Innovation: A 2021 Strategic Priority

Innovation can be the creation of something new. It can also be the creation of a new version of something that already exists. Innovation, invention, adaptation, improvement, new. These words have always been part of the ethos of our YouthHOPE team.

We are continually asking youth workers around the world, “What do you need? How can we help?” We are continually asking ourselves, “What is the most strategic way we can come alongside these youth workers and make a lasting impact?” For many years now our best answer has been to invest in local Churches by providing quality youth ministry training to people who likely would not otherwise have the opportunity or access.

Enter the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries are closed, travel is restricted, and we have not been face to face with “our people” in over a year. The new, pressing question has become, “How can we help when we can’t go?” We need to innovate.

At the beginning of this year, our team wrote the following statement as a strategic priority: We will adapt our current methods and develop new resources to equip global youth workers.

We began our year by surveying as many global youth workers as we could, asking the same questions, “What do you need? How can we help?” We discerned two important responses. First, they still want training. Second, they want help discipling and mentoring their youth in one-on-one settings because they are unable to do things in groups.

My role as the Director of Programming is to lead our team in answering the question, “How can we help?” Our team began to discuss possible solutions and we landed on two innovative projects for the year. We are attempting to create a digital version of our Youth Ministry Leadership Training program. (This alone is a task rife with challenges.) Second, we are creating a set of new tools we’re calling “Mentoring Guides.” These guides will help youth workers make the most of their one-on-one time with young people.

I believe one of the most valuable things the Church can provide a young person is the attentive presence of an older, more mature Christian. It changed my life as a teenager. YouthHOPE will continue to innovate, to push forward, to navigate challenges, to advocate, and work on behalf of youth and youth workers around the world. It is our hope and prayer that these new resources will empower our Christian brothers and sisters around the world to invest in meaningful ways in the lives of youth in their communities.

Please pray that the innovative work of the YouthHOPE team would be focused on the right things and that these new resources would make their way into the hands of those who need it the most.