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mission trips

FAQs

How do I register?
YouthWorks accepts telephone registrations ( 1.800.968.8504 ) on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration begins on June 11, 2007. To register online, the person leading your mission trip must have an assigned username and password. If you are new to YouthWorks or you are a new mission trip leader at your church/organization, please contact our Service Center at 1.800.968.8504 to make your registration. You may also fill out pertinent information on the Registration and Login page of the Web site and a Service Center representative will contact you. Please call the Service Center if you have questions about the online registration process.

1. Once you have registered (either online or by phone), we will send you a trip confirmation letter, Mission Contract and Registration Packet. For all registrations made June 11, 2007 to August 20, 2007, deposits will be due September 10, 2007. For registrations made August 21, 2007 to December 27, 2007, deposits must be postmarked three weeks from the date of your registration. For registrations made after December 27, 2007, deposits must be postmarked four weeks from the date of registration. Please note that YouthWorks has the right to cancel registrations if deposits are not received on time. If you need to lower or increase the number of participants you registered, you must send in a change in writing before your Final Count Deadline. After your Final Count Deadline, you are financially committed for the full balance of all registered spaces.

2. For churches that register June 11, 2007 to December 27, 2007, the final count of participants (including adult leaders) is due January 17, 2008. However, after that First Count Deadline, you have until February 8, 2008 to modify your numbers within 10% of your registration numbers at the end of day January 17, 2008 without financial penalty. If you lower your numbers over 10% of your registered participants within the grace period, you will forfeit the deposit of those spaces. These changes must all be done in writing via e-mail, fax or letter. After February 8, 2008, churches are financially committed for the full payment on all registered spaces. For registrations starting December 28, 2007, the final count of participants (including adult leaders) is due four weeks from the date of registration with the deposit payment.

3. For churches that register between June 11, 2007 and December 27, 2007, after we have received your deposit, your church/organization will be responsible for a half-balance and final-balance payment. Due dates will be listed on your Mission Contract. For churches that register after December 27, 2007, after we have received your deposit, your church/organization will be responsible for a final-balance payment.

4. Sites will be open for registration at any time as long as there is space available. We do not have a registration deadline.

All deposits and payments are nonrefundable. In order to assure the most affordable trip pricing, all payments need to be postmarked by the due date.

How affordable is a YouthWorks mission trip?
YouthWorks trips are amazingly affordable. Most trips are within $198-$254 per person. Cost varies by location and can be found under the Mission Trip icon by clicking on a specific star on the map or by clicking Grid View on the map page. Cost per participant includes lodging, meals, project supplies, evening activities, a t-shirt, mission site leadership, promotion materials and preparation guides. Don't let the cost of a mission trip prevent you from arranging life-changing events for your youth! Scholarship opportunities are available. Call the Service Center at 1.800.968.8504 for details. 

When can we go?
YouthWorks mission trips start on Sunday afternoons and end on Friday mornings. Arrangements for sightseeing and recreational activities can be made for the time period prior to or following your mission trip. Check out each individual location on the Web site by clicking on a star on the map or call the Service Center for specific opening dates of mission sites.

Who can come?
Each YouthWorks trip is categorized as a junior high, junior/ senior high mix or senior high trip. The grades listed for each category are the grades that students should be starting in the fall of 2007. In addition, all senior high trips are open to newly graduated seniors. Junior high trips are open to those entering grades 7-9. Senior high trips are open to those entering grades 9-12 and junior/ senior high mix trips are open to those entering grades 7-12. Our trips to Puerto Rico and Mexico are the exception; due to the nature of the work and the need for greater maturity, these trips are open to those entering grades 10-12 and to newly graduated seniors. YouthWorks is not able to accommodate children under the age of eleven. The minimum group size is five. Refer to the Mission Trip icon and then the map for information on the age category of each specific site . 

Can our adults go?
Yes! In fact, adult leaders play an important leadership role on our trips. A leader is to be at least 20 years of age and to be someone who is coming to minister to the teenagers in your group. We require a ratio of 1 adult leader for every 7 senior high school students, or a 1 to 5 ratio for junior high and junior high/senion high mixed trips. Please bring no more or less than this ratio as to not disrupt the work and feel of the week. If you bring students of both genders, you must have accompanying leaders of both genders. Each group will need to conduct a national criminal and personal background check on each adult leader who is attending the YouthWorks mission trip. Groups will need to provide YouthWorks with written confirmation that adult leaders have been approved to work with youth and children. Click here to get answers to frequently asked questions about Background Checks.

Who leads a YouthWorks trip?
YouthWorks has four staff members at each mission site. They are responsible for everything including food, lodging, ministry opportunities, work projects and supplies. They also lead cultural evening activities and nightly club times. Our staff is mission hearted, well trained and eager to serve!

How do we get there?
Each group is responsible for transportation (gas and mileage) to and from the mission site, as well as on site during your mission week. Groups traveling to Juarez and Tijuana are only responsible for transportation to the border. At the Juarez sites and Tijuana, your vehicle(s) will be left stateside while YouthWorks staff transport you and your students across the border. Groups traveling to Puerto Rico are responsible for airfare and van rental upon arrival.

What is a bus accessible site?
Bus accessible sites are certain sites that we have designated as locations that are conducive to the possibility of groups traveling on buses. We do not allow buses at all of our sites because of safety, the needs of the community and the problem of parking. Even if a site is designated as bus accessile, we still require that you provide additional transportation for participants during the week. Please contact the Service Center for specifics on transportation.

What do we need to cross the border?
Proper identification is required for all international travel. If you will be traveling by air, each person will need to have a passport. If you will be traveling by ground, each person will need a certified copy of birth certificate and a state issued ID. We recommend for ease of travel, that each person obtains a passport. For up to date border crossing information, visit visit the U.S. Department of State travel website.

Where do we stay?
Groups are housed in a local church, school, community building or YouthWorks housing facility. Participants need to bring their own sleeping bags, pillows and pads that are twin-size or smaller. All females and males sleep in separate rooms, including married adult leaders. Showers are available either on site or at a nearby location.

Are the sites safe?
All YouthWorks housing facilities are secure and all ministry opportunities are designed with students' safety in mind. All YouthWorks staff are CPR certified and First Aid trained.

Will we be working with other groups?
Unless your group reserves all of a weeks spaces (usually 50-72), your group will have the wonderful opportunity of serving alongside other Christians. Your youth will be divided into small teams and joined with students from other groups to do ministry. An adult from your group will always be joined with your students. Your students will have the great joy of getting to know others as they serve Jesus together.

What type of ministry will we do?
Every YouthWorks site is unique. Our rural, small town, reservation and Mexico sites give your students an opportunity to love and lead children in a Kids Club program and to visit with the elderly in the community. They will also bring hope to local residents by repairing/ painting or building new homes (Mexico). Our city and urban mission sites partner with ministries that serve those in need. Each week offers a variety of services that might include working with homeless shelters, elderly homes, children's programs, home rehab ministries and more. Bring your students on a mission adventure this summer and see life change firsthand. To learn more about the specific ministry work at various sites, click on the star on the map under Mission Trips and then under Site Facts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kids Club

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