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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Camp Miniwanca staff and student look at Lake Michigan from top of dune- photo courtesy Dan Terpstra-min

December 9, 2016

A World of Good

With the holiday season upon us, the AYF has so much gratitude for all of the ways in which the members of our community make …

Camp Merrowvista snowy winter council circle

November 22, 2016

The Light of the Fire

By Kris Light Every campfire has a purpose. It has been an essential part of our story as a species; a thing that once adopted …

Miniwanca students climbs wall (cover)

October 26, 2016

Getting in a Growth Mindset

By Anthony Marvullo This past January, Professor Carol Dweck saw her scholarly work get away from her, so she wrote a clarification in the Harvard …

Music makers in Boys Camp

October 7, 2016

Reasons Teens Should Go To Camp

By Will Shelton A few days ago, we stumbled across this article, and I was very eager to read it. We love to have teens …

Merrowvista school group embraces on mountain

September 28, 2016

Merrowvista: The Experience of a Lifetime

By Hawa (Codman ’16) Codman’s trip to Merrowvista is like being thrown into a pool of vulnerability and forced to swim out safely and stronger. …

Miniwanca early bird summer campers cheer during steal the bacon

September 27, 2016

Early Bird Excitement

In mid-August, the year-round summer camp teams at Merrowvista and Miniwanca each shared in countless hugs, tidied up, and waved as several hundred summer staff …

American Youth Foundation founder medals in bowl

September 15, 2016

Living the AYF Mission: Survey

We want to hear from you! If you have experienced an AYF program, directly or indirectly, we invite you to complete this survey in order to …

Pipers at the High Ropes Challenge Course for Adventure Day

September 12, 2016

The Value of Grit

By Anthony Marvullo Recent conversations on youth development and student success focus on resilience, sometimes called grit. In Paul Tough’s 2012 book How Children Succeed, …

August 19, 2016

Away in a Bahn

By Eva Bednar Last Friday night, a small, old barn in the Ossipee Mountains sat aglow on a hilltop in the Canaan Valley. This barn (or …

August 11, 2016

Growing Up Camp

Last weekend I dropped my oldest son, Sam, off for college. It was an emotion filled day – mostly feelings of pride and excitement. Occasionally …

August 11, 2016

More Four Fold Tournament Week and a Four Trails Homecoming

Greetings once again from the shores of Dan Hole Pond! Life at Merrowvista has been an exciting affair as the days fly by in this …

August 11, 2016

Merrowvista Four Trails update August 10, 2016

It was a triumphant day in the Canaan Valley! At long last our far flung villages have finally all made their way back. All Explorer …

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