Camp Sunrise is:
• A multicultural residential
summer camping program.
• Offered FREE of charge - full scholarships are provided!
• Open to youth ages 13-18 who live in Minneapolis or St. Paul.
• Located 1 hour north of the Twin Cities and full transportation
is provided!
Space is limited, so apply early.
Click here for more details
How to apply:
To apply to be a camper at Camp Sunrise, print and complete the
2008
Camp Sunrise Application form and mail or fax the completed
form to the YouthCARE office. For more Camp Sunrise camper information,
Click
Here. You can have an application sent to you by calling
Camp Recruiters at 612/338-1233 ext.11 or sabraham@YouthCAREmn.org.
Questions? Please contact the Camp Recruiters at 612/338-1233 ext.
11.
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-2007 Camp Sunrise Adult Staff-
Mission and Description
Camp Sunrise is a year round youth development
program focused on bringing together youth and adults from diverse
backgrounds to live and work in an outdoor multicultural environment.
The camp was established in 1974 by Xcel Energy and the Minneapolis
and St. Paul Summer Youth Employment Programs. Camp Sunrise is located
on the St. Croix River, 60 miles north of the Twin Cities, near
Rush City, MN. Annually, 300-350 youth, 13-18 years old, are involved
in Camp Sunrise summer and school year programs. Camp Sunrise has
received numerous awards and recognition's including the 2000 Nonprofit
Mission Award for Anti-Racism Initiative from the Minnesota Council
of Nonprofits and the Eleanor P. Eells Award from the Fund for the
Advancement of Camping.
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Demographic Information
Youth Involved:
Camp Sunrise serves youth, 13-18 years old, from diverse ethnic
and cultural backgrounds, who face social or economic barriers.
During the 2005-06 program year, 91% of the 282 youth involved were
youth of color. A key focus of the Camp Sunrise Summer Program is
to serve youth enrolled in the summer youth employment programs
operated by the Minneapolis and St. Paul Summer Youth Employment
Programs.
Geographic Area Served:
Camp Sunrise serves youth, 13-18 years old, who live in Minneapolis
or St. Paul
Ethnic & Cultural Diversity:
More than 90% of Camp Sunrise participants are youth of color. Participants
come from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds (African American,
Southeast Asian, European American, Chicano/Latino, Native American,
and African).
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Specific Activities
Camp Sunrise Summer Program: A ten-week residential summer camp
for 225-250 urban youth, 13-18 years old. Youth participate in one
week sessions (Crew Week), two week sessions (Veteran Crew) or a
10 week Leadership Training Program (Junior Counselors and Counselors
in Training). Activities include teambuilding and intercultural
experiences, canoeing, outdoor and environmental education, and
service projects that help preserve the St. Croix Scenic Riverway.
Weekend Camping Trips: 7 Weekend Camping Trips are
conducted at Camp Sunrise from October - March, and bring together
8-12 youth per trip, a total of 60-70 youth each year. Activities
include teambuilding, cultural and environmental education workshops,
community service projects and outdoor activities such as hiking,
cross-country skiing and snow shoeing. Campers also take field trips
to Wild River State Park and Interstate State Park.
SAFARIs in the City: 6 SAFARI in the City activities
are conducted from October through March, and bring together 8-10
youth per activity, a total of 50-60 youth each year. SAFARIs are
designed to foster an appreciation for the outdoors by introducing
youth to the wide variety of outdoor activities that are available
to them in and around the Twin Cities metro area. Activities include
teambuilding, rock climbing, mountain biking, rollerblading, ice-skating
and broomball.
Community Camps: YouthCARE works with urban based,
nonprofit organizations to provide opportunities for the youth and
adults that they serve to have access to the outdoors during the
summer and during the school year. Organizations include Hmong American
Partnership (HAP), Chicanos Latinos Unidos En Servicio (CLUES),
and the Institute for Education and Advocacy. Activities include
teambuilding, canoeing, environmental education, weekend camping
and youth leadership retreats.
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Key Program Strategies
- Promote long term connections with the program by providing
opportunities for youth to move into significant leadership roles
within the Camp Sunrise Summer Program. This includes campers returning
to Camp Sunrise as (two-week) veteran campers and veteran campers
returning to Camp Sunrise as Junior Counselors and Counselors in
Training, and JCs and CITs returning to Camp Sunrise as adult staff.
- Promote a sense of ownership in the campers by providing campers
with opportunities to make decisions about their experience at Camp
Sunrise and involving campers in the day-to-day operation of the
camp. This includes giving campers opportunities to make decisions
about the activities they will participate in at camp and involving
campers in the "work" aspects of the program such as washing
dishes and service projects that benefit camp or its partners.
- Help make campers from diverse backgrounds and cultures feel more
comfortable at camp by recruiting and employing adult and junior
staff members that represent the ethnic and cultural backgrounds
of the campers.
- Promote cultural understanding and appreciation, and respect for
others, by bringing together youth and adults from diverse ethnic
and cultural backgrounds to live and work together in an outdoor
environment in a positive manner.
Key Program Partners
- Xcel Energy
- Minneapolis Employment and Training Program
- HIRED
- National Park Service, St. Croix Scenic Riverway
- Minnesota Wild River State Park
- Tree Trust
- General Mills
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