YouthBuilder teams are composed of 4 students (2 girls and 2 guys) who have graduated from high school, and who have been chosen on the basis of demonstrated leadership potential and aptitude for learning and serving people.
Team members undergo intensive training over the summer months at our training facility in Clarksburg, Ontario. Following their training phase they spend 9-10 months serving churches in their respective denominations on a full-time volunteer basis by providing ideas and inspiration to youth leaders,doing one-on-one and small group meetings with students, and participating in the worship and teaching experiences of the churches they visit. They also partner with churches to work with public schools and activities in the community.
The year is an intensive leadership experience with exposure to learning environments like the local church, high school, community groups and cross-cultural organizations. YouthBuilders is a formational opportunity that will help you develop leadership competencies and sense God's mission for your life.
Step out and live the adventure!
OUR HISTORY
We are excited about entering the 12th season of YouthBuilder Teams. This is a experience that started in 1975 when Denis Bell, Youth Director for the Evangelical Missionary Church, who assembled 4 college students willing to invest a full year of their lives traveling to churches and high schools to resource youth leaders and encourage spiritual growth in students. The project was very successful and continued to run on a cycle of about every 4 years. In 2000, the Evangelical Missionary Church invited the Brethren in Christ Church to partner with them in sending out YouthBuilder Teams. In 2002, the Centre for Student Leadership was organized to give more focused attention to the development of young leaders through YouthBuilder teams and other leadership initiatives.
The year-long YouthBuilder program now runs every other year. The essential form of this experience has not changed significantly over the years. After a summer of intensive training, teams visit local churches for a week at a time, providing resources, encouragement, and fresh vision for youth ministries. Refinements have been made to the training and ministry of the teams according to the changing culture of youth ministry and our growing understanding of developing leaders. Cross-cultural and church-planting elements have been built into the program, as well as academic work which can be applied to a degree program.
We believe the teams continue to provide a very valuable service to churches by way of encouraging and resourcing youth leaders, and modeling a Christ-centred lifestyle that young people can identify with. Teams also have the benefit of a highly enriched learning environment as they develop as leaders and clarify their own sense of God’s call on their lives. The experience they gain through living and working together will change their approach to relationships for the rest of their lives.
Teams will be trained during the 2011 summer by the Directors of the CSL and will begin their ministry tour in the early part of September. Teams complete their ministry at the end of June 2012.
