Frequently Asked Questions

• Join us each month on Zoom for“Evening Reflections and Night’s Doings.
• We have offered several free online programs for campers and alumni and will continue to do so. Stay informed on all the latest with the AYF by following us on social media and signing up for the monthly Founder Sparks email newsletter.
• We also assume that our campers themselves will help to inform how we best do this by sharing what they’re most interested in. We look forward to hearing their voice and welcoming their creativity!

• Please click the “Submit a Suggestion” link at the end of this page to submit your ideas.

• Please encourage them to attend our staff facilitated conversation groups during our monthly online Night’s Doings and Evening Reflections.
• We encourage you and them to invite their camp friends to attend as well. This way, the conversations they’re having with their peers will be facilitated and we can work to help steer them in a healthy direction.
• Using these forums, we will also share resources and sources of inspiration and support to help us all learn how to navigate these unprecedented times.

• These are difficult times. This pandemic-induced program interruption has meant the elimination of nearly all program revenue for this year and, as a result, the loss of need for 12 beloved staff members’ positions. In addition to these layoffs, our Senior Leadership Team has also taken a reduction in pay.
• We are so grateful for the generosity of so many in our Founder Family. We also ask for your continued financial gifts to support our ongoing work, maintaining sites and systems to ensure our swift return to mission-supporting programs.

• Thank you so much for thinking of the AYF in these difficult times! There are several ways you can help. We will continue to offer fun, engaging, and creative virtual programs and welcome your feedback and input.
• When it is safe to do so, we will look to schedule work weekends and other community and volunteer events.
• We anticipate many volunteer opportunities that will be available when we open programs again at Miniwanca and Merrowvista. Please stay tuned for more information about Volunteer Weekends and opportunities to volunteer for programs such as summer camps and the National Leadership Conference.
• The AYF gladly welcomes a donation in support of our virtual programming efforts to continue supporting our mission of inspiring youth of all ages.

Recognizing the importance of giving people access to natural outdoor spaces, AYF has revisited our site usage policy. We have shifted our policy to make it possible for small groups of individuals to safely access the Miniwanca and Merrowvista grounds.

Important points:

• As we shape programming for next year our goal will be to meet as many needs as possible. We are going to be more flexible than ever in the hopes of honoring each camper’s progression through the camp program. We’ll be taking the coming months to define what this might look like and will be in touch as soon as we know more about next year’s programs.

• We hope that this will have very little impact! We plan to do exactly what was planned for 2020 in 2021 instead.
• NLC participants will stay with the same class and year that they were enrolled in for 2020. For example, if for this summer (2020) you were going to be a second year, you will still be a second year for the 2021 program. The plan is for each class together and for everyone to receive the full NLC experience.

• Right now, we are taking time to better understand how other camps operated this summer (with and without COVID-19 cases); how schools, colleges, and universities navigate this situation; and if an effective vaccine will be widely available by the 2021 camp season. While we gather this information, we are delaying the start of our typical enrollment period and will share our plan for the upcoming summer season in early 2021.

• We plan to honor your own progression and your trip group’s progression through the Four Trails program. We’ll be taking the coming months to define what this might look like and plan to reach out to individual program areas (Explorer, Adventurer, Voyageur, Odyssey, and Vista) when we know more about next year’s programs.

• We encourage you to stay connected with your trip group through the Miniwanca or Merrowvista online slack communities found via the Best Self Every Day section of the website. If you need help contacting specific individuals within your trip group, please reach out to us directly and we can help facilitate that connection.

• All refunds for summer 2020 programs have been issued. If you have questions, please contact a Director or Registrar.

• We appreciate the current challenges of planning for the future. At any point prior to February 1, 2021, AYF will fully refund you any funds that you are rolling forward. After February 1, 2021 AYF’s standard refund policy will apply.

•  In a typical October, we open our staff application process. Unfortunately, we cannot open staff applications on this same timeline this year. Fear not, though – we will open registration and staff applications in the months ahead!

• We appreciate that so many of you have offered to support.
• We will look to find ways to tap your capacities and share your gifts!