Leadership Development – Recruiting the area MVP who will do your job for you!

So I hear you need volunteer leaders?  Committee members?  Financial Partners?  This may surprise you, but in the Area Director II job description there’s one little sentence that speaks explicitly to cultivating a volunteer pipeline:

“Provide quality summer staff, work crew, and adult guests for summer camps.”

I’d like to focus on that last part, because it honestly gets very little attention or love – adult guests for summer camp.  Interestingly, it’s the only time the word “adult” is used in the entire job description, although there are other more familiar words that allude to these kids with wrinkles (volunteer leaders, team leaders, committee, partners, etc).

Let’s level here for a minute on something you and I both know – adult guest asks are the first ones to get dropped in a yearlong camping strategy.  It feels different than asking a kid to join you at camp, although one might argue that the barriers look eerily similar (busyness/time, cost, misconceptions).  But getting potential adult guests to say yes feels impossible.  Why??

What if you, the local staff person, aren’t the right person to invite the adult guest?  You’re probably 15 years younger than them.  You haven’t had significant conversation beyond their kid’s involvement with YL. You spend an awful lot of time with their kid, and they still haven’t fully grasped how or why. You are an enigma to them, and your invitation for them to join you as an adult guest at a camp they’ve never heard of that their kid is also invited to is exceedingly confusing.

So maybe you shouldn’t be the person making the invitation.  Maybe your job is the find the right person who should!

Enter the Adult Guest Host.  The area MVP who will do your job for you!

The Adult Guest Host is the MVP on our adult recruitment team, in the same way that the volunteer leader is the MVP of the local area. Hosts should be people who are pursuing relational ministry opportunities with adults in the community, for the sake of pointing them to Jesus and encouraging personal growth and mission involvement. They should have a year-long camping strategy for their peers with the expectation that it will impact their local area in significant ways through people resources (time, talent, treasure).

We’ve put together an Adult Guest Program Toolbox resource for your area that speaks to:

• The role of the Adult Guest Host

• An area prayer strategy for pursuing and establishing an adult guest tradition

• How to pursue adult guests

• A Two-year adult guest camping strategy for your area

Download it, start praying and asking around about who your Adult Guest Host should be, then treat them like a volunteer leader filling a cabin.  A cabin that happens to be for adults.   

Adult Guest Program Toolbox

Written by: Kristy Clifford

4 KEYS TO STARTING A YOUNG LIFE MAN CAMP

For the past several years we have seen tremendous interest in the development of camps for both men and women.  The desire to be together, encourage one another in their faith, and reconnect is strong. A weekend camp is not new to YL staff but before you start working on your own camp mode, here are some keys to designing a Man Camp. 

1. Know Your “Why.”

As we come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are still in the midst of an epidemic. The epidemic I am talking about is that of isolation and loneliness, and male friendships are at the epicenter of this epidemic. Most sociologists speak to the existence and importance of “third spaces,” spaces beyond work and family. These spaces could be clubs, small groups, or other ways that people might gather; Man Camp is a potential life-changing “Third Space” for many men. It is a space that provides connection, laughter, play, worship, vulnerability, forgiveness, and growth.

As our vision statement for Colorado Man Camp states, “The purpose of Man Camp is for men to grow in relationship with God, each other, and the mission of Young Life.” Man Camp is not a space unto itself or only a moment in time; rather, it is a springboard to local covenant groups, personal growth, and mission growth. Whether volunteer leaders and committee, alumni, Young Life College guys, donors, local church connections, or friends, Man Camp can truly transform lives, marriages, families, ministries, local communities, and the world!

2. Enlist Strategic Partners.

Most local Young Life areas cannot establish and sustain a Man Camp on their own, nor can a Young Life property. Our experience has been that a camp such as this must be owned on the divisional or regional level, open to an audience beyond regional boundaries, and supported by local areas and a Young Life property. To this end, a steering group must be established early in the process that not only represents the assignment team roles but also represents the regions and the various constituencies of men that may attend. This group will not only serve to create the camp, but they will also be critical in the marketing process and the execution of the camp itself.

