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What is Next Step Fund, Inc.?
Next Step Fund, Inc. is a nonprofit that runs free programs for young people living with serious illness, with a stated mission to help them "create their brightest future." Its work centers on three things: community (meeting peers who share the experience of illness), music (writing, performing, recording or listening to original songs with a music therapist), and mentorship (setting and pursuing goals at school, on the job and beyond).
What the programs look like
- Community: group connection and friendship among young people on similar medical journeys.
- Music: a "Song Studio" where participants create original songs; the site cites 80+ original songs written there.
- Mentorship: individualized goal-setting and support.
- Campference: a mash-up of summer camp and conference, described as "all the fun and the knowledge minus the boring stuff."
- Comic books: When Lightning Strikes, a series created by and for youth living with sickle cell disease.
The site reports 11,000+ program attendees since 2001, a 9.8/10 recommendation score from participants, and 95% of young people saying they feel empowered to make life changes.
Who it's for
Young people living with serious illness, and by extension the families and clinicians who want to point them toward peer support and creative outlets. The participant quotes on the site stress not feeling alone and becoming more open about their disease—useful signals if you're weighing whether a teen would engage.
A practical next step
If you're a parent, patient or care provider, start with the "What We Do" and "FAQs" sections to check eligibility and how programs run, then look at the Events page for upcoming sessions. As a general criterion, prioritize programs that combine peer community with a skill or creative outlet, since that combination is what this organization is built around.
Who is eligible to join Next Step's free programs for young people living with serious illness?
Next Step describes its free programs as being for young people living with serious illness, and its mission is to help them "create their brightest future." That is the eligibility group named on the site; it does not publish an age range, a list of qualifying diagnoses, or a residency requirement on the page.
What the page does make clear
- The audience is defined by illness and age together: participants are young people who are living with a serious illness, not their siblings, parents or clinicians.
- Programs are free: the homepage invites visitors to "join our upcoming fun, life-changing programs for free."
- The offering is built around three routes: community (meeting peers on a similar journey), music (writing, performing, recording or listening with a music therapist) and mentorship (setting school, work and life goals).
A practical next step
If you are asking for yourself or a young person you care for, treat the homepage as an introduction rather than an eligibility test. The site's FAQs and Contact Us pages are the places to confirm whether a particular diagnosis, age or location fits, and to ask what a first program involves. A useful question to send: "My young person is [age] and living with [condition] — which of your programs would be the right first step, and what would they need to bring or arrange?"
For comparison, other organizations serving young people with serious illness define eligibility quite differently — some by specific diagnosis, some by age band, some by hospital referral. Reading those criteria alongside Next Step's will show you quickly whether Next Step is the right fit or whether another group covers the situation more directly.
What is a Campference and how does it combine summer camp with a conference?
A Campference is Next Step's mash-up of a summer camp and a conference: the fun, friendship and shared experience of camp combined with the learning and goal-setting of a conference. According to Next Step Fund, it is designed to keep "all the fun and the knowledge minus the boring stuff."
How the two halves fit together
- Camp side: community, fun and peer support. Participants meet other young people on the same journey, which matches the participant quote on the site: "Everyone there knew what I was going through. They'd all lived it."
- Conference side: structured learning and practical planning. Next Step's broader programs include mentorship that helps participants set and reach goals at school, on the job and beyond, and music sessions where they write, perform or record original songs.
In practice, a Campference is aimed at young people living with serious illness, the group Next Step says it empowers "to create their brightest future." A reader considering it should ask two things: whether they want the social, peer-led side (meeting others, having fun) or the skills-and-goals side (planning, mentorship), and whether they prefer a camp-style informal setting over a conventional conference. The Campference is built for people who want both at once.
Next step: check the events and program pages at Next Step Fund for upcoming Campference dates, then compare the format with Next Step's other offerings, such as Community, Music and Mentorship, to see which fits your goals.
How does Next Step's music therapy and Song Studio help participants cope with serious illness?
Next Step uses music as a practical coping tool rather than a performance goal. The site describes a music therapist helping young people living with serious illness "write, perform, record or listen to original songs," and its Song Studio has produced 80+ original songs. The emphasis on writing and recording gives participants a way to put difficult experiences into words and hear them back, while the listening option means no one has to create something to take part.
