Just over a month ago, a new group of interns arrived at Camp Mini-Yo-We, ready to embark on a year of service and adventure. The 2024-25 team is already hard at work hosting schools, youth groups, and other retreats. But amidst the new faces, you’ll find some familiar ones too…
Meet Sam, Maren, and Bori—former interns from 2019-20 and 2022-23 who’ve returned from Germany to lend a hand during this busy season. What drew them back to Mini-Yo-We? Keep reading to find out!
More Than Just a Place: Mini-Yo-We Is Like Home For Us
When leaving Camp after our internships, we already knew we wanted to come back one day. But living on another continent makes spontaneous visits not exactly easy. We are beyond thankful to be back, and we are so excited to serve at Camp again. It’s amazing to see all the great people we’ve met during our times here and reconnect with friends.
We are so happy to see the full-staff members again, whether it’s running into someone in the kitchen, the workshop, the office or around Camp. Their servant hearts and commitment to the ministry here are very encouraging. They make such a great impact on the people around them. Reflecting back on the time we had as interns, they shaped us a lot in the way they serve, are intentional about relationships, and care for and love people.
Something we’re definitely missing is being here with our whole intern team, whom we lived, served, and made many unforgettable memories with. Community and fellowship with one another is a crucial component of the internship.
Returning to Camp brings back many good memories but, of course, some things have changed. We explored new and renovated buildings (new washrooms!), the entrance gate has been revamped, and even the garbage area has seen an upgrade.
Why We’re Volunteering
For us volunteering at Mini-Yo-We is a chance to:
Give back: After experiencing the transformative power of Camp, we’re eager to contribute and support the new generation of interns.
Reconnect: Camp friendships run deep, and this is a perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends and mentors.
Culture & travelling: Being able to travel to Canada and experience the Canadian culture is a special experience. We definitely missed maple syrup, a good pancake breakfast, and the endless woods and lakes—not to forget Dead Man’s Island!
More Than Just One Year: The Lasting Impact of the Internship
Beyond the fun and friendships, the Mini-Yo-We internship is a powerful experience that shapes lives long after the year of service ends. Here’s how it impacted us:
Personal growth: Stepping outside our comfort zones, far from home and familiar routines, helped us grow in confidence, leadership, and independence.
Faith development: The internship was important in the development of our faith. Far away from our homes, family and friends, and churches after finishing school, it was an interesting experience to be on your own. Camp was a close community where we could ask questions and take our own steps of faith.
Valuable skills: From communication and teamwork to practical hands-on skills, the internship equipped us with valuable tools for life. Hosting groups forced us to step out of our comfort zone and taught us how to deal with challenging situations.
A heart for service: The “leave it better than you found it” mentality instilled a lasting commitment to serving others and can be applied in countless situations in life. While working and living at Camp, we saw many good role models of how to genuinely serve other people and steward well.
A path forward: The internship was an important time for figuring out our goals in life. It was a time of transition, moving away from home, and standing on your own feet that gave us space and time to decide on a future profession. Even as we have ended up in a wide variety of degree programs (theology, agriculture, and teaching), we all benefited from the skills we acquired here.
Coming back makes one even more aware of what we got to experience for a whole year. Camp is a special place itself and it’s awesome to see how it changes people’s lives. It gives guest groups a great experience and an amazing time, even if they are only here for a couple of days.
We are very grateful to have had the privilege of getting to know and work with this great group of young leaders as they are doing an amazing job. We hope for a continued formative and influential year together as a team as well as personally!
Applications for the Mini-Yo-We Internship Are Open!
Do you know a young adult who would benefit from serving in intentional community at Mini-Yo-We like Sam, Maren, and Bori did? Our Year-Round Program Director, Jez Bell, would love to book an online chat or take potential interns on a tour of the property. Connect with him by email at jez@miniyowe.com or complete the online interest form on the Year-Round Internship web page.