Register Today

Merrowvista Community and School Programs provide growth opportunities to thousands of kids and teens, but there’s another key group that benefits, too. The dedicated internship cohorts who develop and run these programs each year hone professional skills and create lifelong bonds in the pristine New Hampshire wilderness.

Former American Youth Foundation President Anna Kay Vorsteg first established the internship program in the 1990s, envisioning a months-long experience for young adults to work in youth education while developing their interpersonal skills.

“It’s a really great opportunity for these young adults who are just getting out of college, who are unsure of what they want to do next, to come and learn these skills,” said Dayna Vuksinick, Merrowvista Director of Community and Schools Programs.

The pandemic shifted the internship program for a few years. Vuksinick said staffing shortages post-COVID limited its structure and activities, and it was a challenge to balance intern growth opportunities with workload to avoid burnout.

This fall, Merrowvista returned to the internship’s original iteration: a two-part program with the same cohort. Each group has about six to 10 interns, who must be at least 21 or a senior in college. This year, Merrowvista has eight fall interns and two lead facilitators, who are previous interns, to help train and coordinate programming.

The fall portion of the internship typically lasts about 12 weeks, starting right after summer camp and running through November. The interns can opt to return in the spring to work CSP from February to May.

Up to 2,000 students come through Merrowvista CSP every year. The interns do everything from connecting with schools and clients to creating programming and working in the kitchen to cleaning the site between groups.

Vuksinick said after COVID, CSP shifted to focus on students’ social and emotional learning, as well as developing their leadership and communication skills. She said the interns are encouraged to be creative and put their own unique stamp on the activities, rather than just following a strict curriculum.

“At the end of the season, they have this sense of ownership over the entire space,” Vuksinick said.

In the spring, they also work on a special project when kids aren’t on site. In 2019, Vuksinick said the interns worked with a nonprofit to create a more robust composting system for Merrowvista and then created programming for kids to learn about composting.

“These projects are their chance to leave their mark on Merrowvista,” she said. “The idea is to build something that can better the camp.”

The connections made during the internship create lasting personal and professional bonds.

Matt Loper, former AYF Director of Programs, said his 2007-2008 intern cohort remains close. They attend each other’s weddings, celebrate the birth of their children, and this year grieved together when one of them passed away. He said the program is set up to create an “incredible group identity formation process.”

“It was probably the best year of my life,” he said. “We really bonded. We were forged in the fire of these intense days together.”

Like Loper, some Merrowvista interns go on to full-time work with the AYF. Former Merrowvista Camp Director Lauren Abrami, Miniwanca Boys Camp Director Tiwi Freeman, and Vice President of Strategic Programs Kris Light are also former Merrowvista interns.

A more recent intern, Hannah Harris, has been a part of the Merrowvista community since she was a baby; both her parents were educators. Her 10-person intern cohort began in fall 2019 but was interrupted in spring when the pandemic shut down normal operations.

She still considers her fellow interns close friends. “The early spring was so awesome,” she said. “We were really thrilled to be reunited when we came back to program.”

While interns get the chance to work with kids, Harris said the program’s other significant appeal is that it acts as an accelerated course for college grads to learn skills they wouldn’t necessarily learn in a traditional office setting, particularly social-emotional intelligence skills.

“Your people skills are really what grow the most,” she said. “You get to essentially play for your job, which is so lucky, but it’s tough, too, and there’s a lot to navigate socially with that.”

Loper agreed. “You’re learning skills that you’re putting into practice day after day after day — and you’re getting the chance to learn your own specific approach, your style,” he said.

For more information about the 2025 Merrowvista internship experience, email Vuksinick at dvuksinick@ayf.com.