What the different entry points offer
| Route | What it involves | Who it may suit |
|---|---|---|
| Writing and recording | Creating original songs with a music therapist | Participants who want to process their illness actively and leave with something concrete |
| Performing | Sharing songs with others at Next Step | Those comfortable being visible and wanting peer recognition |
| Listening | Taking in others' music without creating | Participants who feel drained, shy or new to the community |
Why this fits the wider mission
Next Step frames its work as empowering young people with serious illness to "create their brightest future," and music sits alongside community and mentorship rather than standing alone. That matters: a recording session can build confidence and a sense of identity, but the friendships formed around it may be what sustains someone during treatment. The site's participant quotes—"I've become so much more open and honest about my disease" and "It's so comforting to know that I am not alone"—point to both effects.
A concrete scenario
Picture a teenager recently diagnosed who has stopped talking about their condition at school. A Song Studio session offers a low-stakes way to name what is happening, and the finished track becomes evidence of capability rather than illness. A peer who prefers not to write might simply listen and later join a Campference.
How to decide if it is a fit
Ask whether the young person wants to make something or mainly wants company; Next Step's model allows either. If creative expression is the priority and illness-specific peer support is secondary, a general youth arts organization may be enough. If the illness experience needs to be central, the combination of music therapy and mentorship here is the distinguishing feature. For related creative-health programs, compare Music for Healing if you are checking broader options. The next step is to look at the Song Studio page and the program calendar together, since the music offering is most useful when paired with an upcoming event.
How can I volunteer, donate, or become a corporate partner with Next Step?
Next Step lists three main ways to get involved: volunteering, donating, and corporate partnership. Each has its own page in the site's "How You Can Help" section, so the practical first step is to open the one that matches what you can offer. Donations support free programs for young people living with serious illness; the site describes those programs as free and reports more than 11,000 attendees since 2001. Volunteer options are grouped with fundraising help, which suggests roles beyond direct program work may be available. Corporate partners are treated as a separate track, which is typical for businesses that want to give money, sponsor events, or involve employees.
Choosing the right route
| If you want to… | Start with | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Give money without a company involved | The Donate page | A direct way to fund free programs |
| Give time or skills | The Volunteer page | Program and fundraising volunteer roles |
| Give as a business | The Corporate Partners page | Partnership arrangements rather than a one-off gift |
For a concrete example: an employee group that wants a shared cause might use the corporate route to combine a donation with volunteer days, while an individual who was moved by the participant quotes on the homepage can simply donate. If you are unsure which fits, contact the organization through the details on Next Step Fund and describe what you can offer; that avoids choosing a form that does not match your intent.
What mentorship support does Next Step offer for school, work, and personal goals?
Next Step offers mentorship as one of its three core program areas, alongside community and music. The stated aim is to help young people living with serious illness "set and reach new goals at school, on the job and beyond," with the organization describing a personalized plan for success rather than a single fixed curriculum. Because the site frames mentorship this way—goal-setting plus individualized planning—the practical value for a participant is likely a structured conversation about their own next steps, whether that's finishing school, finding work, or building confidence, rather than a one-size-fits-all class.
Where mentorship sits in the wider program
Mentorship is presented as part of a broader mix, so it helps to see what each piece is for:
| Program area | Stated purpose | Best fit for someone who… |
|---|---|---|
| Mentorship | Set and reach goals at school, on the job and beyond; personalized plan | Wants direction, accountability, or help turning an ambition into steps |
| Community | Meet peers on the same journey; friendship, fun and support | Feels isolated and wants to know others "knew what I was going through" |
| Music | Write, perform, record or listen with a music therapist | Wants creative expression or a non-talk-based way to process illness |
The site's participant quotes support this split: several emphasize not feeling alone and becoming more open about their illness, which suggests the community and mentorship strands reinforce each other. The reported figures—9.8/10 would recommend the programs to a peer and 95% feeling empowered to make life changes—are the organization's own measures, useful as a signal of participant satisfaction rather than proof of outcomes for any individual.
A concrete way to use it
If you're a young person considering Next Step, or a family member helping someone decide, treat mentorship as a goal-clarification service: arrive with one specific aim (returning to school part-time, preparing for a first job, or rebuilding a daily routine) and ask how the personalized plan would be built around it, and how it connects to the free programs and Campference events the site highlights. That framing turns a general offer into a testable next step.
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