The Why Story at Y(MCA) Camp

We come to these pages to celebrate the achievements of kids and teens, and to remember the camp tales of yesterday, sharing and cherishing the memories we hold dear. 

However, this one – this story is a shout-out to the grown-ups who continue to come to camp with a hunger for adventure, opportunity, and self-development. At the YMCA of the North Camps, adventure awaits attendees of all ages, throughout all seasons (and some of these camp sessions are truly iconic, like the Camp Warren ice hockey opportunity!). 

More specifically, at the YMCA Family Camps, du Nord and Northern Lights, special intentionality is built into the schedule to ensure that adult campers can maximize their visit, while we tend to the needs and interests of their family members. While their kids and teens participate in programming tailored to their age and hobbies, adults are offered a range of activities (including the option to do nothing) that allow them to explore their pursuits and connect with other adults.

Something magical lives in the downtime for these adult campers. With few distractions and fewer responsibilities, adult campers find themselves reconnecting with old hobbies and interests, and getting curious about activities they may have never been exposed to had it not been for camp. 

What follows is a reflection on one camper’s experience, highlighting the beautiful potential living inside camp-made opportunities to stay curious and connect with your authentic self.  

Kevin Strauss, a YMCA Camp Northern Lights regular since that inaugural summer session, is an adult camper who has fully embraced the time away to slow down and savor peace at camp. On his annual trip, you can find Kevin in the Family Art Barn, relaxing with his wife Andrea and daughter Annie at “the best campsite at camp — Bass”, or enjoying dinner with his other daughter Sarah (who has served on staff since 2023). 

Although there are many to choose from, the activity that Kevin looks forward to most during his stay is the weekly Talent Share event. With each visit to camp, Kevin taps into his love of storytelling and shares a unique tale at this special gathering, oftentimes about the wonderful world of nature.

Love What You Do, Do What You Love

Storytelling became a hobby that Kevin pursued after college. One of Kevin’s first jobs was working at an outdoor education center in the late 1980s. There, he attended a storytelling workshop that “lit a fire” under him. He enjoyed telling stories and using them to illustrate the concepts he was teaching. 

A “why” story is a type of folktale that narrates and explains the origin of something, often in the natural world. The idea of using stories to connect people with ecology and animals was fascinating to Kevin. He sought out stories that helped him teach, but often, they didn’t quite work. And so he began writing his own stories based on the lessons he wanted to teach. 

Since then, Kevin has written six books, including his original stories and instructional books on storytelling. He has also taught outdoor education, led storytelling retreats, and led programs for the International Wolf Center. 

When Kevin and his family moved to Ely in 1998, he started leading storytelling retreats at a resort called Northern Lights Lodge.  He also did performances at a resort called Timberwolf Lodge. Years later, those two resorts were both sold and combined to become YMCA Camp Northern Lights. 

A Hope to Inspire

Kevin believes that anyone can learn the art of storytelling. The key is to find a story that someone can relate to and connect with, so that they can practice it repeatedly. He described it by saying, “When you tell a story out loud, you bring it to life. Each time you tell a story, it is slightly different, and you have to tell it multiple times before a story is ready.”

“It’s not about memorizing the text of a story, because if you do that and get interrupted, you could lose the whole thing. Storytellers remember a story through images in their head. I think of four pictures — the story’s beginning, end, and middle parts. When you tell a story, you describe what is happening in the boxes. A well-told story can transport your listeners to another place and time.”

He went on to describe that telling stories out loud gives the storyteller flexibility to adjust the story to the audience. If the audience isn’t connecting, consider shortening the story. Depending on your location, you can add details to the story that fit your surroundings. “No story works for every audience. And every time I tell a story, you will notice it is a little different than the time before.”

“The key to being a good storyteller is to start with a story you like. If you like a story, you can project that enthusiasm to your audience.”

Because of his love of the outdoors, creating stories inspired by his time in nature, and sharing other writers’ stories about adventures brings him great joy, especially in a camp setting, where storytelling and story sharing are as integral to the experience as campfires and canoes. 

During his most recent trip to camp Northern Lights in 2025, Kevin told a story that captivated every person in attendance at Talent Share Night. It is a beautiful story that imagines how the world around us came to be, in a very North-woodsy style. While the story in print is no comparison to an orator’s delivery, here is a paraphrased version of Kevin’s tale:

“How the Animals Got Their Colors” by Kevin Strauss

Long ago, before people walked the earth, every animal in the world was white. 

But one day, Beaver decided he wanted to be something different. He started talking to the other animals, and soon, every animal in the forest wanted to be a color. 

Eagle said, “I have seen colors we could use, way up in the sky. After it rains, huge bands of color stretch from one end of the sky to the other. We could fly up there and get those colors.”

Beaver spoke up and suggested that “if I find an aspen tree tall enough, and line it up just right, I could make it fall on the band of colors and knock them to the ground.”

The animals liked that plan. 

Finally, one morning, it rained, and then the clouds broke apart. Even though it was still raining, the sun shone through. As Eagle had said, the band of color stretched across the sky. 

Beaver found a big tree that reached all the way to the sky. He lined it up with the rainbow and started chewing. Soon, the tree cracked and crashed into the rainbow, breaking into a million pieces. As the colors rained down from the sky, the animals flew, hopped, or ran toward them.

The birds got to the colors first — the goldfinch grabbed yellow, the jay painted himself blue, and the cardinal splashed red. But it was only the male birds because it was spring, and all the female birds were busy sitting on their eggs in the nest. 

Later in the day, the male birds returned to their nests, but by that time, most of the colors had been taken, so the female birds had to settle for just speckles of color. When the disappointed females returned to their nests, the male birds hugged them, and some of their bright colors rubbed off onto the females.

Some animals lived far up north and didn’t hear about the plan, which is why Arctic Foxes and Polar Bears are still white. 

Forever a Reliable Retreat

We often hear from our young alumni about how their time at camp shaped their professional pursuits as they transitioned to college and beyond after those formative years with our teams. However, our adult campers are reaching out these days to share a similar story, but one that reads a bit more like a homecoming. A homecoming to nature. A homecoming to simple silence. And a homecoming to self, where limitless potential to tap into joy is within reach. 

While much of the world is rapidly changing around us, there is something predictable and meaningful about the way the YMCA of the North camps bring people back to self-discovery. From seven to seventy-seven, campers of all ages return to camp to return to many things, and for Kevin, with each passing summer and his return to Camp Northern Lights, his homecoming is an affirmation to continue to pursue the interests that have always been a spark of joy in his life.

For more information about Kevin and his storytelling work, visit https://naturestory.com/