Leader Logistics & Safety

Adult Leaders play an important and valuable role on YouthWorks trips. Choose leaders that are ready to minister to the teenagers in your group because they truly will be coming alongside students and sharing in this unique experience in love, in service and in continued growth toward Jesus. Once you register for a trip you will get access to a number of helpful resources you can use to get your Adult Leaders ready for the trip. We encourage you to involve them in the preparation and planning to ensure your whole team of Adult Leaders is on the same page about expectations for the trip and their role during the week.

Age & Ratio

You must bring, at minimum, 2 Adult Leaders (including the Trip Leader). Whether you need more than 2 Adult Leaders is based on your group size:

  • High School Students: 1 Adult Leader for every 7 students
  • Middle School Students and Mixed Groups: 1 Adult Leader for every 5 students
  • If both male and female students are present, you are required to have at least one male and one female Adult Leader in your group.
  • Adult Leaders must be 20 years old or older. If you have a leader that is younger than 20 years old but works very closely with your program please call us to discuss options.

If you have more questions regarding Adult Leaders please visit the FAQs page.

Background Checks

To promote a safe environment for YouthWorks participants and for the communities that we serve, we require that a federal and national (“multi-state”) background check and sex offender registry check be completed on all participants 18 and over, including Adult Leaders and youth attending the mission trip. Knowing that all adults are getting background checks will give peace of mind to community groups and other groups that will be part of the trip. It will also fulfill requirements from ministry partners that want background checks completed on adults who will be volunteering at their organizations.

Learn more about what to expect when planning a Pre-Packaged Mission Trip.

Learn more about what to expect when planning a Custom Mission Trip.

Safety is of the utmost importance to our organization! We want participants to feel safe throughout the entire mission trip, and we want parents and church/school leaders to know that we take every precaution in order to ensure students’ safety. We invite all YouthWorks Trip Leaders, Adult Leaders, students, YouthWorks staff, and community partners to work together in knowing and upholding all safety policies and procedures.

Click on the topics below to learn more about each of our safety policies. 

Safety policies for ALL YouthWorks trips:

To promote a safe environment for YouthWorks participants and for the communities that we serve, we require that an annual federal and national (“multi-state”) background check and sex offender registry check be completed on all participants 18 and over, including Adult Leaders and youth attending the mission trip. Knowing that all adults are getting background checks will give peace of mind to community groups and other groups that will be part of the trip. It will also fulfill requirements from ministry partners that want background checks completed on adults who will be volunteering at their organizations.

Each staff member at YouthWorks has also had a thorough background check completed.

The Three-Together Rule applies at all YouthWorks sites at all times. The rule requires that student participants always be in groups of three or more—whether at the housing site, during Community Activities, at service sites, or any other place during the mission trip. Any time students leave the boundaries of the housing site, they must have an adult in their group. 

We diligently seek out reputable partnerships within each community. Community experiences (including housing sites, service sites, cultural activities, etc.) are commonly established through trusted community members or existing organizations. In addition, YouthWorks consistently gathers feedback from local leaders when seeking new partnerships.  

When committing to work alongside community organizations and leaders, our procedure is to review our safety expectations with our partners to ensure the safety of our participants. It is our desire to create a mutually safe environment during the service day.

We expect that each group and individual arrives healthy to their mission trip for the safety of all staff, participants and community members. If any participant is ill before their mission trip (COVID, flu, other illness) we ask that they have been free of fever and / or other symptoms for at least 24 hours before coming on the trip. 

If any participant becomes ill during the trip (COVID, flu, other illness), we ask that they let an Adult Leader or, if applicable, YouthWorks Community Host know right away. We encourage those recovering from a respiratory virus who still have symptoms to wear a mask.

The participant release form filled out by each youth and Adult Leader is sufficient for entry into any U.S. Emergency Room. Every staff member at YouthWorks is CPR and First Aid certified.

At YouthWorks we do not allow youth and Adult Leaders to take showers at the same time. Students should still be supervised by having adults in the general vicinity of the shower area in case of an emergency and to prevent bullying.  If students do not have private shower stalls, they must wear swimsuits while showering.

IF GOING ON A CUSTOM TRIP: Your Trip Leader may have additional or alternative shower policies or procedures.

YouthWorks prohibits discrimination, sexual harassment, verbal harassment, and physical and/or sexual abuse on or off the YouthWorks premises or in the course of YouthWorks activities or ministries. YouthWorks will take seriously any allegations of such misconduct in accordance with applicable law. YouthWorks will not retaliate against the reporting person.

Though requirements vary state-to-state, YouthWorks considers our staff and Adult Leaders mandatory reporters of abuse or neglect of minors. Our staff are trained through MinistrySafe, and we recommend groups complete this, or a similar training for their adults. 

YouthWorks prohibits smoking, vaping, marijuana, the use of chewable tobacco products, alcohol, and any other illicit drugs at YouthWorks housing and ministry sites. Anyone (leaders or youth) in possession of such items will be sent home immediately.

To ensure the safety of your youth, we request that any prescription drugs and/or other medications be held in the custody of one of the Adult Leaders from your group.

Weapons of any type are prohibited from YouthWorks’ ministry sites, including, but not limited to, firearms (concealed or not), knives (small pocketknives authorized for specific ministry tasks would be acceptable), explosive devices, or hazardous substances. Anyone (leaders or youth) in possession of such items will be sent home immediately.

