Definition: Youth With A Mission is an interdenominational Christan organisation that offers opportunities for young people to get involved and to serve in order to respond to the needs of the world in which we live.

Our modern world is going through an identity crisis. Young people are looking for answers, are often idle and lack ambition. And yet, there is so much to do ...

Many young people would be ready to stand up to defend an ideal or a valid cause. They are waiting for us to provide the opportunity and the means.

WHY THIS ORGANISATION ?

Youth With A Mission seeks to give an answer to the heart cry of young people.

- Young people are hungry for truth and authenticity:

YWAM offers a return to the Bible and to Christian values
- They are hungry for justice and equality:

YWAM offers humanitarian relief actions
- They love adventure:

YWAM offers opportunities for service in countries with a very different context than what they are used to, for instance in developing countries.
JOINING YWAM

People who come to YWAM find a work context that allows them to dedicate themselves entirely to their project. How long someone stays in YWAM depends on each person, depending on what activity they have chosen in order to meet their calling as Christians.

ACTIVITIES

1. We believe that Christ’s call is for all believers, independent of their race, nationality or culture.

2. Youth With A Mission works on all five continents and in over 130 countries. The activities vary, depending on the local situation and needs. However, they revolve around 3 principal axis: Witness, Training, Relief Work

What are these three axis?

1 - Christian witness is expressed differently in each culture. It has to be stressed that YWAM does not seek to win members or to create its own church. Together with all Christian fellowships, YWAM simply seeks to communicate the message of the Gospel.

2 - Young people of today have very little knowledge about the Christian message. It is therefore important to make it known to them. In order to do that, YWAM organises training sessions with teachers from different church backgrounds, allowing young people to receive a balanced view of the faith.

3 - Relief work: in collaboration with international organisations, Youth With A Missions is involved in refugee camps, the creation of clinics, orphanages, pre- and primary schools, launches vaccinations campaigns and rehabilitation programmes, cares for children who have become victims to prostitution or drug abuse, works with AIDS victims etc.

YWAM VALUES

We believe in the potential of youth, respect them and act according to the following values:

Helping each young person to find their place and exercise their gifts...
Offering opportunities without imposing ...
Encouraging initiative ...
Coaching without manipulating ...
Knowing how to put the person’s interest above the interest of the association ....

INTERDENOMINATIONAL DIMENSION

1 - Youth With A Mission is not a church.

2 - It is an interdenominational Christian movement working in collaboration with churches in an attitude of service. In France, YWAM is a member of the Protestant Federation of France.

3 - Members of Youth With A Mission do not leave their church. They take part in a missionary outreach or a relief action organised by YWAM while remaining members of their sending fellowship.

4 - YWAM can be considered a missionary and relief agency of the Church. It is not a cult because it does not separate itself from the Church, nor from society. Most cults isolate themselves and force their members to totally separate themselves from the exterior world.

5 - Youth With A Mission brings together young people from different Christian confessions and promotes unity among them. At the same time these young people are encouraged to remain faithful to their home church.

OPERATING MODE AND FINANCES

1 - Youth With A Mission in France is an association according to the French law of 1901. It is directed by the general assembly that meets once a year, receives new members, ratifies the budget and appoints the managing board. Youth With A Mission France is a federation of several associations in a Union of associations, each one being registered in the department of France corresponding to their place of activity.

2 - The national leader and a managing board designated by the members of all federations preside this Union. The Union of YWAM France is registered at the "Sub-prefecture" of Nyons under the nº 2 / 02349. Since August 1996, the president is Mr Etienne ATGER, 19 Lot. les Magettes, 26130 St Paul Trois Châteaux.

3 - The association’s administration and accounts are subject to the laws currently in force (VAT etc.) and can be subject to auditing. The members of the association are informed regularly about the financial situation and are free to consult the books at any time.

4 - Like most organisations, YWAM operates on the bases of member contributions and donations of supporters.

5 - The members of the organisation YWAM are all volunteers and can not expect a salary or any other remuneration, whether in form of money or goods. Everyone is therefore responsible for their own financial support and social cover. Full-time members are financially supported by friends or their home church that sent them to work with YWAM. Some keep working part-time for a salary.