Blog
Find out what's happening at AYF and our camps. You can also view blog posts for summer camp by using the links below:
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March 23, 2021
Staff Spotlight: Lisa Boucher
If you’re a Merrowvista camper parent, you’ve probably had a conversation or two with Lisa Boucher. Boucher started at Merrowvista in 1996 as a receptionist, …
February 25, 2021
Conversation Circles Invite Challenge and Growth
Five Saturdays beginning March 13, 2021 Beginning this spring, AYF’s Summer Seminars for Women will offer a series of small group conversation circles. Using The …
February 25, 2021
Now Hiring 2021 Summer Staff
As the American Youth Foundation prepares for summer 2021, the program and operations teams are eager to fill 200 seasonal staff jobs at Merrowvista and …
January 20, 2021
Help us create Wayfinder 2021
In January, we announced dates and changes to our summer 2021 program offerings. Unfortunately, guidance regarding COVID-19 means we cannot offer our off-site Four Trails programs …
January 20, 2021
Navigate your 2021 with YearCompass
We invite you to join us for a virtual experience that will bring intention to your new year, called the YearCompass. Originating over a decade ago …
December 15, 2020
2020 is a year of renovation at Miniwanca, Merrowvista
Though the AYF wasn’t able to welcome campers this summer, Miniwanca and Merrowvista were still abuzz this year with the whirring of power tools and …
December 15, 2020
Enkindled Spirits: Kate Hampson
Eight-year-old Kate Hampson had returned home to River Forest, Illinois after her first summer at Miniwanca in 2013. Almost every day, she watched a group …
December 15, 2020
Enkindled Spirits: Taylor Eldridge
Since the summer she spent on the sand dunes of Miniwanca in 2013, Taylor Eldridge has become an investigative journalist who has written award-winning work …
December 15, 2020
Partnering for social justice
by Dana Rieck As Black Lives Matter protesters took to the streets across the country after the death of George Floyd, the American Youth Foundation …
December 14, 2020
Important update about NLC 2021
Dear NLC staff, participants, and families, I hope this finds you well despite the very real challenges posed by the pandemic. If only COVID-19 were …
December 14, 2020
Learn more about summer 2021 at Miniwanca and Merrowvista
After careful assessment, the American Youth Foundation Board and staff feel we can offer safe, mission-supporting programs at Miniwanca and Merrowvista in summer 2021. It …
December 4, 2020
Connecting across the miles, across the generations
by Liz Marshall As the pandemic rocked the country in spring 2020, American Youth Foundation alumni sought connection and community with their Founder Family despite …