Recently, AYF leadership updated its program outcomes to better illustrate how the organization’s timeless approach to youth development best addresses the needs of youth today.

Vice President of Strategic Programs Kris Light said the AYF remains grounded in the original philosophies of the four folds and best self.

“These program outcomes are as important now as ever, and this updated language does not change what we do, but instead further explains the ‘why’ of the AYF’s approach,” he said.

Outcome 1: Discovering and Developing Your Own Best Self
An open, inclusive environment where everyone can thrive is key to helping campers find their best self. Miniwanca Girls Camp Director Bethany Wise said AYF camp programs emphasize the value of individuality, acceptance, and freedom of expression, often reflected in the creative, eclectic costumes campers don for skits.

“Their outer appearance can represent their inner thoughts and feelings,” Wise said. “They’re always coming up with the silliest ways to put pieces together and design characters. I think that’s a great example of this environment fostering authentic self-expression. Outside of camp, so many girls’ clothing choices are scrutinized. Here, they can be themselves.”

Wise said the AYF’s philosophy of “challenge by choice” also supports this program outcome: knowing and accepting that not everyone’s goal will be the same. “During an activity like high ropes, some will aim to make it to the top of the rock wall, others want to go farther than they did the previous time,” she said. “It’s all a path of personal growth and discovery.”

Outcome 2: Growing Through the Four Folds

Once participants begin to identify best self, 2024 Merrowvista Director of Community and School Programs Dayna Vuksinick said they continue to grow through the four folds: mental, physical, social, and reverent (formerly the religious or spiritual fold). Her CSP participants often explore those concepts as they hike for the first time, get to know people who are different from them, and have conversations where everyone may not agree.

Miniwanca Conference, Community, and School Programs Director Michael Harter emphasized it’s important to spend time on the four
folds without expecting or demanding perfection. It’s something he and his fellow National Leadership Conference co-directors have spent a lot of time discussing.

“Young people are surrounded by so many conflicting messages,” he said. “We never want to them to confuse the pursuit of best self and balanced living with the concept of perfection, and we make that distinction in program.”

Light said the four folds serve as a lens through which to view life. “They help participants assess where they are strong and confident and where they would like to grow and challenge themselves,” he said. “The programs then provide opportunities to follow through on that
assessment.”

Outcome 3: Working Together to Build Community

Vuksinick said even just a few days is enough for kids to develop a deeply connected community. She recalled a group of students who asked to hold their senior prom at Merrowvista last year because they wanted to celebrate with the friends they made during a school program in sixth grade.

“Knowing that these kids hadn’t been there in six years, but they still had such a strong connection to us and really felt like they needed to be here to celebrate the end of their time together, was very beautiful to watch — and it was so fun,” she said.

Light said bonds created in these intentional communities do more than create lasting friendships. “When participants work together to achieve a common goal during program, they also develop positive leadership skills and find opportunities to put their best selves into action,” he said. “They recognize their impact as part of a larger whole and their responsibility in caring for and creating a sense of belonging within a community.”

Outcome 4: Making a Positive Difference in the World

The final program outcome is the hardest one to see in the moment, but all the directors have heard from families and teachers about participants who return home and make meaningful change in their lives, whether that’s trying out for a new sport or volunteering in their communities.

“It’s been amazing to see how different they are when they go back home,” Vuksinick said. “They help their families, they seem a lot kinder, and they’re a lot kinder to themselves. And I think that’s important — making that positive difference in yourself, so it turns around and feeds back into the world.”

Wise said each program outcome sets up the others for success. “I see the program outcomes as concentric circles,” she said. “They all
support each other at the same time, with this idea that you’re starting within your innermost self and then bringing that innermost best self out into the world.”

Harter said the foundational four folds and approach to balanced living combined with these updated program outcomes will propel the AYF and the youth it serves into the next 100 years.

“Many program activities look different than they did 100 years ago, but the actual work we do is very similar,” he said. “At the end of every program, we want participants to feel more prepared and empowered as young adults. We believe in their capacities to shape the world and confront issues facing their communities.”

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Vice President of Infrastructure Andy Mulcahy said service learning continues to be a cornerstone of Miniwanca and Merrowvista summer programs. “Each summer, we entrust our oldest campers with impor tant construction projects that not only teach them valuable life skills, but also enrich the Miniwanca and Merrowvista communities,” he said.

The Wayfinder campers at Merrowvista (entering grades 11 and 12) and the Avail campers at Miniwanca (entering grades 9 to 12) complete three-week in-camp pro-grams focused on leadership development, community building, and service learning. The teens work under the careful supervision of the skilled facilities teams to complete projects that leave lasting legacies.

This year, the Merrowvista Wayfinders replaced an aged outdoor cooking area with a new pavilion, fire circle, and prep table with firewood storage. This project, designed by longtime facilities seasonal staff member Jim Davis, repurposed six 30-year-old telephone poles from the high ropes course as supports for the structure. Wayfinders measured, cut, and installed the poles, as well as the roof framing, rafters, collar ties, and metal roofing panels.

New skills abound during these projects. When constructing the fire circle, the teens learned how to use a transit, providing a level area for the base of the fire circle and a minor slope around the rest of the site to provide proper drainage. They also learned to mix and pour concrete when creating the tabletop.

Meanwhile, the Miniwanca Avail campers helped complete several projects, including renovating Duneview Cottage. They dug out the southwestern corner of the building where the dune had encroached on the structure, as well as removed saplings and underbrush surrounding the building. They also helped remove the front deck and stairs, as well as prepped the exterior for new paint.

Inside, they helped the facilities team gut the interior. They also replaced the floor joists and floor decking and dug a trench for a new water supply line.

Service learning extended to other parts of camp. Avail also got a chance to try their hands at trail maintenance, a critical part of maintaining overall safety and beauty at Miniwanca. They trimmed back significant overgrowth around the Michigan Trail near the Well Site, where campers often enjoy overnight campouts and practice for Four Trails trips. They also brought the nearby tent platforms back to life, replacing rotten railroad ties and adding new sand or dirt to the platforms.

Mulcahy made several visits to both sites to check on the progress of the projects and was impressed with the campers’ enthusiasm, dedication, and work ethic – though there was one situation he’d never encountered in his career.

“We did have to stop on more than one occasion due to dancing,” he said, laughing. “Never in my life have I had to halt work on a job site because of an impromptu dance party.”