3. You already know what to do.

Here is the great thing about a Young Life Man Camp… It is pretty much exactly like every other Young Life camp that you have ever done! (Minus the opposite gender, head leaders, and a square dance.) Seriously, men love Young Life Club and seize the opportunity to worship and hear a Christ-centered message. Men look forward to Young Life program and need to laugh. Men appreciate the grandeur and excellence of a Young Life property, and men love to play in all the ways that our camps provide. 

In Colorado, we have learned to not “over-program” Man Camp, but to plan enough to give structure, while also protecting room for solitude, relationships, and the movement of the Holy Spirit. We prepare excellent meals, messages (devotionals and Clubs), seminars, and free-time opportunities, but we have learned that men want to process in “cabin time;” whether in a cabin, around a fire, while playing a round of frisbee golf, or going for a hike. Bottom-line, what we often take for granted and is a part of our DNA, men are blown away by and are desperately needing. You got this!

4. Start Today!

Like almost anything we do, preparation often affects a positive and excellent outcome. We are not suggesting that you run a Man Camp in the next few months; rather, we are asking that you consider how something might develop in the next year. Perhaps there are a few people in your region, or a few regions in your division that would understand the impact and influence of a Man Camp? Have a conversation, brainstorm a possible steering group, look at the calendar, connect with a Young Life property and begin to pray. Often an experience like this starts small and take years to mature, but you have to begin somewhere. 

If you would like to learn more about how to establish a Young Life Man Camp, simply email jschultz@sc.younglife.org. Or, check out the attached resources below.

• Club Schedules

• Frontier Man Camp Master Schedule

• Man Camp Planning Document

• 5 Things To Do WAY Before Man Camp
  

Written by: Jonathan Schultz (jschultz@sc.younglife.org)

WHICH WAY DO I GO?

  Delegation -vs- Empowerment

A recent U.S. survey  of all U.S. Area Directors and Committee Chairs asked the following question:

Q.  What has been a significant area of frustration regarding your working relationship with your Committee Chair or Area Staff?

The top answer by Area Staff?  “Getting Committee members to do something.” 

The top answer from Committee Chairs?  “Getting the YL staff to give us something to do.”

Once you get beyond the irony of their answers, you will notice that deeper issues appear. Poor communication and missed expectations are a result of differing assumptions. We have not been clear about what we expect from each other and consistent communication is a priority for any healthy team or organization. Bottom line:  we risk diminishing the contribution of the 10,000 U.S. Committee members as well as thousands more internationally.  

The Mission of Young Life is built on TEAMS.  Christ-centered and volunteer-led are how we will go deep in our effectiveness and one of the reasons for our success as a mission. Teams take time to develop and YL’s ‘walk alongside’ model can seem woefully slow when compared to the pace of today’s world. In my conversations with local staff and Committees, two words continued to show up that may help foster true ownership around Young Life volunteerism. DELEGATION & EMPOWERMENT. 

Delegation is the assignment of authority to another person to carry out a specific task. It assumes clarity of roles and trust that work will be accomplished by another person. At its best, it is very efficient.  It is a key principle in management but tends to be transactional pm. 

Empowerment involves the passing on of authority and power to another individual as they endeavor to achieve a goal. This slow process allows the individual to grow in strength and confidence.  It is a key principle in leadership and tends to be transformational.

Simply, delegation is giving limited authority for a team member to act on the behalf of the group's leader.  Empowerment is allowing a team member to act on their own behalf.  Although we may start with delegation, our goal in YL is to empower.  Both develop capabilities and skills and allow others to take on more responsibility, but only one of them fosters ownership, and vested interest. 

The average volunteer leader has only been in leadership for less than a year. The average Committee Chair has been in their role for less than three years. Our ability to complete the journey from Delegation to Empowerment is important now more than ever. Through our history as a mission, senior staff reference the classic three step process they went through. 

• STEP 1:  I do it, YOU watch!

• STEP 2:  YOU do it, I watch!

• STEP 3:  YOU DO IT! 

