Posts by Young Life Leader
Soda-Can Mat-Ball
Last week I was in Charleston, SC and ran into the James Island Young Life team after they just finished a game of Soda-Can Mat-Ball! Brooke Swetenburg sent me this video of Helen-Grace Hall hitting the can along with some instructions on how to play. If you’re looking for a fun club alternative for the spring…
Read MoreEmoji Club
Emojis are a fun way to communicate and have almost become a new language for this generation. David Pressgrove, Area Director in Craig, CO, recently sent in this creative club idea. (If you have ideas to share, email us here.) EMOJI CLUB IDEAS Emoji-Face Mixer Have all the leaders on your team download the free Insta-Emoji Photo…
Read MoreThe Young Life Leader’s Guide To Prom Season
As prom season is upon us, below are a few ways we as Young Life leaders can serve our high school friends, parents, and school administrations. PRE-PROM Prom-posals Some of your high school friends are beginning to ask dates to the prom and would love your creative help thinking of a fun promposal idea. One…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: Fun or Funny
“I’m Howdy!” “And I’m Rowdy!” “And we like to get loud-y!” When we think about planning program characters for our WyldLife friends, some of us get intimidated. “I’m not funny enough.” “I can’t write clever lines like that.” “I never have any new ideas.” Good news! When it comes to middle school kids, FUN is…
Read MoreHow Spring Break Broke My Heart
I tried to avoid social media last week. It was Spring Break for my high school friends and the few tweets I’ve read and posts I’ve seen have broken my heart. It seems everything we’ve talked about in Campaigners this year just got thrown out the window… …of a jeep …while speeding down the strip…
Read MoreLast Minute Game for Club Tonight: Mascot Challenge
Tonight ends March Madness with the national championship game between Villanova and my beloved Tar Heels! If you’re looking for a last minute game for club, here’s an easy one. Thanks to Amy Brooks for creating the game and sending it in. If you have game ideas to share, email us here. March Madness Mascot…
Read MoreKanye Tweetstorms about YL
It’s crazy to see all the people who have been influenced by the ministry of Young Life! Last night I was on Twitter and it was so cool to see Kanye tweeting about YL! Not all of it makes complete sense to me, but it will surely give us some credibility when we visit schools.…
Read MoreFresh Contact Work Ideas for Spring Time
Spring has arrived! If you need some fun, fresh, & frugal contact work ideas, you’re in luck. Grab your middle and high school friends and make some memories. Dog Park/Animal Shelter If you have a dog, take your dog and some of your middle and high school friends to a local dog park. If you…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: The 5 P’s of Contact Work
Pic from Dan Stern in Lapeer, MI. There is no substitute for contact work – it’s what allows us to build relationships and earn the right to talk with kids about Jesus. Below are 5 contact work pointers for WyldLife leaders. Parents In addition to getting to know middle schoolers, build relationships with their parents…
Read MoreTomorrow Is $1 Hot Dogs At Sonic
Hot diggity dog, just $1 each?! Pick up your middle and high school friends from school tomorrow (Wed. March 23) and hop on over to SONIC for a $1 hot dog. Includes only 6-inch Chili Cheese Coney and All-American Hot Dogs. Tax not included. Add-ons cost extra. Cannot be combined with other offers. Limit 5. Offer valid…
Read MoreCamp Musician Of The Month: S. Martin
Our featured camp musician for the month of March is S. Martin. He started attending Young Life in high school and has been hooked ever since. As a middle school student in WyldLife, he attended Timber Wolf Lake and he remembers Jon McLaughlin was his camp musician. While watching Jon use music to connect with…
Read MoreYL Store: The Vault Is Open
In celebration of the 75th birthday of YL, for this year ONLY, the vault is open and The Young Life Store can produce the old Young Life logos exclusively! The YL store is able to customize these old logos for your next camp trip, area fundraiser, banquet or Tonite tee! To take the guess work out of…
Read MoreA Powerful Way To Honor Your Graduating Seniors
