Posts by Young Life Leader
How to Recruit, Train, Equip & Sustain New Leaders
If you’re looking for helpful resources on recruiting, training, equipping, and sustaining leaders, check out The Western Great Lakes Young Life Region website. Sample leader development plans from: Birmingham, Michgan St. Louis Kane County, Illinois Southwest Twin Cities Cheyenne, Wyoming Visit the Great Lakes Region staff resources page for other leader development plans and additional…
Read MoreYoung Life’s Discipleship Focus in Branson, MO
Written by Paul Ragon, staff member at Young Life’s Discipleship Focus in Branson, MO. Graduating college left me in a whirlwind of confusion and uncertainty of the path God had for me. Little did I know of God’s grace for me in attending Discipleship Focus the summer following graduation. My time at Discipleship Focus equipped…
Read MoreA Glorious Picture of Diversity
Written by Suzanne Williams. A few years ago, one of our friends in Capernaum was sharing with us about how much she loved babies and she desired, in her simple yet profound way, for people to know God’s love for them. Our wheels began churning and not much later, Caitlin began serving at the local…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: The “Problem” with Middle School Ministry
Written by Crystal Kirgiss. You might have seen this recent Real Simple article: “Sorry, Parents – Middle School is Scientifically the Worst” (and you thought the Terrible Twos were bad)” which (in case you can’t tell) isn’t very hip on early adolescence. The article gets some things right, but also says “middle school is no…
Read MoreYou Recently Graduated College … Now What?
If you’ve recently graduated college, odds are you’re continuing to answer the million-dollar question, “What are you doing now that you’ve graduated?” Some of the best advice I ever received was “take your 20’s and be a sponge. You have the rest of your life to make money. After college, find wise people and learn…
Read MoreFree Chick-fil-A: Cow Appreciation Day is Tomorrow!
Grab your middle and high school friends and head to Chick-fil-A tomorrow (Tuesday, July 12) for Cow Appreciation Day. Wear anything cow like and receive a free entree until 7pm. Some ideas for dressing up from CowAppreciationDay.com. Start With What You Already Have Cow-printed accessories stashed in your closet will work perfectly. Hats, vests, scarves, neckties,…
Read More7 Fresh & Fun Summer Contact Work Ideas
Do you need some creative contact work ideas for the summer time? Below are a few new ones to try. Leisure Dive All you need is a camera and a pool/lake. Create some great memories and photos. Here are some great examples. Driving Range/Golf Even if you’re terrible at golf, the driving range is a fun place to…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: 7 Resources to Help You Understand the Adolescent Brain
If you’re a WyldLife leader, you’ve had plenty of opportunities to observe middle school kids in their natural habitats. You’ve experienced their short attention spans and watched them get their feelings hurt. You’ve seen them change friend groups several times in one week and had many a one-word text conversation with them. But have you…
Read MoreDenny & Marilyn, THANK YOU for 23 Years!
