Jan Strube is a keeper of AYF history, preserving photographs, memories, and more as a volunteer archivist. Her passion for the AYF began as a Miniwanca Younger Girls camper in...

For the last 100 years, American Youth Foundation programs have fostered self-discovery through a balanced approach of personal growth, community building, and interconnected program goals. Recently, AYF leadership updated its...

The American Youth Foundation is thrilled to announce Madelyn Cook as the new Merrowvista Camp Director. “A lifelong member of the AYF community, Madelyn brings an incredible depth of experience,...

More than 100 Founder Friends gathered on Zoom Wednesday, April 16 to kick off our centennial festivities. We can’t wait for all the excitement and connection this year holds! As...

Save the date: The American Youth Foundation is kicking off its centennial festivities with a virtual gathering Wednesday, April 16! Join President and CEO Liz Marshall and other AYF leadership...

The lessons Amy Hughes learned during International Leadership Conference and National Leadership Conference in the mid-1990s laid the foundation for her personal and professional life today. Hughes is a medical...

Save the date: The American Youth Foundation is kicking off its centennial festivities with a virtual gathering Wednesday, April 16! Join President and CEO Liz Marshall and other AYF leadership...

Summer camp often calls to mind visions of youth adventuring daringly as they hike through rugged terrain or aspiring nobly as they master sailing or kayaking in open water. However,...

Spark, a four-day retreat designed for adults, returns to Miniwanca for its fourth year Sept. 11 to 14, 2025. Registration opens Monday, March 17. This year, Spark welcomes keynote speaker...

Learn more about working at Miniwanca! Learn more about working at Merrowvista! At first glance, it may not be obvious how coordinating a high-energy skit or Night’s Doings correlates to...

The songs, stories, and lessons learned through American Youth Foundation programs are the throughline that connects generations of the Gehres family. Tony Gehres first experienced them as a Merrowvista camper...

The American Youth Foundation strives to create vibrant, expressive spaces for its camp communities, and this year, it bolstered those efforts through new artist-in-residence programs at Miniwanca and Merrowvista. Vice...

Miniwanca and the four-fold way of living were fundamental to Albie Bell and Katie Maus as teenagers attending and working at camp in the ’80s and ’90s. They passed these...

The American Youth Foundation kicked off its centennial year Tuesday, Jan. 28, when it opened registration for four celebratory events taking place at Miniwanca, Merrowvista, and in St. Louis. The...

The American Youth Foundation invites you to join us once again for a virtual experience that will bring intention to your new year, called the YearCompass. Originating over a decade...

Miniwanca and Merrowvista campers of the 1920s and 1930s would find some camp elements unrecognizable: cabins with screened windows, elaborate high ropes courses, a wild cardboard box race inspired by...

We are blown away by the overwhelming response to our Giving Tuesday challenge! Thanks to 229 generous donors, we soared past our previous Giving Tuesday records, raising $57,452 for AYF...

When we count down to the new year on Dec. 31, we aren’t just ringing in 2025. We are also kicking off a year of celebration as we welcome the...