In a season where we have fewer volunteers and a greater need than ever before, we need to polish up these skills of  empowerment. Just look at the Gospels and observe how Jesus empowered his followers. He moved them from self-focused to others-focused. He would teach, send, and then debrief and at its core, that is exactly what we are doing here. EMPOWERMENT! 

TRY THIS EXERCISE with someone on your team. It’s simple and once you do it, you may realize that you have opportunities to empower others daily. Choose someone (faithful, available, and teachable) that you want to help develop in leadership. Be intentional and prayerful about this invitation. 

• ENGAGE:  Pick a task, or skill where you want to help them develop. A powerful statement is made when you choose a task that you love and is hard for you to give away.  Make sure it has a start and a finish so that you have something to celebrate. Write down 3-5 skills where proficiency is required for success.

• ELEVATE:  Now have the conversation with the person you are developing. Let them know the vision you have for them, your intent to invest in their growth, and your commitment to the work needed for them to become proficient in this role.   

• EXPLAIN:  Next, go to work.  Explain what expectations are and think through the challenges or pitfalls they may encounter. Secondly, allow the person you are empowering to express needs, challenges, and difficulties.  Lastly, commit to celebrating successes and learning from failures.  

• EQUIP:  Finally, equip them by giving away power.  Encourage and find ways to communicate trust.  Support them with resources and help them think through some of the pitfalls.  Follow up often. 

Empowering others takes time, but the result is undeniable. Existing leaders, local committees, and support teams are a great place to start.  Email me HERE  to share your own observations and what you are learning. 

DON’T FUMBLE THE HANDOFF

-How the ‘Grad Campaign’ became a Game Changer-

Each year, US Regions partner with the Alumni & Friends office to lead the  HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE CAMPAIGN.  The goal of the Campaign is to stay connected to those finishing high school and transitioning to the next chapter of their life. Whether it be college or the military,  gap year or the workforce, we want to honor the long-term relationship with these students. Over the last 3 years, we have successfully handed off over 60,000 graduates and currently have over 10,000 of those grads connected to the local Young Life community in their new location! 

It all starts with one YL Leader or staff having the vision for a lifelong relationship.  When done well,  It is a gamechanger for:

• Long-term relationships. 

• Continued Discipleship. 

• Volunteer leader pipeline.

• Young Life College health and growth.

• Summer Staff growth. 

Some testimonials/best practices from individuals who have advocated this effort are below: 

“As an area director who is sending off college freshmen from our high school clubs every year, and meeting college freshmen as they walk onto one of the three campuses in our city - the importance of the HS Grad Campaign cannot be exaggerated.” - Alyssa Beaubien, AD Tallahassee, FL. We would never want our prayers and pursuits of kids to stop once they graduate high school.

“We don't employ any earth-shattering strategies other than we really emphasize communication. We clearly and consistently talk about the importance of the HS Grad Campaign and getting students plugged in. It's modeled as a priority in our region which has helped to "bake" it into the culture and build YL College and community.”...the High School Grad Campaign as vital as anything we do in the mission.” - Kimie Chilcoat, Regional Administrator 

“It is a little bit of extra work to ask staff to do, but in our experience, asking staff to figure out where their students are going next is a net positive for their ministry.  Maybe they learn that a student is actually planning on staying in the area, or a large number of students are going to the same local community college. That can be the way to starting a Bible study or fostering leadership on campus! Numbers do tell a story, and having the numbers in front of you of where students are going can only be helpful.” - Luke Waltermire, Young Life College Director.

