Who Can Lead A YouthWorks Trip?

By Barry Foster, YouthWorks Senior Trip Consultant

Some wonder whether their church can do a YouthWorks mission trip, even if they don’t have a full-time youth pastor. Whether you are a youth pastor, associate pastor, faith formation director, youth ministry coordinator, parent, volunteer, small group leader or teacher (the list can go on!), you can lead a YouthWorks trip. We know that each group and their dynamics are unique, so you have to do what works for you. Each summer we have over 1,500 adults commit to being the Trip Leader for their church, school or organization’s mission trip, and we are so grateful for the time they invest in their group.

So what does a Trip Leader do? Great question! An adult who, in addition to being an adult leader, is responsible for:

• Being the main contact person with the YouthWorks Service Center
• Being responsible for distributing, collecting and organizing all required paperwork before the trip, as well as once on-site
• Being the liaison between your group and the YouthWorks staff on site
• Handling group dynamic situations that arise during the trip
• Leading your adult leaders by setting expectations for the trip beforehand and encouraging them throughout the week
• Leading students by setting a positive examples and an encouraging tone during the week
• Taking ownership of helping teenagers, parents and leaders prepare for the trip beforehand and process the experience afterwards

What about all the logistics of the trip? Will you have to plan those out? YouthWorks takes care of most of the logistics of the trip, so that while you, the Trip Leader, are on site you can focus on the relationships with youth. You plan transportation and get your youth signed up. We take care of housing, meals, programming resources, service scheduling, evening activities and staffing. We know that, as the Trip Leader, you have specific needs and hopes for the trip. That’s why we are committed to working with you to get your questions answered and your group prepared.

Have questions or want to get registered for a YouthWorks Trip? Contact our Service Center Team at servicecenter@youthworks.com or 800.968.8504