FAQ

What is included in the price?
Cost per participant includes:
- Housing
- Meals
- Project supplies
- Site leadership
- T-shirt
- Promotional, preparation and debriefing materials.
*An additional $10 per person evening activity fee is not included
and is site specific. Ask your church trip leader if this applies
to your trip.
What are the age requirements for a YouthWorks trip?
YouthWorks has mission opportunities for students entering
9th grade to graduating high school seniors. Each YouthWorks
trip is categorized as a junior high, junior/senior high mix
or senior high trip.
- Junior High Trips – open to students entering 7th grade
to exiting 9th graders
- Senior High Trips – open to students
entering 9th grade to graduating high school seniors
- Jr./Sr.
High Mix Trips – open to students entering 7th
grade to graduating high school seniors.
YouthWorks is not able to accommodate children under the age
of eleven. The minimum group size is five. Each group needs to
have the leadership of adults. Refer to the Trip
Location icon
and then the map for information on the age category for each
specific site.
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! Each staff member is
CPR and First-Aid Trained.
Where do groups 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.
Who else will be on site?
Unless a group reserves all of a week’s spaces (usually
50-72), groups will have the wonderful opportunity of serving
alongside other Christians. YouthWorks is a multi-denominational
ministry. We love providing opportunities for teenagers from
a variety of different Christian backgrounds and places to come
together and serve. Youth will be divided into small teams and
joined with students from other groups to do ministry. An adult
from each group will always be joined with their students. Teenager
will have the great joy of getting to know others as they serve
Jesus together.
Can I come with my teenager on this trip?
YouthWorks trips are
geared for students entering 9th grade to graduating high school
seniors. However, we do require 1 adult leader for every 5 junior
high students and 1 adult leader for every 7 senior high students.
Talk with your church’s Trip
Leader to see if they need any additional adult leaders for the
mission trip.
Where will my teenager be serving during the week?
Every YouthWorks site is unique. Our rural, small town, reservation
and Mexico sites give your teenager 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 or with
Mission Build Sites). 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. To learn more about the specific ministry work at various
sites, click on the star on the map to the left or go to Trip
Locations and then click on Site Facts.
How does YouthWorks handle discipline issues?
We ask every youth to sign a Youth Covenant before coming on
a YouthWorks trip. In signing this covenant, youth agree to
fully participate in the mission week and follow the guidelines
put in place by the staff. That being said, YouthWorks staff
and other leaders will leave the discipline of your youth to
the adult leaders from your church. If a situation arises that
the YouthWorks staff members believe is irreparable, the involved
youth will be transported home immediately at the expense of
his or her parent or guardian. We sincerely hope that such
a problem never occurs. Our intention is to work closely and
prayerfully with Trip Leaders in making such a decision.
My teen is going to Mexico or Canada. What do they need to
cross the border?
EVERYONE TRAVELING TO MEXICO OR CANADA NEEDS A VALID PASSPORT.
Please remember that it takes time to secure these forms of ID.
Make sure that your youth are securing proper paperwork as soon
as possible. Non-United States citizens should check with the
United States consulate to ensure that they have correct documentation
for entry and exit. For up to date border crossing information,
visit www.travel.state.gov. It
is extremely important that each participant has appropriate
identification for border crossings.
Are students allowed to bring
their cell phones?
Because we want nothing to distract students in this short
week of serving others and because valuables are more susceptible
to theft at a mission site, we ask that students do not bring
to the site walkmans, discmans, portable radios or boom boxes,
electronic games, lap tops, mp3 players, iPods, portable DVD
players or any other device that could potentially isolate
students from others. We also ask that students do not bring
cell phones. We understand that you may want your child
to carry a phone in case of an emergency. We encourage Trip
Leaders to bring their personal cell phones for parents to
call if there is an emergency. YouthWorks also will provide
an emergency phone number for parents to use during the summer.
How do I contact my teenager in the case of an emergency?
We encourage Trip Leaders to bring their personal cell phones
for parents to call if there is an emergency. YouthWorks also
will provide an emergency phone number for parents to use during
the summer. This number will connect you to a YouthWorks representative
and will connect you with site staff.
Are there mission sites that are able to accommodate teens
with special needs?
Yes. While not all of our sites are handicap accessible we
want to do our best to help every teenager be able to come on
a mission trip. Please contact the YouthWorks Service Center
at 1-800-968-8504 to talk through how we can meet the needs of
your teenager.
What should my child bring?
Check with your church’s Trip Leader for a site specific
packing list. We ask that participants do not bring ipod’s,
gameboys, portable DVD players or any other electronics or valuables
on site. Not only is YouthWorks not responsible if these things
get stolen, but we also want to limit the distractions so that
your teenager can fully engage in the ministry week.
Does YouthWorks provide any medical insurance?
YouthWorks does not provide any type of medical insurance.
Each participant is expected to have their own insurance. You
will need to provide 3 copies of your child’s insurance card
to the trip leader to bring on the mission trip.
What forms does my child need to turn in to our church’s
trip leader?
Your student is responsible for turning in:
Can I send mail to my teenager while they are on their mission
trip?
Because youth are only on site for less than a week, and because
not all sites receive mail at their direct housing location,
we ask that you do not send mail to your teenager during their
mission week.
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