The Year Out with Youth for Christ
The Year Out is a Christian Gap Year programme for young adults.
For over a decade, Cambridge and District Youth for Christ has taken on young adults whose lives have been impacted by Jesus and who are passionate about young people for a year of discipleship, training and the opportunity to be part of seeing young people’s changed by Jesus. It is a chance to grow your faith, boost your confidence and develop your gifting.
There are three main aspects to The Year Out:
Training
Every week as a Cambridge Youth for Christ team we have a rhythm of worship, prayer, mutual discipleship and sharing youth work tools which you will get to be a part of. You will also receive bespoke youth work training and discipleship investment with other gap year volunteers and youth work students on a Friday. There are also periodic retreats, conferences and training experiences for the team and for you as an individual including mental health first aid, the national Youth for Christ conference and more.
Cambridge Youth for Christ placement
You will spend around 2 days a week working as part of Cambridge & District Youth for Christ. The work is hugely varied and includes running open access youth drop ins, mentoring in secondary schools, faith exploration courses, residential weekends, communicating on social media, and so much more. We try and give you roles that suit your gifts and abilities, as well as helping you grow in other areas – you’re a key part of the vision to see a pathway to fulness of life in Jesus for every young people in Cambridge and the surrounding area!
Local Church placement
The other half of a TYO volunteer’s time, 15-20 hours, is spent supporting the youth work of a local church. We’re committed to investing in the local church, supporting leaders as they seek to make disciples. Don’t worry – we work to place you in a church that will be the most appropriate fit, enabling you to serve the church, get stuck into the youth work, and do the hands-on work that the training and investment will equip you for.
Most TYO volunteers live with a host family from the church they are attached to, where they are well fed and looked after. There is also an option called ‘Home Grown’ in which a volunteer lives at home and is placed in their home church.
Costs
We support you throughout your year, to fundraise the cost of the Gap Year. The total cost is £2,500 for the year. You may already have some ideas of how to raise money or you might need some more support – that’s ok! Please don’t let money be the thing stopping you from doing a year out.
What’s next?
Intrigued? Questions? For more information on these or to chat about the year out, get in touch with Mark:
Email
We are passionate about training up and equipping youth leaders to make disciples of young people.
There are three parts to studying:
Studying
The degree course content is delivered through 6 week-long residentials a year, some online teaching and weekly cluster groups. Students then spend about half of their average week doing the assignments for the course.
Local Church placement
A key part of the degree is the ‘work-based learning’ – 12 hours a week of youth work within a local church, seeking to make disciples through the church context. This enables the student to put into practice what they have been learning on their course, grow in experience and skill as a youth leader and reflect on what they have led. Normally students stay at the same placement for the whole 3 years of the degree, which gives you a great opportunity to dig deep and grow a youth ministry that will outlast you!
Cambridge Youth for Christ Team
To get the most out of the three years of study and youth-work, students are invited to be part of the Youth for Christ team. This gives you the support and backing of some experienced youth workers, a culture of disciple-making that matches up with the Reign degree, and a team of peers to run alongside you.
We work hard to find the right church placement to fit with your character, experience, call and needs, so as to try and ensure the best possible experience, learning context and opportunities to grow a disciple-making youth ministry.
What’s next?
If you’re interested in finding out more, please get in touch with Mark:
Email
