Where College Meets Camp

Known for its beautiful sunsets and starry expanses, YMCA Camp Northern Lights has new accolades to celebrate: It’s the site of an award-winning film.  

Also: camp is the host site for a groundbreaking Outdoor and Environmental Leadership program out 
of North Hennepin Community College.

Put differently, camp has now become college. 

In the beginning

“When I’m in nature I feel happy, I feel alive, I feel safe. I feel like my spirit is rejuvenated. And I see that with my students too — when they’re out in 
the forest.”  

These words from Ana Munro, current Northern Lights board member, reflect her deep connection to the outdoors, a passion rooted in her own experiences of camping and exploring the outdoors while growing up. Now, as an educator, she is dedicated to sharing that passion with her students, inspiring them to embrace the transformative power of connecting with and learning from nature.

In 2021, at the height of the pandemic, Ana was exploring ways to bridge the gap between college classes, experiential learning, and connecting college students with careers in the outdoors. She needed a host site for an outdoor classroom and to make her vision become a reality. YMCA of the North hosted an online training about increasing access that Ana attended, and at the end of that Zoom call, she asked if any of the camps were interested in partnering. Dan O’Brien of Camp Northern Lights said, “We are!” 

From brainstorm to partnership

A year of planning between Ana, Northern Lights, and other partners, including Three Rivers Park District, eventually led to the creation of the Global and Cultural Studies Environmental Justice and Nature Immersion program, a collaboration between Camp Northern Lights and a variety of partners, led by North Hennepin Community College and including governmental agencies, Ely-area nonprofits, and five Twin Cities-area school districts.  

“This partnership is such a natural fit because the goals of this class align so much with the mission of Camp Northern Lights,” said camp Executive Director Dan O’Brien. “Creating belonging and connection to each other and to the outdoors will always be our intention. The impact the students, volunteers and faculty have had on Camp Northern Lights will continue to have a lasting impact for years to come.”

The program brings 40 college and high school students from the Minneapolis area to Camp Northern Lights as part of an annual eight-week, four-credit college course.

Ana shares that it was designed to “engage young people, with a focus on under-represented students, in a wilderness setting for five days of hands-on, immersive learning in and from nature, from each other, from program staff, and from local community elders and activists.”

Throughout the program, there is a strong emphasis on educating participants about contemporary environmental issues. The program also intentionally connects students with mentors who are working for outdoor organizations, so that students can learn about internship and career opportunities from experts.

Then, award-winning films

In 2023 and 2024 documentary films were created by Danami-Maurice Champion of BairStories about this one-of-a-kind program and its class offerings.

In “Where Paths Meet”, the introduction begins with, “From different schools, beliefs and backgrounds, into the forest and waters, a journey northbound. For some, this class is a chance to explore leadership and for others, the chance to immerse in nature.”

The film goes on to show students bird watching, fishing, canoeing, mountain biking, hanging out and team building at camp, reflecting, and becoming closer friends.  

Miriam, a student from the program, is featured as she learns to cast and fish. She excitedly shares onscreen, “I never thought I’d catch a fish, ever in my life. That was my first time catching a fish. I was screaming, ‘It’s a fish! It’s a fish!’ ”  

The first film, “Belonging”, begins with Ana stating, The first film, Belonging, showcases how providing the opportunity for wider audiences to access the outdoors can open new pathways for lifelong learning and enjoyment. One student says, “I feel like I belong in nature now. I feel peaceful here.”

“Belonging” won “Best Regional Film” at the 2023 Ely International Film Festival, and the program won the 2023 Minnesota Environmental Initiative Innovation Award. And in 2024, Ana was awarded the Minnesota Environmental Education Association’s Environmental Educator of the Year. But for Ana, the most valuable reward has been watching students grow and gain additional opportunities. Students from the program have now presented at several national and international conferences about their experiences at Camp Northern Lights, as well as travelled to Washington DC with Save The Boundary Waters to advocate at the country’s capitol.  

At the end of a class, one of her students shared, “I feel like I have a sense of purpose.” For Ana, these types of accomplishments are the most meaningful, as she continues to build what has now become an official two-year degree program in Outdoor and Environmental Leadership. 
 

Leaving their mark

In 2024, students of the program worked together with DNR fisheries staff and artist Hannah Anema to paint a mural inside the Trail Center at Northern Lights. Students shared their first outdoor experience with Hannah, who created a design concept incorporating pieces of everyone’s memories.  

Last year, students also created an on-site pollinator garden with Ojibwe elder Robert Shimek. Ana got teary when she described how Dan O’Brien, executive director at Northern Lights, told her he had a great location in mind — where Orion used to be. “It was beautiful to see the contrast between the wreckage and the new growth,” she shared.  

“If we want to be serious about protecting natural resources,” she states, “we need everyone to experience them. Because you protect what you love.”