Young Life

Young Life doesn’t start with a program. It starts with adults who are concerned enough about kids to go to them, on their turf and in their culture, building bridges of authentic friendship. These relationships don’t happen overnight — they take time, patience, trust and consistency.

So Young Life leaders log many hours with kids — where they are, as they are. We listen to their stories and learn what’s important to them because we genuinely care about their joys, triumphs, heartaches and setbacks.

We believe in the power of presence. Kids’ lives are dramatically influenced when caring adults come alongside them, sharing God’s love with them. Because their Young Life leader believes in them, they begin to see that their lives have great worth, meaning and purpose.

This is the first step of a lifelong journey; the choices they make today, based upon God’s love for them, will have an impact on future decisions — careers chosen, marriages formed and families raised — all ripples from the time when a Young Life leader took time to reach out and enter their world.

Our History

Founded in 1941, Young Life has more than 4,000 staff and 60,000 volunteers and is active in more than 90 countries reaching more than one million kids annually. Young Life leaders bring more than 200,000 kids each year to one of our 32 camping properties worldwide.

Our Mission

Introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith. We accomplish our mission by …

Praying for young people. Going where kids are. Building personal relationships with them.
Winning the right to be heard. Providing experiences that are fun, adventurous and life-changing.

Sharing our lives and the Good News of Jesus Christ with adolescents. Inviting them to personally respond to this Good News. Loving them regardless of their response. Nurturing kids so they might grow in their love for Christ and the knowledge of God’s Word and become people who can share their faith with others.

Helping young people develop the skills, assets and attitudes to reach their full God-given potential. Encouraging kids to live connected to the Body of Christ by being an active member of a local congregation. Working with a team of like-minded individuals — volunteer leaders, committee members, donors and staff.

Our Values

Living according to and communicating the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ. Carrying out our mission under the authority of Scripture and relying on the Holy Spirit to empower our ministry. Encouraging the welfare and spiritual health of those who do this ministry, that they may minister out of a consistent and growing relationship with Christ and His followers.

Researching and developing innovative approaches to reaching uncommitted, disinterested kids around the world. Reaching adolescents of all social, cultural, economic and ethnic backgrounds throughout the world. Working with followers of Christ from a variety of traditions and local churches around the world.

Welcoming all those whom God calls to our mission — men and women of all races, staff and volunteers — who are linked to a common purpose of introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ.  Observing the highest standards of stewardship of all the resources placed in our trust.

What We Do

Today, the Young Life mission is still committed to incarnational witness: embodying and expressing the love of Christ through relationships with all kinds of kids: WyldLife is our outreach to middle school kids, Young Life for those in their high school years, and Young Life College is our program for college and university students.

In addition to the ministries mentioned above, Young Life reaches military teens through a program called Club Beyond, the Small Towns/Rural initiative brings Young Life to communities of fewer than 25,000 people, and Amicus is Young Life’s student exchange and hosting program for international kids.

Young Life… our history is rich and our future is promising. We are a group of adults who continue to be committed to the historic Young Life mission: befriending kids and allowing them to take a good look at the Savior, Jesus Christ.

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