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Vice President of Advancement Sandra George said the AYF welcomed three talented creators to spend one to two weeks on site this summer, teaching interest groups to campers and working on their own art.

“This new program is designed for creative professionals to share their passion and expertise with our campers and staff,” George said.

At Merrowvista, mosaic artist Lizz Van Saun took up a one-week residency and worked with campers to create their own small-scale mosaic pieces.

“I think everyone had fun,” Van Saun said. “Everyone felt successful. Everyone completed the project. They seemed to really love it a lot. And I think they were really proud of what they did.”

At Miniwanca, artist and Lake Michigan neighbor Jeffrey Meeuwsen recruited the camp’s two artists this summer: Yolanda Gonzalez and Regin Igloria.

 

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Gonzalez specializes in illustration, fine art, printmaking, and painting. She helped campers design and carve their own printmaking blocks. Gonzalez said it was fun to then watch the campers use each other’s blocks to come up with patterns that they printed on fabric headbands.

She said she had no idea what to expect out of this unique residency but enjoyed immersing herself in camp life. “There’s just something special about the joy that you get from the community there,” she said. “I’m still making artwork from the experience. I think that’s really special, when there’s just a whole lot of intensity for those two weeks and you just want to create more and more afterwards.”

 

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Igloria said he has participated in about eight other residencies across the country and overseas, so he was excited to find an experience different from anything he had done.

Igloria specializes in artistic bookbinding and describes himself as a multidisciplinary artist mostly focusing on drawings and collages. He hosted introduction classes to creating zines and bookmaking.

“It was nice to just jump in, throw a couple of techniques and concepts at the campers, and see where they went,” Igloria said.

“And what always tends to happen when I introduce books to people who have never made books – which is a really wonderful thing – is that they want to give it to somebody they love and care about as a gift, so they put all this time, effort, and energy into it.”

Meeuwsen will continue to assist the Minwianca team as it plans and designs its own centennial artworks at Girls Camp and Boys Camp. All three artists said they’re excited to see where the residency program grows from here. “The framework and overarching premise of an encouraging environment is already in place, so it lends itself well to this,” Van Saun said.

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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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Senior Director of Infrastructure Andy Mulcahy said renovating Compton Lodge at Girls Camp was one of the biggest projects the Miniwanca facilities team tackled in 2023. Compton is often used to provide staff housing during the summer season and dorm-style lodging in the fall and spring for smaller community and school programs.

“This was a complete rehab to enhance the building’s accessibility, make it more efficient, and generally more comfortable for its occupants,” Mulcahy said.

Starting at the top of Compton’s exterior, the team replaced the roof with a white thermoplastic polyolefin material, which is designed to reflect summer rays away from the building and increase energy efficiency. The facilities team also replaced several windows, repaired siding and trim, and added ADA-compliant ramp access. The exterior will be fully complete this fall with exterior paint and caulking.

Inside, much of the building was stripped down to the studs for a full renovation. The team gutted and rebuilt two communal bathrooms with updated plumbing, including accessible toilets and showers. The existing kitchen was renovated to be more compact and better meet the needs of the space. Facilities also installed new wiring, LED fixtures, outlets, and a new fire alarm system throughout the building, as well as new flooring on the first floor. Mulcahy hopes to also add a nurse’s station in a still-to-be updated part of Compton.

“The building has been back in use since mid-May,” Mulcahy said. “It’s been wonderful to breathe new life back into this valuable space and welcome occupants again.”

Other recently completed projects at Miniwanca include adding riprap (a layer of large stones that protects soil from erosion in areas of high or concentrated flows) to the shoreline on both sides of the Stony Creek spillway. Siding was also replaced or repaired on the duplex cabins in 50-Bay, 60-Bay, D-Bay, and A-Bay.

At Merrowvista, the facilities team was hard at work repairing the site’s well water filtration system by late May, ensuring fresh, safe drinking water for summer campers and staff. The Merrowvista Eating Lodge also received some much-needed love in the off-season; facilities replaced the floors in the dish room, kitchen, and bathrooms.

Danforth Lodge, which is frequently used for smaller community and school programs and staff overflow housing, also saw updates and improvements this season. Its 30-year-old roof was replaced with a standing-steam metal roof.

“The new metal roof will shed snow much better than the former asphalt roof,” Mulcahy said. “It will also not be prone to fungus and grime as the other roof was.”

Danforth’s exterior also received a refresh with new paint, as well as replacing any old siding, boards, soffit, or fascia. Merrowvista also received a significant upgrade to wash day thanks to a new commercial laundry facility in the Danforth basement.

“When possible, we make every effort to upgrade and repurpose existing structures like Compton and Danforth so they can serve our Miniwanca and Merrowvista communities for decades to come,” Mulcahy said. “I’m grateful to our dedicated facilities teams for their skills and to our generous AYF community for investing in the infrastructure that supports these powerful youth programs.”

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The mood shifts as the sun sets. Campers’ voices fade with the twilight as stars blanket the night sky. They reflect on what they’ve accomplished that day, both as individuals and as a community, and where the water may take them tomorrow.

It’s more than just an idyllic summer camp memory in the making. This moment is the result of countless hours developing programs designed to help campers discover and embrace their authentic selves and become more independent, confident leaders at camp and in their home communities.

American Youth Foundation programs go so much deeper than outdoor fun. The dedicated program teams work year-round to create outdoor adventures that place kids in their growth zone – that sweet spot between their comfort zone and their danger zone – to develop their personal best.

On its surface, a flash mob is a spontaneous, wacky group dance that sparks joy and ramps up the volume a few decibels in the Eating Lodge. But, Vice President Liz Marshall explained, there is intentional developmental work at play.

“Teaching people to move in a common rhythm to a song brings people out of their comfort zone, expands their physical exercise, encourages them to be vulnerable in front of others, and helps them to regulate their emotions,” she said. “It takes them through the stages of group development. You don’t know the moves at the start of camp. Staff and fellow campers teach it to you step by step until by the end of camp, everyone knows the dance and is excited to take it home and share it with other people.”

In short, it’s a metaphor in action that happens through the program.

The AYF regularly hears from participants and alumni that their program experiences are among the most important in their lives. But how are these transformational effects measured and improved? That’s what Director of Special Projects Sandra George’s role is all about.

