YoungLives Handbook - Flipbook - Page 23
TRAINING AND EQUIPPING VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers who are new to Young Life will need to become familiar with the organization as a whole
and trained in the Five C’s: contact work, club, camp, Campaigners and committee. Collaborating with
the local Young Life area and tapping into their leader training can be a great way to introduce new
volunteers to the bigger picture of Young Life in their community.
In your region or area, look for a person qualified to help you train your new volunteers. Ask your
supervisor who this person might be, and ask him or her to help you lead your initial training sessions.
For your initial training of mentors, utilize the nearest Young Life area director or regional coordinator
to help provide the Young Life philosophy and foundation of ministry. Supplement Young Life leader
training with the YoungLives Mentor Training Handbook.
Onboarding new volunteers happens throughout the year, so work with your supervisor to figure out a
strategic time to offer training. Continued training will happen throughout the year at monthly mentor
meetings. Invite volunteers to any trainings offered on the regional, divisional, and mission-wide level.
Check out the Mentor Meeting Discussion Guide for more ideas on training your volunteers.
Too often mentors are recruited, interviewed, trained and then left on their own. Providing ongoing
monthly mentor training and checking in with them one-on-one is as important as running club. The
monthly mentor meetings should include time for prayer, questions, idea sharing, training on relevant
topics (abuse, sex, discouragement, boundaries, camp, discipleship, cultural sensitivity), recognition/
appreciation, and friendship building.
Link to more training topics/resources
RETAINING VOLUNTEERS
Volunteering as a mentor to teen parents is rewarding and challenging and can be deeply emotional at
times. Therefore caring for, training, and appreciating your volunteers is as important as recruiting
them! Recruitment is just the beginning; ongoing support and engagement are key to retaining
dedicated and healthy volunteers.
The coordinator must continue to cast vision, provide monthly mentor trainings, and validate
volunteers by recognizing accomplishments and providing them with honest feedback. A sense of
belonging within the ministry is crucial for retention and can be cultivated by including them in
decision-making and entrusting them with ownership of tasks when possible.
The following lists show some of the reasons that volunteers will stay committed or lose interest in a
ministry.
23
