Trip Resources

You’re registered for your trip. Hooray! Use these resources to get going:

• Start here: Trip Leader Welcome! This will give you an overall picture of what to expect!
• Check out the Daily Schedule Overview for an overview of what your days will include. You’ll get a site-specific schedule closer to your trip.
• Schedule Pre-Trip Meetings for parents, Adult Leaders, and the whole group. See this Pre-Trip Meetings Guide for more info.
  • We recommend scheduling two parent meetings, two team meetings, and one meeting with your Adult Leaders (this could happen before or after a team meeting). Schedule meetings ahead of time to give attendees plenty of notice. Come back to this resource to prepare for / lead each meeting using the provided outlines.
•  Start recruiting! (Need help? Check out the resources in the next section!)

You chose a date and a location for your trip. Now you just need Adult Leaders (AL) and students to sign up! Here are a few things to get you started.

• Be sure you understand the AL requirements for your group. You need at least 2 leaders (including yourself), with at least 1 Adult Leader of each gender represented in your group. You can find more info about AL requirements in your Trip Leader Welcome.
• Use the Recruiting Guide to make a plan to get the right people to sign up for your trip.
  • Check out the Youth Covenant and Adult Leader Covenant. As part of the paperwork process, everyone will sign a covenant. Knowing what’s on these covenants will help you, the Trip Leader, recruit students and adults who will be a good fit for your mission trip.
  • Consider inviting a Hospitality Volunteer to join your group! Not familar with the term Hospitality Volunteer? Click here to learn about them!
•  Check out our free Promo Resources. Download the ones you want to use and integrate them into your programming / social media.
• Use the Fundraising Ideas to plan any fundraising events. Pass any helpful into on to your students for individual fundraising efforts.

One of your responsibilities as a Trip Leader is to make sure everyone in your group (including you!) completes the required paperwork.

• Give people your trip-specific link. (You can find this on Go.) Everyone has access to Paperwork Instruction docs on Go.YouthWorks.com. There is one for Adult Leaders and one for Parents/Guardians.
• Use the Trip Leader Instructions to start, complete, and monitor your personal and group paperwork.
  • New to Go? Visual learner? Check out our Paperwork Portal Overview Video.
• Review your roster on Go.YouthWorks.com routinely to ensure everyone in your group (including you) has a completed release form and a signed covenant by May 1.
• In the month of May, download the site-specific waiver packet from Go. Be sure you have everything you need for your group before leaving for your trip!
  • Check out the Trip Leader Instructions linked above for more information about site-specific waiver packets.

Find more information on both group and individual paperwork, including step-by-step instructions and FAQs on Go.YouthWorks.com.

Your trip is getting closer! Let’s talk about food and some helpful guides for meetings and prep!

• Read through the Basic Meal Plan & Allergy Info. Share this info with your group, especially those with allergies, in a pre-trip meeting.
  • Sample Meal Resource – Your church group will likely be assigned to lead one or more breakfast preps during your trip. The YouthWorks Community Hosts will set things up for you and make sure you have all that you need to lead your students in preparing breakfast and lunch items for the large group. This is a sample of what your group will use to prep your assigned breakfast(s)
• If you’ve been on a YouthWorks pre-packaged trip before, read these updates. If this is your first summer on a YouthWorks pre-packaged trip, read these reminders.
• Use the Pre-Trip Meetings Guide to start hosting pre-trip meetings (if you haven’t already!).
  • We recommend scheduling two parent meetings, two team meetings, and one meeting with your Adult Leaders (this could happen before or after a team meeting). Schedule meetings ahead of time to give attendees plenty of notice. Come back to this resource to prepare for / lead each meeting using the provided outlines. 
•  Share the link to the Adult Leader Prep Page with each of the ALs in your group. You should also be familiar with all of the content on this page.
  • Go over the content in a pre-trip meeting.
  • As you have ALs continue to sign up for the trip, share the link to this page with them.

• Check out community-specific resources on Go.YouthWorks.com. You will get an email when these have been updated. Pass on any helpful info to your group.
• Read the Respectful Service document below that applies to your community. Share the info there with your group in a pre-trip meeting.
  • **INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTS COMING SOON**

Note – Liability Insurance and Background Check Forms for your group are due May 1! You can find more info on these forms on Go.YouthWorks.com.

**THEME INFORMATION WILL BE ADDED IN APRIL 2027**

Each year we have a new theme. We’ll dive into the theme during your trip, but if you want to prepare for theme discussions beforehand, use these resources to do that:

• Theme Intro – Share this year’s theme with your group
• Theme Overview – Overview of each day’s main points (previously Parent Processing Guide), parents can download from Go.YouthWorks.com
• Church Group Time Guide – You’ll get a physical copy on site; use this to connect the dots between the theme/trip and life back home
• Trip Journal Preview – Everyone will get a physical Trip Journal on site
• What’s New in Programming – Find out what to expect this year

• Be ready for your arrival on site by checking out our NEW resource, What to Expect Upon Your Arrival.
• Use the Packing List to pack for your trip. Your students and Adult Leaders should do the same. They can find the Packing List on Go.YouthWorks.Com.
  • Note: if you’re going to Puerto Rico, please use the PR-Specific Packing List.
• Check out the Resources for During Your Trip page to be familiar with what’s there in case you need any of those resources during your trip (someone gets sick, you need tips for dealing with misbehavior, etc.). Bookmark this page for easy access during your trip.
• Keep an eye on your email inbox for an invitation to our Pre-Trip All-Call! This virtual meeting will happen two weeks before your trip and is a chance to hear more about your trip, get some more info about your community, and potentially meet the other Trip Leaders you’ll be on site with.

Make the most of your trip by keeping up the momentum after your group has traveled back home!

• Debriefing Your Trip – A guide to intentional debriefing after the trip
• 101 Questions to Process Your Trip – Share this with parents and guardians
• After-Trip Resources for Students – Share this page with your students. It’s also linked in the Trip Journal.