George joined the AYF in early 2023 and began sifting through family survey data to see how AYF programs are meeting the social and emotional needs of youth today, then aligning those outcomes with larger education and public health models.

“The AYF recognizes we have always been doing this work of ‘fun with a purpose’,” said George. “The learning that happens in program communities is social and emotional learning. Fine-tuning our curriculum allows us to tap into greater intentional learning outcomes.”

Social and emotional learning, she explained, is honing what are traditionally classified as soft skills: identifying and self-regulating one’s emotions, social awareness, and relationship skills.

“In the last decade, well-respected education foundations have conducted extensive research about how young people thrive when they develop their emotional, social, and cognitive identities,” she said. “You can see threads of four-fold balanced living in these skills, as well as our new organizational values.”

George spent extensive time revising and updating the AYF summer camp survey and evaluation process to better evaluate metrics like participant growth and satisfaction.

“Summer 2023 set some promising baselines,” she said. “We will continue to repeat the evaluation process in the next few years to share clear data about the short-term and long-term program impacts.”

It seems a lot to ask of a simple interest group, but early results show these activities build identity, community, and resiliency.  In 2023:

• 90% of campers found it easy to “know what their strengths are” after their camp experience.
• 94% of campers learned by trying new activities, not just listening.
• 97% of National Leadership Conference participants said new ideas and lessons learned from NLC activities can be applied in their home and school communities.

“The goal is not to become experts in the skills. The goal is to try new things they aren’t necessarily good at and figure out how to work through challenges and discover new interests,” George said. “Learning new skills and building social connections and community with people of different backgrounds ultimately leads to greater self-understanding and transformational growth.”

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Nearly 100 people dedicated an entire weekend earlier this year to clean out, fix up, and prepare both Merrowvista and Miniwanca for the foundation’s summer programs. They worked on raised beds for gardens, fixed cabin windows and doors, inspected canoes, and moved mattresses — just a few tasks on long to-do lists.

Director of Development Jessa Glick said these efforts are just one of several vital volunteer opportunities throughout the year that support the AYF mission.

“Part of serving humbly is supporting and ensuring the growth of these spaces, but also maintaining these spectacular facilities that cost a lot of money to run,” Glick said. “And so, to keep camps accessible to kids, we rely on volunteers as well as donors.”

Michael Harter, Miniwanca Director of Conference, Community, and School Programs, said volunteers invigorate the full-time staff.

“It is hard to explain the boost Volunteer Weekend gives the full-time staff after a long winter, as well as the seasonal staff who experience the results of that work as they get ready to embark on spring community and school programs,” Harter said.

As a foundation, Glick said the AYF offsets at least 30% of the true cost of camp for every participant when it sets tuition rates each year. Volunteers are just one of the many ways the AYF relies on its community to support these discounted programs.

“We are relying on the community that came before to help the present community have those same experiences,” Glick said.

The AYF offers a variety of ways for people to roll up their sleeves and get involved each year, including chaperoning camp buses from St. Louis to Michigan, helping with the Donald Danforth Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament, hosting fundraisers, putting on community events, and staffing the National Leadership Conference.

Almost all AYF volunteers return for more than one year of service, and they are often former campers or families of current campers. When volunteers give their time, treasures, and talents to the AYF, Glick said they often experience what she calls a “giver’s glow,” when they feel valued and accomplished.

“They get to re-experience the feelings of growth and self-discovery they had when they were participants or when they saw their family members participate,” she said.

Glick said volunteering for the AYF becomes a way of life for many who recognize the programs’ impact in their own lives. “It’s a way of discovering how to get outside yourself and make meaningful connections with others, in service to others,” she said.

If you’re interested in volunteering with the AYF, email development@ayf.com for more information about 2024 opportunities.

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Bartie was born Aug. 28, 1924 in Pontiac, Michigan. She grew up in Ohio, where she graduated from Heidelberg College with degrees in music and English. She married Thomas Bebb Jones in 1946, and together they raised three children: Judy, Lynn, and John.

She attended Miniwanca as an Older Girls camper for the first time in 1942, and she returned nearly every summer for the next seven decades as a camper, seasonal staff member, leader, instructor, and poet in residence.

Bartie was a prolific writer, publishing 10 books of poetry, several magazine articles, a few songs, and a novel, “Call to Cambria.” The stunning landscapes of Miniwanca and Lake Michigan often moved her pen, reflected in poems like “My Church:”

“This is my church
Where I come to pray
The dune of sand is my pew
And the altar of truth
Is the blue sky above
And my window
Is the sunset hue.”

As influential as the AYF was in her life, Bartie was equally important in shaping Miniwanca programs and preserving the organization’s history. She proposed amassing, organizing, and categorizing ephemerae from across the decades, laying the foundation for the extensive AYF Archives now available for viewing online and at both sites. Just as she documented the organization’s powerful mission and beauty in her poetry, Bartie saw the tremendous value chronicling the AYF’s history for future generations.

“Bartie played such a special role at Miniwanca and in my personal life,” said AYF Archivist Jan Strube. “Her expressions of life through poetry, music, humor, honesty, kindness, smiles, and love of Miniwanca and its history will never be forgotten. Her proposal to save the AYF archives and share with the future was passion in action.”

Bartie was also instrumental in creating one of the AYF’s longest running adult programs: Summer Seminars for Women. She was dedicated to lifelong learning and growth, and she wanted to build a community of likeminded women committed to rekindling their inner sparks and sharing that light with others. Her passion once again proved lasting; SSW just completed its 35th program in summer 2023.

When she could no longer travel to her beloved dunes, Bartie remained a steadfast attendee of online AYF programs and a strong financial supporter. She was also a member of the Eternal Flame Society and left a generous bequest to the organization in her will.

“Bartie was a true Founder of the American Youth Foundation,” said President Anna Kay Vorsteg. “Her dedication to the organization’s mission and the youth we serve will have profound impact for decades to come. Her beautiful words and generous actions will linger long.”

Bartie is survived by her daughter, Lynn; three grandchildren, Robert Muhn, William Muhn, Hannah; and four great-grandchildren, Finn, Kirby, Camden, and Grace. Bartie is also remembered by seven living nieces and nephews and many friends.

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“During summer 2021, staff at Miniwanca and Merrowvista observed the highest number of campers experiencing homesickness we’ve seen in recent years,” Ford said. “In 2022, we wanted to dedicate resources to camper mental and emotional health, just as we have a Health Team on site to care for campers’ physical health.”

