Help us raise money

Mission: Y Adventure creates experiences that build confidence and community.
Commitment: We are committed to creating inclusive, accessible spaces that acknowledge shared history and nurture diverse communities.
Core Values: Caring, Equity, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility

Why We Run: To advance our equity in the outdoors efforts, creating spaces of belonging in the outdoors for all. The funds will be used on initiatives related to equity and other training and development opportunities that support our team in delivering safe, high-quality experiences for all of our participants.

Y Adventure runners are asked to commit to fundraising  raising a minimum of $500 towards a team goal of $25,000 (after entry and charity fees are paid). 

Y Adventure is a team within YMCA of the North, the third largest Y Association in the United States, and fifth largest in the world.

The Y Adventure team operates the largest cohort of camps in the world, at 17 different sites*, spread out across Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. 

Our camping programs include Day Camps, Overnight Camps, Wilderness Camps, and Family Camps. Usually, the thought is that camps are just summer sites and programs. Y Adventure programs and camps run 365 days a year, and provide programming specific to each season.

Y Adventure programming includes, but isn’t limited to: canoeing, backpacking, rock climbing, dog sledding, maple syrup harvesting and making, school group trips, challenge courses, youth triathalons, adventure races, scavenger hunts, cross country skiing, retreats, outdoor learning and education, and more!

In 2024, Y Adventure served over 85,000 people, coming to our programming from the Twin Cities area, all around Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, as well as from many regions around the United States, and even globally.

Y Adventure is fortunate to have many community partners, including schools, youth-serving non-profits, and environmental and conservation-based non-profits.

Y Adventure is looking to help bridge the Adventure Gap, a concept coined by James Edward Mills, through our programming. The Adventure Gap is the underrepresentation of non-white folks in outdoor recreation, due to historic marginalization, lack of representation, and barriers to access.

Current equity and belonging initiatives include, but are not limited to: training and continued learning regarding equitable and socially-emotionally responsive risk and behavior management, Indigenous action and reconciliation work, the re-writing of outdoor learning program curriculum to include broader historical narratives, and building and site modifications to support inclusive spaces and increased access. 

*Y Adventure Camps and Programs: Adventure in the Neighborhood, Adventure Lab, Camp du Nord, Camp Icaghowan, Camp Ihduhapi, Camp Menogyn, Camp Northern Lights, Camp St. Croix, Camp Warren, Camp Widjiwagan, Day Camp Christmas Tree, Day Camp Gathering Pines, Day Camp Heritage, Day Camp Ihduhapi, Day Camp Manitou, Day Camp Oxbow, Day Camp Spring Lake, Day Camp Streefland, Day Croix

Team members