Posts by Young Life Leader
WyldLife Wednesday: Campaigners and the One Question
Written by Julie Clapp, National Director for WyldLife. Last year, I got to meet with a group of girls for WyldLife Campaigners on the weeks we didn’t have club. Twice a month, we gathered for snacks (lots of snacks), games, laughter (lots of laughter) and a closer look at Scripture. I planned a Campaigners lesson…
Read MoreTurkey Club Ideas
Thanksgiving is only 17 days away so here are 10 ideas for Turkey Club! Serve Have kids bring canned goods to club to donate to needy families. You could also ask them to bring supplies for Operation Christmas Child and put together Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. Jimmy Fallon Thank You Notes Divide into groups and…
Read MoreSurprise Project
If you met Christ at Young Life camp and are now on YL staff, we’d love your help with a surprise project. Would you email us your name and current YL area at YL1941 at gmail.com? For the subject of the email, put “camp.” Thanks a ton! -Drew
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: What To Do on Your Non-Club Week
Written by Joe Nelson, WyldLife staff in Charlottesville, VA It’s common for Wyldlife ministries to not have club every week. Like many Wyldlife leaders, my team is often faced with the question: “What should we do on our non-club week?” How can we make the most out of the weeks when we don’t have club?…
Read MoreClub Game of the Week: What You Talkin’ Bout?
Last week we played Mouthguard Catchphrase. Super funny and easy prep. All you need to do is order these dental retractors on Amazon for $10. Make sure to get the large size as it’s the funniest. Next, print this list of funny phrases and cut up the words into strips. You can use the game as…
Read MoreTo Walk Her Down The Aisle
Written by Brad Mowry, Eastern Division Capernaum Coordinator. I remember the doctor’s words clearly, “It’s a girl.” My wife said, “Really?!” She was convinced we were having a boy. It was our first child and we decided to wait and be surprised by the gender. Holding Hannah in my arms that morning, I could hardly…
Read MoreThe Best Communication Tool For Your YL Area
What do NASA, Pinterest, Buzzfeed, Harvard, LinkedIn, and our Young Life area all have in common? We all use the same tool for communications within the organization. Teams are the heart of Young Life. At every level, we couldn’t do what we do without the people around us. To do great ministry, communicating effectively…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: Polaroid Posters
Written by Bekah Siau, Area Director with YL Military at West Point, NY. We know that middle schoolers long to be known by name, to feel safe, to have an advocate and we would love for them to feel like Wyldlife club is a place where they belong. One of the challenges that many of us face…
Read MoreWhy Do I Still Go? by Eve Sarrett
Why Do I Still Go? – Chattanooga Young Life from Chattanooga Young Life on Vimeo. Why Do I Still Go? It’s the start of the school year and the weekly practice of contact work at the high school begins. It’s nothing new. Young Life leaders have been going for decades. Going where kids are. Being…
Read MoreA Surprise Gift for your Campaigners Group
Last May, we went to an end of year picnic at our son’s preschool. Sitting on each child’s desk was a surprise gift for parents. The teachers had put together a scrapbook for each kid, documenting the entire school year: field trips, holidays, daddy-doughnut breakfasts, and even fireman visits. Our 4-year-old, Hutch, loved getting to show us…
Read More15 Ideas for Costume Club
Who doesn’t love a YL style Costume Party? Below are a few ideas to help make it YL’d and festive. Costume Scavenger Hunt If your club meets in a home, check with your host to see if it’s a good neighborhood to pull off this scavenger hunt. It’s similar to “Bigger, Better, Best,” but teams…
Read MoreCultivating Community on Your YL Team by Zach Gurick
Written by Zach Gurick, YL Metro Director for Southwest Florida. I’ve had the privilege to serve on a lot of different YL teams over the past 15 years. Some have had a rich sense of community and deep bonds with one another that I still cherish. Other teams have not meshed so well. This fall a theme…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: “Choose Your Side” Club Game
Keep kids moving! It’s an important rule of thumb for any WyldLife club. Here’s a simple mixer that can be adapted to fit almost any theme and can be used with any size club. Tell kids they are going to choose their favorite in each round. Put two images on the screen – or use…
Read MoreYoung Life Fried Night
As a southern boy, I naturally associate the month of October with the fair coming to town. In addition to the pig races, one of the best parts of the fair is “fair food.” I mean, where else can you get deep fried Mac-N-Cheese?! I’ll tell you where. Young Life club. It’s a fun, low-key…
Read MoreHEADS OR TAILS: No-Prep Club Game of the Week
If you need a last minute, no-prep, mixer for Club, here’s an easy winner. Grab a coin out of your car. Instruct everyone to stand up and either grab their head or their tail. Flip the coin. If it lands on tails, everyone grabbing their heads will sit down and is out. Play until all…
Read MoreThe Great Pumpkin Hunt
In a few weeks, we’re having a hoe-down. You can find hoe-down ideas here. As one of the opening mixers, we’re doing a Pumpkin Hunt. It’s similar to an Easter Egg Hunt, but the prizes aren’t inside the pumpkins, instead it is more like a raffle. You could also do The Great Pumpkin Hunt as…
Read MoreHappy 50th Birthday Athens YL
Check out all the folks sending birthday wishes to Young Life in Athens, GA in this video! You’re sure to see some familiar faces!
Read MoreThe Death Of A Club
By Matt Weatherly, YL Leader in Greensboro, NC. As Young Life leaders, what we do is holy. Ministering to middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students is a gift that few people get to experience. We’ve been told our role is important and that Jesus goes with us, yet over time we can quickly forget.…
Read MoreTrump, Clinton and Campaigners
As expected, last night’s presidential debate was a slugfest. Clinton and Trump’s constant insults reminded me of middle school and what our teenage friends often endure. They live in a world where their identities are shaped by what others say about them, to their face and on social media. “You’re fat.” “You suck.” “You’re ugly.” “Your…
Read MoreDizzy Bat Pictionary
Need a last minute game for Club this week? Materials Needed 2 whiffle ball bats 2 markers 2 whiteboards or giant sticky notes How to Play Split the room into two teams with whiteboards up front facing the audience. Choose 3 players for each team. Whisper a noun in each player’s ear (you can make…
Read MoreBob Ross Painting Game
Shared by Jay King, Raleigh, NC. Materials Needed Jelly ketchup mustard whipped cream 3 paper plates 3 trash bags to cover shirts If playing inside, bring something to cover the floor Skit Characters We used Rob Ross, Bob Ross’ brother. The goal was to learn the art of a steady hand in painting so Rob…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: Mean Girls
Written by Steph Raubenheimer, WyldLife Representative, Greater New York Division “Ew, she was like ‘Hiiiii’ and I was like ‘Who are you and why are you talking to me?’” Have you ever felt like you were an accidental producer in “Mean Girls 2” (…and 3, 4, 5, 6…), but your actors went rogue on your…
Read MoreAre You Really Doing Your Job if No One’s Coming to Club?
[This is an excerpt from my friend Tim Branch’s new eBook for Young Life leaders. You can download the book for free by clicking here.] – Drew Hill Let’s say you’re a leader on a team of twelve other leaders. Your club has about 100 people coming on a weekly basis. You have friends from…
Read MoreHoedown Club Ideas
The fall has arrived and its a perfect time of year to plan a Young Life hoedown club! Location Borrow a barn! If you can’t find a barn, find a field. It’s better to do the field party earlier in October so it’s not dark as early or as cold. Daylight Savings Time ends on…
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