To address these needs, the AYF created Care Teams comprised of individuals with experience in education, social services, or other related fields. The Care Team members circulated throughout camp and checked in with staff each day, working with campers who were struggling with homesickness, conflict with campers, or other emotional needs. They also supported campers who are part of marginalized communities, including youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth.

“The idea for the Care Team existed before the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ford said. “However, the impacts of youth being isolated at home without in-person socialization has amplified the need for this team.”

Moiya Toliver served on the Miniwanca Care Team as a Community Life Coordinator this summer. She said the team’s presence allowed other camp staff to better focus on their primary responsibilities.

All summer, I heard comments from different individuals about how much smoother things went compared to previous summers. The Care Team took a lot of responsibilities and stress off the shoulders of Directors and Coordinators, and we provided assistance beyond what was expected from us.”

When an issue surfaced, the Care Team took the camper aside to discuss and, if necessary, worked with them to create a support plan with choices that best met their needs. Toliver recalled helping two campers whose parents were also camp staff work through a difficult time and communicate their needs to their on-site family members.

“This moment stuck with me because it can be hard for children to have a heart-to-heart conversation with a parent and have it actually go well. I know this from personal experience,” Toliver said. “Seeing them work out the problem and come to a meaningful resolution unknowingly healed my inner child.”

Ford said the Care Team was successful because its members meet campers on their level. “We hear them, connect with them where they are, and validate their experiences,” she said. “When children feel supported and safe, they can thrive in a camp setting.”

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Miniwanca and Merrowvista staff know how overwhelming the initial camp experience can be and work hard to make the transition into camp a smooth one.

Rising third, fourth, and fifth graders are the youngest participants at camp each summer. Called Darers at Miniwanca Boys Camp and Girls Camp and Pioneers at Merrowvista, these programs are intentionally designed to introduce youth to living in community with their peers and to help them take their first steps toward identifying personal values.

2022 Miniwanca Girls Camp Director Emily Knuth said the Darer and Pioneer programs give young children their first taste of independence and broaden their worldview.

“Camp gives them some time to be away from home and their parents and creature comforts,” she said. “They get the chance to be their authentic selves. It also teaches them to live in community with five peers and experience getting to know different people from different places and start building some resiliency.”

Shanti Eswaran’s daughter Ranya, 9, attended Miniwanca for the first time this summer. The three-week stint was the longest she’d ever been away from home. While Eswaran’s other daughters, Kavni, 11, and Miraya, 14, are Miniwanca veterans and gave their sister a good idea about what to expect, Ranya still had some butterflies. They flew away, though, as soon as she arrived.

“When I dropped her off, her cabin leader came right up and started talking to her,” Eswaran said. “I was going to say goodbye, and she was already walking across the field with her cabin leader.”

Once they take that initial step into the unknown, a whole new world opens up for the novice camper.

Darer and Pioneer days are filled with lots of outdoor time pursuing adventure, from arts and crafts to hiking, kayaking to climbing. There are also quieter moments of reflection and intentional discussion that sow those first seeds of introspection and self-discovery.

“I think the new environment and the lack of electronic devices really forces the kids to not reflexively bounce things off their parents or their friends, but instead take some time to figure out how they feel about a situation before they react,” Eswaran said. “It’s a chance to let things rattle around in their head.”

For many Pioneers and Darers, their one to three weeks spent at camp are the longest they’ve ever been away from friends and family. 2022 Miniwanca Director of Programs Michael Harter said homesickness is something nearly every camper experiences, and it’s something both the full-time and seasonal staff are well equipped to handle.

“We have one staff member for every four to six campers,” Harter said. “This camper-centered ratio allows us to really listen and spend time with participants who may need a little extra help with homesickness. We work with them to name and understand the feeling, and then we distract with an awesome and engaging program focused on a variety of activities and a supportive community.”

In spring 2022, the AYF program team completed Camp Mental Health Certification offered by Let’s Empower, Advocate, and Do, a nonprofit that teaches youth development organizations how to provide proactive mental health support.

Harter said training like LEAD’s helps staff better respond to campers’ emotional needs. “We want to support campers so they can participate and engage in our programs, while listening to them and allowing them to advocate for themselves,” he said.

2022 Pioneer Program Coordinator Laura Hardin was a Merrowvista camper for eight years before becoming a seasonal staff member and current Community and School Programs intern. Hardin remembers having a hard time with homesickness during her first year, but the friendships she made then and in subsequent summers brought her back again and again.

She credits a lifetime of camp experiences – from overcoming homesickness to hiking more than 100 miles in three weeks during her Odyssey trip – that helped her become a successful adult. It’s why she returned to camp to help instill that confidence in the next generation of campers.

“Camp taught me that anything you can put your mind to you can achieve,” Hardin said. “Merrowvista taught me perseverance.”

Merrowvista parent and former camper Ben Grant watched his daughter, 9-year-old Lydia, take her first steps down that path this year as a Pioneer.

“Camp gives kids a sense of independence, and it definitely builds confidence when you can walk into a new environment, meet people, and make friends in a short time,” he said.

Grant’s other daughter, Emery, 13, returned to camp this year for the third time, and he’s seen how she’s blossomed since starting her Merrowvista journey.

“We talk in our day-to-day lives about being your best self,” he said. “After a few years, she realized that camp is truly a place where she can be herself in a supportive community. It’s a place of true comfort, and you don’t have to put on a mask like you do in other parts of your life.”

Miniwanca parent Patricia Sanders said it was remarkable seeing her two first-time campers, 11-year-old Mary Ruth and 9-year-old Frank, respond to the same powerful programing she experienced as a camper and Leader in Training.

“Mary Ruth said it was so amazing being around women and girls and having so much fun,” Sanders said, adding that Frank felt empowered by his new level of independence at Boys Camp.

“The first thing they said when they stepped off the bus was could they go back next summer,” Sanders said. “I have yet to find another place that gives children the space to find and be themselves completely.”

The post First-year AYF campers take brave first steps toward independence appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

The American Youth Foundation strives to preserve, restore, and renovate existing buildings, but Senior Director of Infrastructure Andy Mulcahy said Miniwanca’s shifting sand dunes made the Fellowship Building and Assembly unsafe to use. After much deliberation, the AYF made the difficult decision to take down both structures.

