellations related to the impact of COVID-19.

We are reaching out to Community and School Program partners scheduled to be at one of our campuses this spring. If you are wondering about the status of a program scheduled this spring, please reach out to our offices and we look forward to connecting with you.

It is not lost on us that schools are sending students home, most extracurricular activities have been canceled, workplace demands are shifting, and restrictions are being introduced into our daily lives. Everyone is anxious and rightfully so. These are indeed trying times AND these are the very times when the best within each of us is called to rise. Now is when the skills and strengths campers have developed and discovered at AYF programs are vitally important, and now is when we invite all to seek opportunities to take positive action in the interest of others.

With this in mind, it is our hope to roll out a virtual program of sorts; sharing tools, readings, activities that will allow both parents and campers to connect with each other in positive, purposeful ways that enable them to support each other while also exploring ways they can use their capacities to strengthen our struggling communities. We often say in the AYF that “It’s a mark of leadership to adjust” and so adjust we will. We hope each of you will accept our invitation to bring the mission of AYF to life in a new way at a necessary time. This is our dare.

Thank you for being part of our AYF community. We look forward to having you in the AYF family for years to come. And we look forward to rising with you in the challenging months ahead.

Aspire Nimbly!

Anna Kay

Anna Kay Vorsteg
AYF President

Posted on March 5, 2020

As news of the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) becomes available, the American Youth Foundation (AYF) is proactively planning for any impact to our programs. We are concerned with the health and well-being of all of the participants and staff in our communities and are monitoring the developing situation closely.

At this time, there are no travel advisories regarding COVID-19 in Michigan or New Hampshire that would impact our programs. As such, we plan to conduct all programs unless travel is restricted or we are otherwise advised by local, state, or federal authorities. We will continue to evaluate new information as it becomes available, and we are prepared to adjust if necessary. We will keep our participants, families, and staff informed if any changes need to happen in terms of our program offerings.

We encourage you to find more information through these trusted sources:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• The World Health Organization
• U.S. State Department Travel Information

As a preventative measure against disease transmission, all of our programs stress the importance of hygiene and safety. We will add extra attention to the implementation of these recommendations from the CDC :

• Frequent handwashing with soap and water or using alcohol-based sanitizer
• Using the crook of your arm to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

We will continue to enforce our community health protocols for the safety of all. If a participant or staff arrives at our sites exhibiting signs and symptoms of flu-like illness (fever, cough, sore throat, and shortness of breath), they will not be admitted to the program. Anyone with reason to believe they have been exposed to COVID-19 will need to be cleared by a medical provider before entering the sites. We will follow local medical advice for participants and staff that the person may have had contact with.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding AYF’s preparation and response to this public health event. We will continue to communicate with updates as they are available.

Updated March 5, 2020 3pm CST

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