Before you know it the seniors in your Young Life club will be graduating. One special way to honor and celebrate them is with a “Blessing Service.” I’ve seen this done in very different, yet meaningful ways. Blessing Service Options Area-wide ceremonies done with YL leaders speaking over senior leaders. Co-ed ceremonies done with seniors from…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: Discussion Grenades at Campaigners
Written by Kevin Chao, WyldLife Coordinator for Metro North Region and Area Director, Greenwich, CT Icebreakers! Discussion Launchers! Discussion Grenades! Getting everyone involved with a question or activity that is non-threatening and fun is an important part of any WyldLife Campaigners. Ideally, I try to make my “discussion grenades” relatable to the lesson. I’m all…
Read MoreThe Young Life Leader Bracket Challenge
Make your picks! We’re hosting the 3rd annual Young Life Leader March Madness Bracket Challenge! Enter your bracket in the Young Life Leaders group on ESPN. The winner will be featured on YoungLifeLeaders.org and leaders world-wide will stand in awe of your ability to predict the future. In addition to featuring your pickin’ skillz on the blog, you’ll also…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: Why Every Leader Needs a MV
Written by Joe Nelson, WyldLife staff in Charlottesville, VA. Every WyldLife leader needs a minivan. You can store a lot in a minivan. The trunk of my minivan stores various pieces of sports equipment for contact work and plenty of club supplies. The back seats store leftover fast food, spilled soda, and forgotten Spanish textbooks…
Read MoreSt. Patty’s Club Ideas
This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on Thursday, March 17th. Below are a few ideas to help you plan your 2016 St. Patty’s club. Green Club Encourage everyone dress in green. Some folks may even paint their faces. Most green on one person wins $50 off summer camp. Patty O’Furniture Have a skit character host…
Read MoreGoing Deeper with Campaigners
A friend recently sent me the email below. I thought it would be a helpful discussion for all of us who lead Campaigners. Drew, I’m currently leading a Campaigners group of around 15 guys. We meet every Sunday night at one of their homes and average 12 guys every week, which is great! The guys…
Read MoreFree Pancakes Tomorrow at IHOP
Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 8th, is FREE PANCAKE DAY at IHOPs nationwide! 7am-7pm. Last year, Young Life leaders in our area took kids for dinner after their practices and games. It could be a long wait time, so call ahead. Find an IHOP near you here. You have to dine-in to get the free pancakes and they do…
Read MoreKidnap Club
Written by Lydia Smith, volunteer leader in Birmingham, AL. When the invitation “Just come, you’ll love it” doesn’t attract kids to club, Kidnap Club can be the safe surprise to help kids get their friends to experience the unexplainable. Here’s the idea: Everybody comes to club at the usual time. We give everyone about 10…
Read MoreUsing Snapchat in Young Life
According to Forbes, teenagers in the US spend an average of 9 hours/day in front of a screen. According to my high school friends, the one app that most captivates their attention is Snapchat. While there are plenty of dangerous aspects of using Snapchat, there are also some helpful ways to use it in your Young Life…
Read MoreWyldLife Wednesday: WyldLunch
Written by Scottie Dancy, WyldLife regional representative, Tennessee Region. Last fall, I met with Maria, a WyldLife team leader, to plan the semester for WyldLife with one of our middle schools. While we were meeting, a teacher from one of the area’s middle schools texted her and asked if we’d be interested in coming to…
Read MoreWhy I Keep Going: The Story of a Young Life Leader named Juan
Written by Juan Perez, a volunteer leader in Lincoln, NE. If you would like to share an idea or encouragement with thousands of YL leaders around the globe, here’s how you submit a guest post. When I run into old friends, classmates or family members I often get these types of questions, “Are you still…
Read MoreThe Divine No
Life has felt pretty full lately, so this week I went away to spend 24 hours alone with the Lord. The main questions I wanted to ask Him were: God, what is NOT your will for me? What are the “good” things I’m doing that You want me to stop doing?” My Area Director, David…
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