Global Youth Service Fund

2023-2024 Youth Service Fund Projects

Youth Leadership Training - Nigeria

This project was birthed by the leadership of Youth Ministry Northern Nigeria Annual Conference, after careful observation on how youth are left behind in the leadership circle both in the church and society. This is as a result of our cultural influence that marginalized youth to lead in any context, and we see these things in effect even in our churches and communities. Therefore, this has been a very deep concern to start a deliberate approach toward developing our youth for leadership in the church and society. In an effort to complement this initiative, we designed this project as “Preparing Youth for Leadership”. The project is geared to provide leadership training and development for some selected youths in our 13 districts across the Annual conference. We will train 100 youths across our 13 districts in two different meetings for leadership both at their local church and in other connectional bodies.

Middle School Wyldlife - Michigan, USA

Our church currently goes out into the community to host “club nights” for local middle schoolers. At these nights, we play games, play music, hangout, and share a message about the Gospel, and a testimony. These nights are done in a neutral place like a local pavilion, home, or coffeeshop so that it is inviting for kids who would never want to meet at a church. The intention is to create a space that feels fun and welcoming to kids that have no church background at all, keeping consistent with approaches noted in the #SeeAllThePeople movement. We build relationships with the kids and then invite them to things like club where they hear the Gospel and receive consistent mentorship.

Rural Young People with Disabilities - Democratic Republic of Congo

Living in rural areas poses particular challenges for people living with disabilities to access education, training, and employment opportunities. Dismantling the barriers that young people with disabilities face allows them to improve their incomes, those of their families, and to participate actively in rural economic development of the Kivo District.

Gun Violence - Ghana

The project is a youth-driven, community supported grassroots initiative committed to addressing the illicit manufacturing, circulation and misuse of sophisticated locally made guns that has significantly increased in the hands of unauthorized individuals and gangs resulting in increased armed-related crimes in the project area. To a large extent, firearms have become the weapon of choice and features prominently in local conflicts, interpersonal-violence, gender-based and other human rights violations thus creating a general sense of insecurity. In addressing these community concerns, the project focuses on three critical intervention areas that are strongly interconnected namely small arms control, provision of alternative livelihood for artisans producing firearms and spiritual nurturing of young people to prevent them from being drawn into a life of crime and violence.

Displaced Persons Camp - Nigeria

This project focuses on engaging youths in our IDP (internally displaced persons) camps through music, discussions, games, witnessing the love of Jesus Christ to them and supporting them with items like bibles, clothes and food. North East Nigeria has been under terrorist attack for more than a decade and as a result of this, people were displaced from their communities, their homes burnt, property destroyed and they are rendered homeless. Youth in the IDP camps are facing a lot of challenges ranging from lack of proper care, lack of food, clothing, some are out of school doing menial job to help their parents, etc. Through this funding and a partnership of several districts, opportunities for support and hope can be provided.

2022-2023 Youth Service Fund Projects

Young Leader Training in Crash Courses with NEPAC UMYFP - Philippines

The leadership from NEPAC UMYFP will create a project to train leaders of youth and young adult ministries in their conference using a cohort model and the Crash Courses on Youth Ministry materials published by Discipleship Ministries. DM Staff would make themselves available for cohort access and the Crash Courses are available electronically for free as opposed to the project paying for printing.

Youth Training Across 20 Districts - Malawi

The leadership of the Malawi Annual Conference seeks to build up the discipleship training, leadership development, and networking of youth from across their Episcopal Area. With churches and young church leaders who have never met each other and need to develop skills and networks to strengthen the church and their potential to develop new generations of committed members.

Peace Building with Justice Work for Youth - Nepal

As a nation with a minority Christian population, this project seeks to develop peace-building skills and build inter-religious networks to positively affect social justice capabilities with young people from many faiths.