Built in 1951, the Fellowship Building was perched on a steep hillside and once served as a central meeting spot for leaders. “Before the building’s decommission, the Facilities Team saw an opportunity to preserve its legacy by carefully removing the building’s fireplace stones, which came from each of the 50 states,” Mulcahy said. “We have securely stored them for future use elsewhere at Miniwanca.”

The spirit of fellowship lives on at that site. The facilities team replaced the structure with a large open deck overlooking Stony Creek, allowing campers to experience quiet moments of small group connection and conversation.

Mulcahy said significant structural issues over time caused the nearly 100-year-old Assembly building to lean precariously. Miniwanca took down the structure in spring 2022 but preserved the Assembly fireplace and mill stone.

“We know how important these historic structures are to our Miniwanca Founder Family,” Mulcahy said. “We hope to honor their legacies by repurposing key parts of the original buildings to create new spaces for youth to explore and enjoy for decades to come.”

At Merrowvista, the facilities team renovated existing structures to make them more welcoming to youth. They renovated a Super BIFF (Bathroom in the Friendly Forest) that includes showers and restrooms for use by all participants, as well as single-stall, gender-neutral spaces for transgender and gender-expansive participants.

They also made living spaces more comfortable for onsite staff. They added a lower-level egress to the apartment below the Health Center and completed a gut rehab of the Treehouse, which includes a staff apartment above the camp pottery studio and commercial laundry space. Even the youngest community members saw improvements this year, as the Scout Village classroom was refreshed to create a more child-friendly space for staff children.

Work at Merrowvista continued during the summer as older Wayfinder campers embraced new challenges through service-learning projects under the supervision of Facilities Infrastructure Manager Adam “Boots” Smetana.

Session A Wayfinders carefully took down the aging structure that housed the camp bell, whose clangs signal the day’s activities. They constructed a sturdy platform as the base for the new bell tower, then followed Smetana into the woods, where they felled trees to support a new metal roof.

Session B Wayfinders donned their hardhats and got to work on a log cabin on the A-field that interns built in the 1990s. Campers took it down to the studs and rebuilt the structure from the foundation up, adding and staining logs, creating and installing floors, and adding a new roof.

Smetana said these campers left Merrowvista with so much more than practical skills. “The Wayfinder program gives campers the chance to truly be of service to the Merrowvista community and to contribute to the future camp experiences of others,” he said.

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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!

The post President Anna Kay Vorsteg looks back on 2022 appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

During her internship with the AYF in 2020, Puma created a multiweek series of dares to be used on Miniwanca, Merrowvista, and NLC social media. She used the recently published For Real and On Purpose and the theme of balanced living to encourage those following the AYF to exercise their four folds from home. Puma said 2020 helped her realize that her annual AYF experience allowed her to recharge her body, soul, and mind. Without it, she searched for a tangible way to connect with others and the AYF mission remotely.

Puma said she didn’t intend for so many people to interact with her more than 50 dares, but hundreds have engaged with the posts. She attributes that to the convenience of seeing it while scrolling through Instagram, an easy, fast way to remind campers and AYF alumni to take time to self-reflect and focus on what matters.

Puma said the AYF mission and its four-fold philosophy are beautifully broad, and her time at Miniwanca helped her overcome some uncertainty and confusion regarding her values and spirituality. In her daily life as a high school English teacher in a Milwaukee suburb, Puma believes attending camp developed her strengths as a leader and reinforced her love for kids and her passion for teaching.

The post Enkindled Spirits: Hannah Puma appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

The former Merrowvista camper and seasonal staff member said that, like her City Year red jacket, the mission of the AYF inspires her to wake up and serve others each day. City Year AmeriCorps members work daily in underserved schools for an academic year, working with students to help them succeed in their educations and lives. When Blinkoff graduated from Oberlin College in spring 2020, she said she wasn’t quite ready for grad school and wanted to take time to do something meaningful, which is how she landed with City Year in fall 2020.

Blinkoff credits her time as a Merrowvista staff member with helping her realize she has a strong passion for working with kids. Blinkoff believes she helps others — whether it’s campers or her students — be their best selves by recentering herself every morning. In doing so, she said she creates a continuous cycle of enkindled spirits, where she inspires the students to be their best selves, which in turn inspires her to be her best self.

In fact, the AYF motto “My own self, at my very best, all the time,” is what first spoke to Blinkoff as a new camper years ago. She said her time with the AYF taught her she is a lot stronger — physically and mentally — than she ever thought she could be.

The post Enkindled Spirits: Grace Blinkhoff appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

Today, that same foundational philosophy guides her as chair of the board, a role she assumed in August. Here, Danforth-Burlin shares fond Miniwanca and Merrowvista memories, her thoughts on this generation of campers, and her hopes for the future of the AYF.

What do you remember about your first camp experience?
“My very first year at Miniwanca, I sent a letter to my parents in which I said, ‘I love camp. This is so much fun. I’m a member of the Draws tribe. We have a cheer that goes like this.’ And I wrote out the entirety of this nonsense cheer, and it was complete gibberish to them! Then I wrote, ‘And we have a camp clap, and it goes like this: clap, clap, clap, clap…’ Everything was so meaningful to me as a 9-year-old, and I wanted them to feel my joy in that letter.”

What was your favorite tradition as a camper?
“I loved Night’s Doings. I have a very funny memory of the camper-leader hunt. At the time, campers hid from leaders. My friends and I had a well-hidden place in the woods, completely covered in leaves. We were totally invisible, and no one found us. And then we spent the next week going to the health center dealing with chiggers, mosquitos, poison ivy… It was worth the price though – we won!”

What is one of your favorite memories as a camper parent?
“Nearly every year, I went to the Closing Circle at Merrowvista, and I watched my boys start as the youngest campers and rise through the age groups. Every year, we’d watch the oldest kids pass a candle flame from kid to kid as they’d sing Follow the Gleam. They’ve gone through their whole program, and now they’re passing their torch to the campers below them. It’s a moment of such pride and gratitude – it makes you a complete mess when you watch your kids pass that flame.”

How has your legal career benefited you in the nonprofit space?
“When you’ve been through law school, the way you think about problems changes. It’s very process- and logic-oriented. I will always be a lawyer. I can retire but I will always have legal thinking as the way I address a problem.”

What value do youth development programs provide?
“It’s so important for kids to have the freedom and space to take a deep dive into who they are away from their families and structures. The most meaningful part of AYF programs is getting the kids out of their day-to-day routines and putting them in a thoughtful, caring environment where they have the power to decide for themselves who they want to be.”