During the week your clothes may endure paint, sweat and mud. Bring clothes that you can work and play hard in, including closed-food shoes or work boots to keep your feet safe at service sites and in the kitchen. YouthWorks has a packing list available to registered Trip Leaders.

Participants going on a Custom Trip should ask their Trip Leader for any trip-specific packing list.

You and your students may choose to bring a small amount of spending money for souvenirs, and for some pre-packaged sites, we also ask each person to bring $10-$15 for an activity during the week. Otherwise we encourage participants to leave valuables at home. Please remind all participants to keep cash and valuables in a secure location at all times. YouthWorks cannot be responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen items.

YouthWorks Store merchandise will be available for purchase by credit card at most pre-packaged sites. 

Each group is responsible for transportation throughout the week. The vehicles you use during your trip need to have enough seat belts for each person in your group. During the day, you may be at one place all day or serve at one place in the morning and a different place in the afternoon. You will be given addresses to and from each location, back to the housing site, and, when appropiate, to emergency facilities.

We know that everyone has different levels of comfort when it comes to driving and parking. Because you will be in unfamiliar places, please work together with your leaders before the trip to determine who is comfortable driving, parking, and leading in this role. It is very easy for the transportation aspect of your trip to become stressful and, in some cases, to change the tone of your experience. We don’t want a bad driving experience to negatively impact your overall mission trip! Be prepared to be flexible in this area. 

On Pre-Packaged YouthWorks mission trips, you will also be responsible for the transportation of youth and leaders from other groups to service sites and Community Activities. 

Additional safety policies for Pre-Packaged Trips:

YouthWorks Community Hosts give several orientations throughout the mission trip to keep participants informed of behavioral expectations as well as safety policies and procedures. The following information is some of what is included in these orientations:

  • Information about the community where the participants will be serving
  • The boundaries of the housing site
  • The Three-Together Rule
  • Appropriate behavior on a YW trip – One of the ways we set expectations and educate participants on healthy behaviors is by reading a statement, “Safety & Appropriate Behavior at a YouthWorks site”
  • Fire and weather safety (as applicable) and an evacuation drill
  • Any other site-specific safety boundaries

All groups who come to the site participate in the preparation and cleanup of meals. This gives youth an opportunity to serve one another and share the responsibility of the housing site.  YouthWorks provides breakfast, lunch, dinner, and multiple snacks each day.

Due to the nature of large group meal preparation, we cannot guarantee a participant will not be exposed to any certain food. Nor can we promise to have exactly the right food to meet every special dietary need.

For those participants who are gluten-free, YouthWorks provides GF bread and GF cereal. We also provide a non-dairy milk option. Other limited allergy-friendly (dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free) options are available for those who need them. At every meal we have more than enough food for everyone but cannot commit to having a one-to-one substitute for every food item and every dietary need.

We recommend that participants with severe allergies or special dietary needs bring supplemental food for the week as well as any medication(s) or EpiPen that may be needed.

YouthWorks Community Hosts and Adult Leaders from other groups will leave the discipline of your youth to you. Likewise, we ask that you leave the discipline of youth not in your group to their leaders. Remember that other youth leaders may discipline their youth differently than you do at your church.

If a situation arises that the YouthWorks Community Hosts believe is irreparable, the youth involved will be transported home immediately at the expense of their parent or guardian. We sincerely hope that such a problem never occurs. Our intention is to work closely and prayerfully with Adult Leaders in making such a decision.

After the summer, YouthWorks does not allow communication between Community Hosts and student participants. Specifically, we ask our Community Hosts to not engage in one-on-one contact with minors. 

Unless you are the only church group on site during your mission trip, you’ll closely be sharing spaces with other church group(s).

Sleeping Rooms – There are always separate sleeping rooms for different genders. As much as possible, within those we provide separate space for each church group. (For example, “This room is for the ladies from this group.”) Because each housing site is unique, you may find yourself sharing a sleeping room with members of another church group of the same gender. Students should never stay in a sleeping room without adults from their group.

Crews – Students and adults will serve in a crew of 10 or so people. Crews are typically made up of youth and adults from two or more different groups. Students will never be placed in a crew without an adult from their group. Each crew will be assigned 1 or more vehicles belonging to groups in that crew. You may need to transport students and adults from other church groups in your vehicle.

Overall – All church groups share meals together, worship and process together, use the same shower facilties, and have the opportunity to experience community activites together. Our Pre-Packaged Trips are designed to allow relationships to form between church groups on site as part of the YouthWorks multi-denominational experience and a chance to live out our “relationships first” value. If this is not something you’re interested in, connect with the Service Team before booking a trip.

Additional safety policies for Custom Trips:

You must bring, at minimum, 2 Adult Leaders (including yourself). Whether you need more than 2 Adult Leaders is based on your group size:

  • High School Students: 1 Adult Leader for every 7 students
  • Middle School Students and Mixed Groups: 1 Adult Leader for every 5 students
  • If both male and female students are present, you are required to have at least one male and one female Adult Leader in your group.

Adult Leaders must be 20 years old or older.

Children under 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

As a group going on a Custom YouthWorks mission trip you must have a child safety policy and sexual harrasment policy in place. You must also communicate to your group contact information for local police and child safety reporting information and expecatations. We expect you both establish these policies, as well as clearly communicate and uphold them during your trip.

The other safety policies on this page apply to your trip, as well, except for the “Additional safety policies for Pre-Packaged Trips.”

As you learn more about your trip, you may find community partners have additional safety requirements for your group to follow.