{"id":20577,"date":"2020-06-19T20:13:06","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T20:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ayf.com\/?p=20577"},"modified":"2020-06-19T20:13:06","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T20:13:06","slug":"ayf-launches-free-online-programming-invincible-summer-on-july-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ayf.com\/ayf-launches-free-online-programming-invincible-summer-on-july-6\/","title":{"rendered":"AYF launches free online programming, Invincible Summer, on July 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Catherine Klene<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This popular quote inspired the name of AYF\u2019s free online summer programming, but the lesser-known half of Albert Camus\u2019 words sparked the AYF programming team\u2019s mission:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there\u2019s something stronger \u2013 something better, pushing right back.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2019t be in person.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d Pennock said. \u201cEven in the darkest of times, we have ourselves and we have community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Invincible Summer<\/a>, which will take place weekdays July 6 through July 31, isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be at camp to be your best self and live the values of camp,\u201d Wellens said. \u201cBeing your best self is only really useful if we can live those practices everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Invincible Summer programming designed to connect participants and help them put the values of best self into action. Options include:<\/p>\n

Large community events<\/strong> These online gatherings will be open to anyone via Zoom and will feature familiar programs like opening and closing councils, Night\u2019s Doings, Evening Reflection and more.<\/p>\n

Small group opportunities<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Weekly interest groups<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Inspired Best Selves <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

Grab-and-go activities<\/strong> Each week, campers can access activities to complete away from screens that will be available on our website.<\/p>\n

My Virtual Mission<\/strong> Anyone can join the AYF in a race to complete the distance\u00a0equivalent of a Four Trails experience by logging their physical miles on this online platform.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to not have kids in front of screens all summer,\u201d Wellens said. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be different badges they can earn, different challenges they can undertake,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes, they may earn a badge for joining us for a Zoom call to engage with their friends from camp, but then they\u2019ll complete assigned tasks offline to earn their physical Founder Medal at the end of the summer. We\u2019re encouraging balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s also why campers will have the flexibility to attend as much or as little programming as they\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can choose what you want to do,\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe you just want to start your day with the Call to Community. That\u2019s great, and it\u2019s only 20 minutes on Zoom each morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abrami said she\u2019s most looking forward to hearing what youth have to say about the world right now. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to see camper faces, to hear the voices of our kids, particularly at this time,\u201d she said. \u201cEven though we\u2019re still on our screens, my hope is it feels a little different, that they can play and connect in a way they weren\u2019t able to during the school year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Catherine Klene \u201cIn the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.\u201d This popular quote inspired the name of AYF\u2019s free online summer programming, but the lesser-known half of Albert Camus\u2019 words sparked the AYF programming team\u2019s mission: \u201cAnd that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against … <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20564,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[92,90],"class_list":["post-20577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-updates","tag-invincible-summer","tag-virtual-summer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAYF launches free online programming, Invincible Summer, on July 6 - American Youth Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cIn the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ayf.com\/ayf-launches-free-online-programming-invincible-summer-on-july-6\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AYF launches free online programming, Invincible Summer, on July 6 - 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