What are the needs of youth today?
“This generation is a different kind of kid. They care deeply about what’s going on in the world, and they’re pretty well informed. Young people really see themselves as change agents, so how can the AYF give them the skills they need to learn leadership? How do we give them the internal strength to get them where they want to go? That’s the mission of the AYF. We can give these kids the tools to make the world a better place.”

Which tools are most important for youth today?
“A million young people working in concert with one another to better our country and our globe is great. A million isolated people not working together doesn’t do very much. Getting people to understand community, what it is to work together – that’s the setting the AYF can provide. I want to make sure we as an organization can be resilient and in turn help them build their resilience.”

The AYF centennial in 2025 will be a significant part of your tenure as board chair. What opportunities does this milestone present?
“My great-grandfather always said, ‘What’s next?’ Let’s celebrate what we’ve done, and let’s focus on the future. The centennial gives us an opportunity to make sure we as an organization are doing our own four-fold introspection. Are we meeting our own goals of best self? Are we doing the best we can to share our mission and serve as many people as we can, as best we can? The centennial lets us reach into the past and celebrate, and it also lets us look ahead and ask how we make sure thousands of people are served going forward.”

Where will the AYF be in the decades to come?
“I can’t tell you what the needs of kids decades from now will be or what the world will look like then. What I do know is that our mission and the four-fold way of living worked for my great-grandfather 100 years ago. It worked for my kids three years ago. We’ve spanned a century with a philosophy that is timeless.”

This article originally appeared in the 2021 Founder Fire. 

The post Meet AYF board chair DD Danforth-Burlin appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

High school physics teacher Robert Pike works hard to learn his students’ names within the first three days of each semester, so they feel valued and appreciated — a habit he started as a longtime mentor for National Leadership Conference.

Pike keeps a smile on NLC participants’ faces nearly every summer, but it took nearly 20 years to return to the AYF after his time as a Miniwanca camper and then volunteer, as his teaching schedule was incompatible with NLC programming. He returned to the shores of Lake Michigan when the program was moved from August to June.

Pike recalls his time at camp in the 1980s as positive and memorable, so he works to create similar experiences for first-year participants, the group he works with every year. Pike loves the conference’s emphasis on inclusion and open, respectful dialogue. He’s passionate about getting young people to work together — whether at conference or in the classroom — so that they can determine on their own what specifically they need help understanding.

Last year Campbell High School students awarded Pike the school’s MLK Humanitarian Award, which honors those who embody the spirit and mission of legendary civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Pike attributes this honor to all he has learned from participants and staff members throughout his time with AYF, passing the flame from one NLC class to the next. He said he will continue to mentor NLC participants each year because the genuine, humble philosophies of best self and balanced living established by the camp’s founders withstand the test of time.

The article originally appeared in the 2021 Founder Fire. 

The post Enkindled Spirits: Robert Pike appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

National Leadership Conference participants were finally able to gather on the dunes of Miniwanca once again in 2021, albeit in a new, more intimate way.

While the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the traditional eight-day annual conference, the American Youth Foundation hosted two four-day mini-conferences, bringing both challenges and unexpected benefits. The first mini-conference from July 22 to 25, 2021 welcomed 32 participants from the Connected in Compassion and yunážiŋkhiyA classes, and the second took place July 29 to Aug. 1, 2021 with 12 members of the Bold Hearts, Rising Voice class.

2021 central staff member and current NLC Co-Director Erin O’Brien has been a part of NLC since summer 2000 — she graduated as a participant and has volunteered ever since. She loves being witness to those “a-ha” moments where people connect with an idea or learn something about themselves. This year’s conference, she said, provided plenty of those same moments, despite being shorter and smaller than a typical year.

“I think people really needed the familiarity and knowing that that positive community is still there, and that even with all these crazy things going on in the world, we are still a place where you can have safe, open conversations about things that might be difficult to talk about,” she said.

Claire Swayze is a member of the Bold Hearts, Rising Voice class and attended the mini-conference. She felt the conversations were deeper, and it was easier to be more open and authentic in the smaller group.

“The one thing that I really noticed is by splitting up the conferences, we really got to deep dive into some of the things that have been going on in the world, and I got to form some really close connections with those from my class that did attend,” Swayze said.

Like Swayze, Landon Schumacker, a member of the yunážiŋkhiyA class, said the smaller group afforded some intimacy not usually found at the larger conference. One of his 2021 standout NLC moments was the Opening Fire, usually a loud and raucous event with hundreds of people. This year, he said the energy was totally different, but no less inspiring.

“That was one of the first times during the conference — and I would have this moment several times over — where I was like, ‘This is the same, this is great,’” Schumacker said. “It didn’t feel abbreviated or super altered. It felt like conference in a really fantastic and really impactful way.”

Class mentor Amy Hughes said 2020 was tough, especially for the participants slated to graduate, because the virtual NLC-Z in 2020 was so different and challenging. This year, she and other organizers worked hard to turn the traditional eight-day experience into four days with purpose and meaning.

“We very intentionally went through the curriculum — you can imagine it’s very hard to go through a seven-day curriculum and try to put it basically within 48 hours — and it took a tremendous amount of time and lots of Zoom sessions back and forth with my co-mentors,” she said.

O’Brien echoed that, saying finding a balance of feeling prepared and not feeling overwhelmed was the most challenging element of the mini-conferences . They wanted to be sure the participants got something meaningful out of the conference but didn’t feel stretched thin. Both staff members said they hope to continue to be able to pivot the curriculum once the conference goes back to its full eight days in 2022.

Intentionality is also something else O’Brien emphasized, noting participants gathered frequently to ask important questions and made sure there was time and space for everyone to feel like they had a voice. This, she noted, is not always the case in the larger group setting.

Hughes said the modifications also changed the way in which organizers measured the success of the event — moving away from a numerical-based assessment of retention to direct feedback from participants.

“The kids in the class were so wonderful to each other, and so I think that was one of the other surrogate markers for us,” she said.

Both Schumacker and Swayze encourage anyone thinking to join NLC to do so. Schumacker said he would be “unrecognizable” without his conference experience. Swayze said the community and mission of the conference touches her heart every year and she takes pride in being a part of NLC’s legacy.

