YouthCARE’s Camp Sunrise is a year-round outdoor education program focused on bringing together Minneapolis and Saint Paul youth, 13-18 years old, from diverse ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds to live and work in an outdoor community. Since 1974, Camp Sunrise has been providing urban youth the opportunity to experience a residential wilderness camp at no cost, including transportation and any equipment to participate in camp activities. Camp Sunrise is located an hour north of the Twin Cities near Rush City, MN, on the St. Croix National Scenic River.
Sessions at camp range from one week (Saturday-Friday) to two weeks long for veteran campers. A typical week consists of a three-day canoe trip, an overnight trip to a state park, culture night, skit night, environmental education and a variety of service learning projects. Registration is on a first come basis with space reserved for youth involved with Step Up in Minneapolis. Youth involved in these programs have the opportunity to earn a portion of their pay while at Camp Sunrise. Applications are available in April at YouthCAREmn.org or the YouthCARE office at 612-338-1233.