LEADERSHIP PIPELINE

Total: $2.25M college

In order to reach disconnected kids who identify as Catholic, we need more Catholics in Young Life leadership.

For Young Life to be an ecumenical organization, we need our volunteer leaders and staff to reflect the population of students we serve. Of the 5,600 Young Life staff around the world only 50 are Catholic (that’s less than 1%). Our goal is to quadruple the number of Catholic staff in 10 years. How do we invite more Catholics to consider volunteering or working in the mission of Young Life?

Students tend to experience Young Life several times over the course of several years before considering a career in Young Life. While many Catholic kids start this process in middle school by attending club or camp, few are aware of the next steps of involvement so only a few Catholics step up as volunteers or end up on staff.

We are determined to invite Catholic students to every stage of the process. This intentional invitation needs to have stipends and incentives to be effective.

This is a long-term investment that requires particular attention to Catholic adolescents who are currently 12 to 22 years of age. Our strategy incorporates specific initiatives to engage Catholic students in leadership — accompanying them through the care of a leader and equipping them for missionary discipleship within Young Life.