S.T.E.P.S.: Supporting the Transformation of Equity and Power in Outdoor Spaces

Updated goal: $10,000 by September 5th, 2022!

The mission of YMCA Camp Northern Lights is to nurture our need for belonging and connection, to each other and to the outdoors.  Camp Northern Lights is situated on Bear Island Lake near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and offers year-round program and getaway opportunities, including 3 day and full week family camp sessions all summer long.

The Camp Northern Lights S.T.E.P.S. Program aims to grow a culture of universal belonging at camp.  We do this intentionally by:

• Reserving space for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ families during summer family camp.  Four separate sessions are designed so that 50% or more of family campers that session identify as BIPOC (3 sessions) or LGBTQ+ (1 session) families.  A total of 48 cabin and camp sites are reserved for S.T.E.P.S. families during the summer.

• Reserving space for BIPOC teens within the Leadership Development program, which operates during family camp to provide teens the opportunity to expand their leadership skills in a camp environment.

• Offering tiered pricing and full scholarships for S.T.E.P.S. participating families to remove financial barriers to attending family camp.

• Actively engaging in program development and staff training to promote equity and inclusion.

Donations to the Camp Northern Lights S.T.E.P.S. Program will help fund:

• Cabin and campsite reservations offered to S.T.E.P.S. participating families at reduced prices, using a tiered-pricing system, including 100% scholarships.

• Leadership Development Program registrations offered to BIPOC teens at no cost.

• Stipends offered to S.T.E.P.S. participating families to access fee based activities during their family camp session.

• Summer wages for an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Coordinator at camp.

What difference does a donation to the S.T.E.P.S. Program make?:

• In the years 2021 and 2022, the S.T.E.P.S. Program welcomed 82 BIPOC and LGBTQ+ families to Camp Northern Lights during a session in which they were one of many families who identified either as BIPOC or LGBTQ+.

• According to an evaluation of the program done by Arcadia Research and Evaluation in 2021, “several parents expressed deep appreciation with the anonymity created by not being the only family of color at camp. One parent commented “it’s really nice to not have our youngest especially be called unique or special because she’s other.” Another aspect parents discussed was their desire to reclaim experiences for their children that have often been labeled as ‘white’ by society, including at times their own communities, as fun things they can enjoy.”

• Having the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Coordinator position allows the S.T.E.P.S. Program to be properly supported throughout the course of the summer, allows S.T.E.P.S. participating families to have a point person for their questions about camp, allows greater coordination of staff education, enrichment, and service opportunities, allows summer staff to be supported in participation of equity work, and allows a greater level of effort in improving camp programs and systems to become more equitable and inclusive.

S.T.E.P.S. as a Stepping Stone:

• Through a 2021 S.T.E.P.S. participant, Camp Northern Lights made a connection with North Hennepin Community College, and is partnering to host students for five days during their course titled “Environmental Justice and Nature Immersion” in the fall of 2022.

• We invite all families participating in S.T.E.P.S. to return to camp for another summer session through the S.T.E.P.S. program, and then once they’ve experienced two S.T.E.P.S. sessions, we support families to return to camp through the lottery process and to participate in camp outside of designated S.T.E.P.S. sessions. We hope that this will slowly make all sessions of family camp more equitable and inclusive.

Visit our website for more information: https://www.ymcanorth.org/camps/camp_northern_lights/summer/taking_steps

Visit our Facebook page to follow our fundraising campaign: 

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