Our president, Denny Rydberg, and his wife Marilyn have faithfully served the mission of Young Life since 1993. This month they pass the baton to our new president, Newt Crenshaw, and his wife Susan. Denny and Marilyn, Thank you for 23 years! With profound gratitude, Young Life Leaders everywhere
Read MoreChoosing Music for Club & Camp
Guest post written by, Paul Coty, Regional Director, NYC What is the one sound you hear at weddings, parties, beaches, playgrounds, and almost anywhere groups of people gather to celebrate? It’s the sound of music. Music is the backdrop for many of life’s events. It motivates an athlete as he approaches a game, accompanies a…
Read MoreThe Secret “Blue Book” Is Finally No Longer a Secret
If you’ve ever talked to someone who has a “Blue Book,” they probably told you, “Sorry, you can’t really get these—and I’m not giving you mine.” The Blue Book is one of the most well-kept secrets in Young Life. Some people have them, most people don’t. And nobody knows how to get one. How do…
Read MoreWe’ll Be Back Next Monday, June 20th
I just returned from an incredible backpacking trip with my Campaigners group in the North Carolina mountains. Since I’m playing catch-up on the rest of life, I’m putting the blog on hold for a week and we’ll be back next Monday, June 20th. It was awesome to stop by Carolina Point at the end of…
Read MoreThe Best Thing You Can Do With Your Campaigners Group This Summer
Last summer I took two of my high school friends on a weekend excursion. The primary reason for the “Bob-Goff-like-caper” was to give us a chance to listen and discuss Steve’s talks below during the drive. I’m convinced that car ride forever changed the direction of their lives and deeply impacted an entire school for…
Read MoreTable Questions for Meals at Camp: PDF Download
During a week at Young Life camp we get the privilege of eating around 20 meals with our middle and high school friends. For most of those meals, we’re seated at a round table for the very purpose of promoting “family style” conversation. We live in a busy world. Most families are spending less time…
Read MoreHow to Care for Your WyldLife Friends at Camp
Written by, Rob O’Donnell, WyldLife Representative, Eastern Division As WyldLife leaders, we have a lot of different hats to wear at camp. Many of our students are experiencing overnight camp for the first time. With that experience come many thoughts and feelings. Normally, they would go to their parents, but instead, we get to be…
Read MoreThe Power of Telling the Story: How we made $1850 In 20 minutes
We’re leaving for summer camp soon and still have lots of money to raise. Our YL team told kids and parents “Do not let money keep you from going to camp. Pay what you can and we’ll commit to helping you raise the rest.” We’ve spread mulch. Cleaned a fence. Held an Ultimate Frisbee tourney.…
Read MoreBrandon Heath’s Brand New Music Video & Young Life Story: “Only Just Met You”
Check out Brandon Heath’s brand new music video “Only Just Met You” featuring Young Life’s Malibu Club. Make sure to watch the last minute of the video and hear Brandon’s story of how Young Life played a huge role in him meeting Jesus.
Read MoreQuestions To Help Your YL Team Evaluate & Celebrate The Year
One of the most valuable, but often neglected, activities we can do as a Young Life team is to regularly evaluate and celebrate. It’s tempting to measure success with numbers. It’s tempting to feel good about the year if you’ve had had big clubs and an epic camp sign-up. It’s tempting to feel bad about…
Read More7 Keys To Being a Leader at WyldLife Camp
Written by Bekah Siau, Area Director with YL Military at West Point, NY Have you ever looked at the chaos in your WyldLife cabin at camp and thought, “I’m supposed to have cabin time now? And with this crew?” You’re not alone. I too know the feelings of unpreparedness and helplessness! How do we process the greatest…
Read MoreUniversity of Texas YL College Placement Night Hoverboard Dance
On this #YLTeamTuesday we’re giving a shoutout to the YL College Team at UT-Austin. I guess it’s true, everything is bigger in Texas, including the way they do leader placement nights. Check out this video from The University of Texas’ YL College Placement Night. Thanks to Noah Maney for passing it along.
Read MoreCan’t Stop the Feeling: Download Chords and Slides
Justin Timberlake recently released his new single, “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” It’s likely to be the most popular song of the summer and if you’re leading music at camp, this one is a must-do! I suspect it might also be a “closer” for some program operas, after all, Justin has already choreographed a dance for…
Read More“Am I Cut Out for Young Life?”
[This is an excerpt from my friend Tim Branch’s brand new eBook for Young Life leaders. You can download the book for free by clicking here.] – Drew Hill We talk a lot in Young Life about “being yourself.” People say it like it’s easy. So then, why do many of us find it so…
Read MoreSharing in my Shame: When Meghan Trainor Fell
Some of you might have already seen the Meghan Trainor video from The Tonight Show last week. She was performing in platform heels and took an accidental tumble at the end of the song. Jimmy Fallon’s knee-jerk response was phenomenal. Without hesitation, he fell to the floor and laid down right beside her, sharing in…
Read MoreSolving the Camp Phone Problem
An Area Director recently sent us this email and we’d love your help solving the problem. If you have ideas, please comment below or email us here. Thanks! -Drew HELP! Last year our area took students to camp and we told them “no phones” a million times and then we collected phones on the bus.…
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