Taking STEPS

The Taking STEPS initiative aims to provide wider audiences the opportunity to experience community in a family camp setting.

Summer 2026

Registration Timeline

• Monday, January 5 – Friday, January 23, 2026 / STEPS Registration for the Lottery is open 
• Wednesday, February 4 – Thursday, February 5, 2026 / STEPS Lottery

Registration for STEPS begins with registration for the STEPS lottery. Then, during the lottery, you will register for a cabin and session for the summer. The lottery process gives each family an equal opportunity to register for a designated STEPS cabin. Online registration for the lottery is free of cost. Each family will register as a household. When a household registers for the lottery, they are randomly assigned to a registration wave. Wave assignments will be sent the week prior to the lottery. Participating households will register online using that link. Families interested in being a part of the general Family Camp Lottery can also learn more here.

2026 Session Dates

Camp Northern Lights Session Dates

For more information about programming during STEPS sessions, contact Jenessa Carlisle at jenessa.carlisle@ymcanorth.org.

6-Night sessions run Sunday to Saturday:

• Session 3: June 21 – 27 *BIPOC STEPS
• Session 8: July 19 – 25 *LGBTQ+ STEPS
• Session 10: Aug 2 – 8 *BIPOC STEPS

3-Night sessions:

• Session 6: July 8 – 11 *BIPOC STEPS

Camp du Nord Session Dates

• Please check back.

Pricing

Cost of S.T.E.P.S Sessions

We use a tiered pricing system for STEPS registration. This means you can choose from a range of tiers and opt in to pay the amount for your cabin/site that best accommodates your family, no questions asked.

The tiers range from $100 to full price for each cabin/site. The registration tier you select will directly support another STEPS family.

Payment Schedule

During the registration process you have will have two options once you select the tier.

1. You can choose to pay the full amount.
2. You can choose to have four equal payment installments that would come out the first of each month starting in March and ending in June.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does STEPS registration look like?

Registration for STEPS begins with registration for the STEPS lottery. Then, during the lottery, you will register for a cabin and session for the summer. The lottery process gives each family an equal opportunity to register for a designated STEPS cabin. Online registration for the lottery is free of cost. Each family will register as a household. When a household registers for the lottery, they are randomly assigned to a registration wave. Wave assignments will be sent the week prior to the lottery. Participating households will register online using that link.

How will this impact the 'regular' lottery in December?

If you are a participant in the general lottery, you will notice that a number of cabins/sites will be unavailable. Both du Nord and Northern Lights set aside space for the STEPS lottery, which will occur in February.

The cabins that are removed from the general lottery for the STEPS initiative at Camp du Nord total about 4% of the total cabins available over the course of the summer. At Camp Northern Lights, the sites that are removed total about 11% of the total cabins available.

What should the Northern Lights and du Nord communities expect growth-wise for the STEPS program?

Camp du Nord and Camp Northern Lights are committed to growing STEPS beyond our five sessions in the summer. Connecting families to Fall, Winter and Spring opportunities and providing support for registration in the general lottery will maintain our continued efforts to grow representation outside of STEPS weeks.

Interested in attending our 2025 Winter STEPS Retreat at Camp Northern Lights?

Please email Jenessa Carlisle at jenessa.carlisle@ymcanorth.org.

Ways to Help Us Grow

We would love your guidance in helping us grow. See below for ways to support us in this work:

1. In Partnership - Are you connected with a school, organization or people you think may be interested in attending camp? What else do you think we could do to enhance and improve this work? Let us know in the link below! All forms of giving and support are greatly appreciated. Support Us
2. In Contribution - To make this a continued and growing reality, we rely on the support of donations. If giving financially in any capacity is possible for you, it is another important way of making this initiative come to life. Give Now
3. Stay Connected – If you would like to be added to our STEPS mailing list and receive STEPS-related communications, you can enter your information in the below form. Feel free to leave the “Description of intended support” section blank. Stay Connected