Reflection Questions:

1. How do your personal values and beliefs align with the American Youth Foundation's?

2. How do you hope to use your role as summer staff to empower youth?

3. How do you plan to make sure everyone feels included in our summer camp community?

The closest town with common amenities (Wal-Mart, restaurants, fast food, etc.) is Whitehall, Michigan which is about 20 minutes south of camp. A little further south is the city of Muskegon, which has more chain businesses (Target, Meijer, Chipotle, etc.). Muskegon is about 35 minutes from camp. Another option is to head north to Ludington, which is about 40 minutes from camp and also has businesses such as Wal-Mart, Meijer, restaurants, etc. These are the most popular places staff will go on their day off to explore, eat, and shop. We have curated a small list of recommended attractions closest to camp- view that here: Recommended Attractions.

There are also many quaint small towns that come alive in the summer. Pentwater and Silver Lake are popular destinations within 30 minutes of camp that have shopping, restaurants, and outdoor activities. Grand Haven is about 45 minutes from camp as well.

If you are interested in seeing more of the most popular spots in Michigan, camp is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Grand Rapids, 1-1.5 hours to the towns of Holland and Saugatuck, 2 hours and 15 minutes from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and 2.5 hours from Traverse City. 

Staff are permitted to have a car on site to get around. If you do not have a car, carpooling is common. Additionally, if you need to get to a store, bank, etc. on your day off and do not have a car we can sometimes provide a camp vehicle for you to use, depending on what camper travel is happening that day. Just check in with our Office Manager, Sydney, to make arrangements.

WEATHER

Weather at Camp Miniwanca is beautiful! The average daily temperatures are in the high 70's (Farenheit), and we usually have a slight breeze coming off the lake so it doesn't get too too hot. Of course, we can have hotter days but we manage this at camp with lots of water, gatorade, and plenty of shady trees. It is more likely to have a cooler or rainy day. At night, the temperatures can drop into the low 60's (Farenheit). It is important that you pack layers to stay comfortable at camp! We recommend mostly t-shirts or tank tops and shorts, but bring 1-2 sweatshirts, pants, and warm socks as well as a rain jacket. Many of our activities at camp require closed-toe shoes (Crocs do not count), but otherwise in camp staff often wear hiking sandals like Chacos or Tevas. For sleeping you will want a nice warm sleeping bag or multiple blankets to layer on if you are cold. We have a staff packing list for in camp staff as well as for Four Trails staff, who will have additional weather to plan for depending on the location of your trip. 

ACCOMMODATIONS

Here is what living at camp will feel like! If you are a cabin or trip leader, you will be living in a cabin with 4-8 campers. Our cabins are rustic with no electricity- there are typically 3 bunk beds and a single bed in each cabin. Some of our newer duplex cabins have 4 bunk beds on a side, with a separate staff sleeping space in between the two sides that houses 2 staff members. All cabins have a nearby bathhouse, which is set up like a college dorm. Individual shower stalls are on one side, toilet stalls are on the other side, and about 4 sinks are shared in the middle. We have built-in shelves with milk crate cubbies for each cabin, so you can leave toiletries in the bathhouse if you prefer.

Other staff will stay in a cabin with other staff members, a dorm room in either Compton or Seay (pronounced like sea) building, or a room in one of our cottages. Dorm rooms typically have 2 beds and 2 dressers with shared bathroom spaces. Some bathrooms are similar to a dorm-style bathroom with multiple stalls, and others are individual bathroom spaces for people to take turns. Cottages have multiple bedrooms and shared bathroom spaces, more like living in an apartment with roommates.

FOOD

Please make sure you have updated any dietary preferences/requirements to your campbrain portal! 

We can accommodate gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and dairy-free diets... as long as we know you need them!

We serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. We also have an afternoon snack time that is usually easy snacks like goldfish or animal crackers. 

We have a fruit and sandwich bar that is open all day for campers and staff to grab something else to eat.

At breakfast, we have our meal plus a "cereal bar" with different cereals, yogurts, granola, oatmeal, etc. 

At lunch and dinner, we have a salad bar with each meal.

Here is a link to our most current menu for this summer. This menu is subject to change.

MENU

SNACKS

Staff are allowed to have personal snacks on site, but they must be kept in the staff lounges only. You will have a designated cubby for your things. Do not keep snacks in your cabins, as they attract mice and other pests. We also do not want campers gaining access to outside snacks due to dietary restrictions and allergies.

We are a nut-aware facility, so please do not bring any snacks to camp that contain nuts (including peanut butter). This includes any snacks kept in staff lounges- no nuts on site, period.