Sometimes it is just a simple discipline.  (4 steps) 

1. Area Director/Leader/YL Committee member  asks  students  “What are you doing after graduation?”

2. Their information is put into the Grad program.

3. If they move into a new community, the local YL staff reaches out to them. 

4. Oftentimes, by the end of the next year, the students had been placed as leaders!

Sometimes we even see a ripple effect. “We have had many kids head off to Division 3 schools to do sports. One of our students left for a college where there was no YL to play sports. Due to lack of community they transferred to a YL College (Due to HS Campaign information) and ended up quitting the sport he was playing and becoming a solid YL leader. He is one of our best leaders and just recently graduated and became a teacher and is now leading YL at that school and teaching and making an impact for the Kingdom- many ripple effects!” - Kimie Chilcoat

If you are looking for a game changer for your local YL- this is it!. The HS Grad Campaign gives our graduates a place to land. It gives them a person who is praying for their arrival, excited to meet them, and willing to pursue them before they have even met face to face.  When done well, it is a beautiful handoff!  Most importantly they will get to experience post high school life knowing they were not made to do life alone. A seamless ‘handoff’ will impact the student and the ministry for years to come!

-Kelianne Gros Louis

WHO YOUR COMMUNITY WILL NEED TO REACH ‘Every Kid’

I often ask Young Life committee members this question:

“What kinds of kids do you want to reach in your community?” 

Their response is swift and unified:

“We want to reach EVERY kind of kid!” 

Every Kid? Wow! Then I ask a final question. “Is your community (Committee) prepared to reach Every Kid?” In my mind, I am thinking about groups of kids like the list below. 

Suburban Kids?

Kids in the City?

Small Towns?

Deaf Students?

Homeless?

Foster?

Resort Communities?

Incarcerated?

Indigenous?

Around the Globe?

Trafficked?

College Students?

Refugees?

Capernaum?

Junior High?

Teen Moms?

Kids of every race/color?

Hard to fund Communities?

…and more

CORE TRUTH:  We all want to reach EVERY kind of kid in our communities and as Young Life matures as an organization, we need to be strategic in recruiting differently than we have in the past to reach the next kid. It seems painfully rare for our adult Committees and mission communities to represent the variety of kids in our town. Many of our Young Life committee members come from similar socio-economic perspectives and backgrounds. Although that is tied to some of the historical success of the YL mission, strategically, we need to broaden the voices leading our local ministry work. Like our ‘tag line says “We are made for this,” but to thrive in this next season we may need to adapt so that “We can be built for this!” 

Our ability to reach all kinds of kids is dependent upon our committee’s ability to invite, welcome, and engage local adults from a wider range of backgrounds?  

Listed below are four key attributes/contexts that you NEED on your Committee so that your ministry can flourish and continue to be relevant. There are several more, but this is a start. Who do you know in your community who loves Jesus, loves kids and also represents. . . 

1. DIVERSITY:  Most YL Committees are underrepresented in race and ethnicity which in turn fails to reflect the communities they serve. Being intentional and teachable as you expand the cultural breadth of your mission community is paramount.

2. GENDER AND STAGE OF LIFE:  Give thought and attention to the makeup of your Committee regarding singleness, gender, and stage in life so that you have a balanced range of perspectives. (M/F, Single, Married, Single Parents, etc)

3. GENERATONI: At any given time, YL has touch points with five generations in the culture while most of our Committees are represented by one of them. Recruitment tied to generational makeup can inform shifts in priority and stratecgic planning. Remember, Millenials are 40 years old now and parents of students coming to Young Life!

4. GEOGRAPHY:  Oftentimes, ministry growth is lopsided to certain geographies a YL area map. Recruiting strategically from the next community can be the missing piece that fosters traction and ministry Development.  

Throughout our mission, God’s Spirit is continually prompting us to widen the circle of those who become fully engaged in our mission to reach kids. It's becoming increasingly clear that bringing together adults from different backgrounds provides the insights, experiences, and motivation we need to reach the wide diversity of kids who live in our community. Widening our committee circle might not seem natural or easy. How do we take this step of faith? 

• PRAY:  Ask God to increase our vision and strengthen our resolve. 

• THINK:  Spend 45 minutes w/ your team to list people you know who fit the descriptions above. 

• ENGAGE:.“1000 mile journeys begin with a single step.” Start the conversation with those you have prayed and thought about. 

• PURSUE:  Belonging is a product of intentionality and invitation. Foster the culture you want to reflect. This will take time. 

Wouldn’t it be amazing if every committee meeting was filled with people who were deeply connected to all the different kids in your community? Sounds a bit like heaven!