“We all are there for the same reason: We are all there to just do good in this world and to learn how to help others to do good in this world, and that is just so important,” Swayze said.

O’Brien encapsulated why the conference resonates with so many, in 2021 and historically.

“What makes it magical and what makes the connections is the positive community,” she said. “It’s about having a place to go that’s not only beautiful physically, but beautiful in the way that people treat each other, in the way that people communicate with one another and in the things that we learn about ourselves while we are there.”

The AYF is thrilled to announce that National Leadership Conference will return to its original eight-day format in 2022. This year’s NLC will be June 11 to 18; registration is now open.

The post NLC finds closer connection in 2021 appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

The book selection originated from the coordinators of AYF’s Summer Seminars for Women. SSW Coordinator Bridget Stack said they were drawn to the text as an invitation to explore how white people benefit from privilege in ways that cause damage to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).

“I heard about a powerful discussion group on this book, and it immediately struck me as great material for the SSW community,” explained Stack. While prior programs included community building and conversation, this was the first offering for adults to address social justice issues and to dedicate time to the aspect of the AYF mission that encourages people to “make a positive difference.”

In March, 40 adults enrolled in the first Conversation Circles. Meeting through Zoom in biweekly sessions, they worked through the text using a process of group conversation and inquiry called The Circle Way, a structured method of exploring the book. Each week, the participants revisited the expectations for the program, and then broke into their smaller conversation groups, where they rotated the role of “guardian” of the circle. Rather than serving as group leader, the guardian focused on maintaining the integrity of the group by keeping time, ensuring all members could share, and maintaining agreements to speak with respect. This strong group structure created a safe setting for sharing that went deep into the participants’ personal experiences.

Members of the AYF community are committed to putting their values into action, and this book offers a roadmap to constructively teach readers what they can do to further racial justice.

Stack was struck by the commitment participants showed to attend consistently, show up with honesty, and share in the sometimes painful process of acknowledging their privilege. “It was powerful to see this group of women delve into the challenging work of acknowledging how racism is present in our lives and how the things we think, say, or do have the unintended effect of perpetuating white ” she said.

Many participants said they were moved by the process of building trust in the small group setting. Participant Peggy Rush said it made the experience of reading this challenging book much richer. “Although each of us entered the process with a different level of experience and understanding, we ended up in similar kind, empathetic, and caring places at the end,” she said.

Other virtual adult offerings continue to draw the SSW participants and other alumni toward the AYF. Monthly Evening Reflections, a New Year Compass series, and a full virtual Summer Seminars series in July filled out the year. AYF Director of Alumni Relations Molly Mulcahy said she has seen the community grow through these experiences.

“It’s not just a process of reminiscing, but about having a real connection in the present with old and new friends, learning new material, and daring to work to make change,” Mulcahy said.

The post Creating Conversation and Change appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

AYF Senior Director of Programs Matt Loper said while 2021 was still a year affected by the pandemic, it was thrilling to welcome campers back to Miniwanca and Merrowvista once again.

“It’s so sad when Merrowvista or Miniwanca are empty and an absolute delight when they are filled with communities of purposeful young campers,” Loper said. “There was an electric joy in the air this summer as we celebrated something truly special after such a long, difficult stretch of time.”

COVID-19 presented new challenges in 2021, but the AYF was determined to offer summer programming at Miniwanca and Merrowvista, even if it would be different. They knew that after 18 months of social isolation, youth needed the social and emotional solace only camp could provide.

Or, as Andrea Caesar, mother of Merrowvista camper Anelya, said: “Reintegrating her into a group of kids after one-and-a-half years of remote learning was critical this year. I’m so grateful that she was able to spend the summer at camp and reconnect with life as it should be.”

Adjusting Our Sails
This year, the AYF offered a single three-week session at both at Miniwanca in Michigan and Merrowvista in New Hampshire. Due to the unique requirements and limitations of the summer, the AYF knew it would not be able to accommodate all who wished to attend camp this year.

Loper acknowledged how disappointing it was to not be able to welcome the usual number campers, but explained the extended application process implemented this year aimed to make access to camp as fair as possible.

“Every year, we take great care to build diverse, balanced cabin communities that offer campers the opportunity to make new connections with children from different socioeconomic, geographic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds,” he said. “The application process allowed us to maintain that careful, intentional balance in our 2021 camp communities.”

AYF Senior Health and Safety Director Astrid Wielens was pleased to report there were no cases of COVID-19 at Merrowvista or Miniwanca this summer. “The coronavirus never entered our camps and that is entirely thanks to the tremendous efforts of camp families and staff that began well before camp started,” she said.

Anyone who was onsite at Miniwanca or Merrowvista this summer had to adhere to strict COVID-19 prevention protocols in the 10 days prior to their arrival at camp. Once they arrived at staff training or on Opening Day, everyone was tested for COVID-19 and tested again three days later. This created a COVID-free bubble that allowed those inside to forgo masking while outside or in their cabin groups.

Miniwanca Boys Camp Director Michael Harter said he was grateful to camp families for their pre-camp caution, and he was particularly impressed with the seasonal staff who chose to enter the camp bubble as COVID-19 rules were being relaxed in many places across the country.

“It’s important to give a real ‘Hear, hear!’ to the young staff who made a choice to come to another bubble and give up a social life just as things were reopening in June,” Harter said. “They knew this experience was so important for youth. Our staff made sacrifices – even their days off were spent onsite in the bubble – but those 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds gave that up because they knew how important it was for kids to be at camp this summer.”

Living in Community
Miniwanca Girls Camp Director Emily Knuth anticipated it would be difficult for youth to return to living in community after so many months of remote learning.

“Certainly COVID anxiety played a role, but also, youth just hadn’t had a lot of practice living in community with one another,” she said. “We saw more raw, intense emotion from campers during week one of the session.”

Knuth said the changes in campers’ emotional and social well-being over three weeks was remarkable. “The first week was the toughest for us because we were all masked and there was anxiety waiting for test results,” she said. “Once it was safe for campers to remove their masks, they were able to see each other’s expressions and relax a bit more. People were more at ease, more joyful.”

Brian Lynch said summer at Miniwanca helped his daughter, Claire, learn how structure could ease the stresses of the pandemic. “She had a wonderful experience and came back more like her pre-pandemic self,” he said. “The social anxiety that had crept in during COVID improved, and she thrived on the structure that she is trying to carry forward.”

