How to Share YouthWorks with Others

We’re in the midst of the Great Octember Spectacular here at YouthWorks, which means that if you’re a returning alumni church, you can get a free spot on your next trip if you tell another church about YouthWorks and they sign up too. So, what are some things YOU can do to share YouthWorks with other potential trip leaders?

 

 

Take a moment…

Think for a minute about what it is that you value about YouthWorks trips. We’d venture to guess it’s about a little more than just Taco Tuesday and getting a free t-shirt at the end of the week. How have YouthWorks trips made a difference for your youth, your church, your community, and for you personally? What’s your #missiontripmoment ?

Spread the word!

Share the YouthWorks website and other resources – especially news about the Great Octember Spectacular – through social media and through your local and denominational networks. As you share, mention something that you have personally appreciated about YouthWorks. Let people know they can contact you to learn more about your experience.

Talk personally and do some vision casting

While social media can be a helpful tool for getting the word out on a broad scale, individualized, personal contact can really help someone slow down and pay attention. Talk directly to youth ministry colleagues in your own area and your partners in crime ministry across the country. Share with them about your YouthWorks experience(s), including:

• How summer mission trips have been implemented at your church – what have you hoped they’d accomplish? How do they fit in with the bigger picture of ministry programming at your church?
• How you’ve seen mission trips in general make an impact on your youth group, church, and community.
• What you’ve particularly appreciated about working with YouthWorks and what, from your perspective, makes YouthWorks unique.*
• The community(ies) that you’ve had the chance to learn about and serve in with YouthWorks.

Mention the bottom line

 

YouthWorks trips tend to be some of the most affordable out there. If you’ve found this to be true, don’t hesitate to highlight this as you talk with others!

Extend an invitation

Tell them what your plans are for next summer, and invite them to join you! Perhaps…

• Two or three churches from your home community could go on a YW trip together. Think of the opportunities this could create for pooling resources and efforts both before and after your trip!
• Got a friend serving in youth ministry in a different part of the country? Coordinate your trip weeks or plan to cross paths on the road.
• If you’ve got a YouthWorks community near you, invite friends from elsewhere to bring their groups to that community.

Seize the Spectacular!

Once you’ve got another church ready to get on board, visit www.youthworks.com/octember by November 26 and you BOTH get a discount!

 

* Need some help here? Consider things like all of our pre-trip resources, the availability of the Service Center to help with trip plans and preparations, the work and presence of YouthWorks staff on site who allow you to focus on leading and loving your youth rather than managing logistics, not having to think about meals all week, Church Group Time as part of the daily schedule, our ongoing relationships with community members, footwashing on Thursday nights, post-trip resources to help you take lessons from your trip back home… just to name a few!

_________________________________________________________________________

Jenilyn Swett spent five years and a total of nine summers serving with YouthWorks in various capacities. God used YouthWorks to shape and influence her in countless ways — she credits her time on staff with introducing her to Chick-Fil-A, all things Southern, the beauty of places like New Orleans and Savannah, and many of her dearest friends. Beyond that, she developed a deep love for the Church. After graduating from seminary,she now serves as the Director of Women’s Ministry at a church in St. Louis, Missouri (where she spent her second YW summer in 2003) and follows #yw2014 incessantly!