The Dare to Adventure program, which will take place Aug. 8 to 11, will be a four-day outdoor educational experience for youth entering grades 7 and 8 from the Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan areas. Registration is now open.

Director of Community Life, Diversity, and Inclusion Ambrean Ford said Dare to Adventure aims to provide more equitable access to the outdoors and AYF programs by offering a low cost, mini-camp experience. Miniwanca staff and Mulcahy Fellows, seasonal AYF staff who hold similar backgrounds and identities to the campers, will lead traditional AYF activities designed to introduce youth to the outdoors and experience living joyfully in nature.

“The AYF is actively trying to find more ways to provide equitable access to the outdoors to more families each year,” Ford said. “Historically, systemic barriers in the U.S. such as discrimination, cost, and location have prevented people of color from accessing nature and nature-based education. Dare to Adventure programming is created with this in mind.”

To participate in Dare to Adventure, a camper must never have attended summer camp and must hold at least one historically marginalized identity (such as Black/African American, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, or others). Also, their primary caregiver’s household income must be at or below the living wage for Wayne County. Families will pay a one-time $10 registration fee.

“Offering this program for only a $10 fee allows us to bring first-time participants to our camps and show them what positive experiences in nature can do for their lives,” Ford said. “Not all families have the extra funds to send their kids to our summer camp programs, and it’s important we find new ways to make sure those kids still get these experiences.”

Campers will participate in traditional camp activities such as swimming, canoeing, arts and crafts, high ropes and rock-climbing courses, outdoor cooking and camping skills, and lots of fun, active games. They will also enjoy quieter moments of reflection and discussion about their values and what access to the outdoors means to them.

Ford said the Mulcahy Fellows created the foundation for Dare to Adventure in spring 2022.

“The foundation for the program was created during the first Mulcahy Fellow summer retreat in 2022,” Ford said. “There we decided how we would provide a brave space for the participants to challenge themselves. During the program, they will be present as direct support for participants each day.”

Ford encouraged anyone curious to learn more about Dare to Adventure to email her directly at aford@ayf.com. “More than anything, we want Dare to Adventure participants to feel the joy that comes from spending time in the AYF community,” she said.

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The Mulcahy Fellowship is an initiative to intentionally honor, support, and uplift seasonal staff who identify as historically underrepresented members in AYF program communities. The goal is to address the lack of diversity in leadership positions within AYF programs and recognize that individuals with these identities provide more emotional labor than other camp staff.

The AYF launched the Fellowship in 2019 with an inaugural class of five individuals who worked as seasonal summer staff at Merrowvista, Miniwanca, and National Leadership Conference. Today, there are 25 fellows.

Director of Community Life, Diversity, and Inclusion Ambrean Ford said the retreat, which she hopes will take place annually before summer programs, give fellows a chance to acclimate to camp before staff training.

“The Mulcahy Fellowship retreat gives them an opportunity to bond meet each other and for older fellows to mentor the class of 2022,” she said. “We also did some long-term planning for the next five years, laying out our vision for the future of the fellowship.”

Ford said the fellows hope to offer a future program for youth from the Detroit area. “This mini-camp’s purpose is to allow kids to experience outdoors and nature in a positive way with leaders who look like them and who hold similar identities,” she explained.

Ford, who is also a 2019 Mulcahy Fellow, said the retreat helped her realize how important it is for this community to gather in person. “People need that in-person connection so we can realize we are more than folks on a screen. The retreat was a great reminder that it is important to hold affinity spaces where folks who have similar identities are connected and enjoying each other’s company. When you can actually be together and share those moments in person, you feel you know someone’s authentic self.”

The fellows built on the strength of their time together and left the retreat energized to step into their staff roles and share in the leadership of camp communities.

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“It’s so important to support our words with real, measurable action,” Ford said. “The most important step the AYF is taking right now is leaning into those difficult yet rewarding conversations. We are creating committees and attending trainings. I like to call this our forming year, and this first half is everyone getting on the same page.”

One key element of this work is the creation of the AYF’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which had its inaugural meeting in February. Ford said this year, the 16-member committee will assess the AYF’s larger mission, goals, and values through a DEI lens and develop a strategic plan that will serve as a roadmap of actionable steps that will further the AYF’s DEI goals.

Ford and Vice President Liz Marshall conducted a thorough search for committee members who could add to the diversity of voices in the discussion.

“It is important the committee represent different demographics, identities, and experiences within the AYF, including the amount time spent with the organization,” Ford said. “The committee includes people who have experienced programs at Miniwanca, Merrowvista, and National Leadership Conference.”

The DEI committee also represents a mix of ages and personal affiliations with the AYF, including current and former AYF full-time and seasonal staff, camp and NLC alumni, and current members of the AYF Board of Directors.

“We need to have as many voices at the table as possible, so they can advocate for those who aren’t present,” Ford said.

The DEI committee and the Board of Directors will work closely with Strength Perspective founders Jen (Dusty) Clitheroe and Polly Williams, to help the organization pursue its DEI goals. Clitheroe recently met with the Board at its March meeting in St. Louis, where they discussed how to make the AYF a more inclusive community accessible to all.

“It was powerful to see the Board engaging in this work and truly assessing equity and inclusion in our organization,” said Marshall. “The Board is looking closely at the program communities and asking how we can be more aware, welcoming, and inclusive as we seek to inspire youth to live at their best.”

Another key element of the AYF’s DEI work is the Mulcahy Fellowship. This initiative intentionally honors, supports, and uplifts seasonal staff who identify as historically underrepresented members in AYF program communities. The goal is to address the lack of diversity in leadership positions within our programs and recognize that individuals with these identities provide more emotional labor than other camp staff.

The AYF will host a retreat for current Mulcahy Fellows at Miniwanca in early June. Ford, who is also a member of the 2019 class, said the retreat will allow the 17 members to reconnect after nearly three years apart.

“Because of the pandemic, we haven’t seen each other since 2019,” she said. “Some of the fellows have never actually met in person! This retreat will give us a chance to bond and to discuss what it means to be part of this group and the future of this fellowship in our lives and in within the AYF.”

The AYF is currently accepting applications for the 2022 Mulcahy Fellowship. Details are available online.

Finally, the AYF full-time team recently completed an online webinar hosted by Let’s Empower, Advocate, and Do (LEAD). The webinar, Black Lives (Still) Matter: Using Microinterventions to Interrupt Race-Based Microaggressions at Camp, taught participants how to recognize and disarm race-based microaggressions during program.

“It’s important that everyone on our team knows how to be effective allies for our BIPOC participants and staff,” Ford said. “All these actions – those we’ve started and those still to come – are important as we continue to educate ourselves and put action behind our words.”

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