While many elements of camp soothed anxiety and isolation, Knuth said it also gave campers the opportunity to discuss larger issues like the pandemic, social justice, and equity.

“I think a lot of people were looking for an escape, to get away from the world’s problems, but for a lot of campers and staff, it was a wake-up moment for them,” Knuth said. “It allowed to them to rethink why camp is there and how it can rekindle and recenter them as they go back into the world. Camp is as much the real world as anywhere else, but it’s a safe place where we can talk about these things and how we deal with big issues in our lives in a safe, respectful way.”

More than 900 miles away, the same conversations were taking place at Merrowvista. Loper and AYF President Anna Kay Vorsteg returned to their hands-on programming roots this summer, assisting Merrowvista Camp Director Chris Wellens, who welcomed his first child just as staff training began.

“I think a lot of campers grew a ton in self-confidence and in self-affirmation. It was a big deal to assemble as we did this year, and it was not lost on the campers that their experiences were different than prior years’ expectations,” Loper said. “I think, too, that campers had to face more of the healthy and natural interpersonal conflict that arises out of communal life. Each village at Merrowvista spent more time as a cluster of 12 to 14 people than any summer ever before. Campers increased their S-fold skills and navigated through this healthy conflict in increasingly effective and skilled ways as the session unfolded.”

Caesar saw that growth in Anelya and said she appreciates how camp offered her child the opportunity to discover her best self in a safe, inclusive environment.

“I appreciate that Anelya feels safe enough to lean into discomfort, to dare to try new things and improve at activities she is already familiar with,” Caesar said. “As I raise a child in such a worrisome time in the world, sending my daughter to such an inclusive environment that not only welcomes but fosters diversity feels like a responsibility and a privilege to me as a parent.”

Lindsey Mogren echoed that sentiment, saying Merrowvista gave her daughter, Ella, the opportunity to think critically about her values.

“I love that she has the opportunity to experience a place that actively and overtly lives by values that we hold in our family and to think about how these are practiced,” she said. “The ability to make and grow new friendships in such an open, honest and authentic way (without the ancillary challenges of middle school, peer pressure, phones, etc.) is something I hope she recognizes as possible, not just the exception. Knowing this way of being with others is not only possible, but also healthy and real, is something I hope she will carry with her through the year.”

Wayfinders Chart a New Course
One of the biggest changes to summer 2021 was the launch of the Wayfinder program, which replaced the traditional Four Trails experience this year. The pandemic prevented campers and staff from embarking on the Odyssey, Voyageur, Adventurer, and Explorer trips, but it also gave them the opportunity to explore the hundreds of acres that make up Merrowvista and Miniwanca and provide valuable service to the camp community.

At Miniwanca, Wayfinders spent their last week trekking to the Well Site, where they camped and took on an extended “solo” experience in the woods. At Merrowvista, the oldest Wayfinders hiked out armed with sledgehammers and power tools to rebuild the Ledge Shelter, now dubbed the North Star Shelter.

“The Wayfinders rose beautifully to the occasion and came at everything thrown their way with a ton of spirited open-mindedness,” Loper said. “Most of the campers had no idea what to expect, yet they totally leaned into the newness of the Wayfinder program.”

Both camps honored their accomplishments with a “hike in,” welcoming them back to the community and celebrating their persistence and dedication in the face of so much uncertainty and change. And there was one important tradition that withstood the test of the pandemic and changes to the program: Wayfinders were presented with their well-earned rugbies at Closing Fire.

Bringing It Home

As camp came to a close, Harter said he watched campers confront the reality of leaving the safety of the community they’d formed in the bubble. He addressed anxieties at Closing Fire, reminding youth of the power of their own best selves as they returned home.

“We encouraged kids to find ways to connect with each other away from camp and bring that spirit of community home,” he said. “We talked about how there is no ‘real world’ separate from Miniwanca. The community we build and support here doesn’t have to stay here. The messages of the Founders, of best self and balanced living – we bring them home.”

Three weeks of living in community rekindled the spirit of best self for hundreds of youth this summer, something one Miniwanca parent noticed immediately when she picked up her daughter.

“Since coming home, she has energy. She’s talking to me again and just seems lighter, more confident and at peace,” she said. “I feel like this summer gave my daughter what she was craving most – a deep sense of belonging and friendship. She told me she doesn’t think she’s ever laughed so hard. I don’t think I realized just how lonely she has been until I saw the impact camp had on her.”

This article originally appeared in the 2021 Founder Fire. 

The post Rekindling Community in Summer 2021 appeared first on American Youth Foundation.

Our AYF participants and staff reaffirmed that when we act with shared purpose – in song, play, problem solving, and sweaty, challenging service – we are healthier and happier. When we set our sights high and dare to aspire nobly (giving of self for the greater good), adventure daringly (bravely pushing beyond the known and comfortable), and serve humbly (using our capacities to improve the condition of others, not for praise from them, but in praise of them), we become more alive. The pursuit of best self builds spirits and save lives. It is the good medicine so many now need.

These difficult times have taken a toll on each of us, and our youth and young adults need special tending. Too many arrived at our gates more fragile than before, overpacked with worry and undercharged with hope. Far too many could not attend at all. All youth deserve to be more excited about their futures, and we intend to expand our 2022 program offerings to enable that. We must all remain dogged in our efforts to contain and eradicate the coronavirus, and we must be equally committed to improving our physical, spiritual, social, and mental health as individuals and communities. Thanks for understanding this and supporting the AYF as we worked to do our part this season.

With your help, we were able to offer hundreds of participants safe and beautiful places to laugh, stretch, and grow in the company of their peers. Those who attended our programs, as well as a bold few who dared a self-designed growth experience, got out of their houses, off their screens, and into adventures that allowed them to draw meaning from the past year. Some of their accomplishments and learnings are shared in the 2021 Founder Fire. I hope these stories give you needed fuel for your own inner fire as winter sets in.

Finally, I want to give a mighty “Hear! Hear!” to our staff and volunteers for their heroics in a season that asked so much of them. Thanks, too, to our AYF board and committee members, as well as our medical advisory team, for the long hours spent in the name of prevention. We did it, Team AYF. We kept the lights on, we kept the virus out, we kept the bells ringing, and above all, we introduced youth to the best within them.

And now, with newfound gratitude for the privilege, we begin again.

Anna Kay Vorsteg
AYF President

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