2021-2022 Youth Service Fund Projects

Training and Empowerment of Young Women, Kinshasa - Democratic Republic of Congo

A combination of education and entrepreneurship that helps young women to stay present in educational settings by learning how to create, sell, sanitize, and re-use sanitary pads.

Kulli Tuklo Tribal Youth Leadership Development - Oklahoma, USA

A project designed to train and connect young native American leaders with tribal elders and strengthen connections of the United Methodist Church and tribal leadership, in support of young people.

Glocal Leadership Development - Georgia, USA

The opportunities for global leadership often come after training and practice at the local level, hence the term “glocal.” This leadership development program works in academic setting to increase awareness of cultural contexts and help younger people start their leadership journeys.

2020-2021 YOUTH SERVICE FUND PROJECTS

Campus Ministry – Nigeria

Campus Ministry needs are emerging in the Gombe District, and this project will help the campus ministry thrive by: Providing a stable scholarship scheme for less privileged students and intended students; Creating a platform for career guidance orientation for students and intended students; And establishing campus fellowships in universities and colleges where United Methodist student can stay connected to the church and ministry.

A Second Chance for Girls in Mabon – Congo

This project funds educational efforts for female youth through educating UMCs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the benefits of education. The DRC has extremely low female literacy levels. In this project we encourage and train different communities to provide high quality education for female students.

Discipleship and Leadership Training Program – Kenya-Ethiopia

This project will bring together leaders who can almost never join together for training in Christian living through discipleship, Bible study, prayers, evangelism, and leadership development. We do this in order to transform, develop and empower young leaders to effectively disciple young members of local churches.

Young Peacemakers Project (JAP) – Ivory Coast

Violence, discrimination, and exclusion are reasons for the suffering of millions of people around the world and threaten human security and potential.

There is a refusal to accept differences vis-à-vis the other. This reality is often due to the lack of information and knowledge of the other which can lead to fear and lead to the loss of social cohesion and the exclusion particularly of groups of vulnerable people. Our project brings together forty young people to learn and discuss differences, and train them with language and spiritual support to be peacemakers.

YouthSit – Philippines

YouthSit hopes to provide a platform for the young people to gain access to contextualized resource materials that are relevant today. These are meetings that have historically been hosted in-person, but must be virtual due to the COVID pandemic. We aim to open "uncomfortable" conversations as we know that these will address issues of our society. YouthSit takes the challenge of providing voice to the young people - an avenue to raise concerns, celebrate wins, air out needs, and relate to young people whom they may not personally know, but share these experiences with.

2019-2020 Youth Service Fund Projects

Empowering At-Risk Christian Youth - Pakistan
Directly support a platform and safe environment where 400 youth will be motivated to grow in faith and increase familiarity with scripture. The safe environment will indirectly affect up to 2,000 Christians, supporting their discipleship in a country where they are a minority faith group.

Agricultural Entrepreneurship In The Ilebo Ecclesiastic District - Democratic Republic of Congo
Contribute to the economic empowerment of rural women through market-oriented agricultural production while providing access to financial services to women and girls in this District in targeted rural settings.

Round Table Youth Leadership Development - Cameroon
Gather a number of young people at the round table to discuss the impacts of young people in global development of Africa. Discern strength and failures and find ways to create mutuality in order to involve all categories of young people in African development.

Youth Lead, Educate and Advocate for Development - Philippines
Empower youth and to help the children at risk and out-of-school children and youth by conducting basic literacy program in the three communities. Youth leaders will provide interactive learning sessions on how to read and write.

Youth Sit - Philippines
Create a refuge for young people to come and find credible information, discussing and discerning through the many sources of information available online regarding how to develop impactful ministry with young people. The team covers Youth & Young Adult events and feature stories of specialized youth ministries learning along the way how these programs started, how their experiences molded them to be the youth leaders they are, the struggles they’ve overcome.

Past Global Youth Service Fund Projects

Chiang Mai Campus Ministry – Chiang Mai, Thailand
For this project, a coffee shop and dormitory space has been created across the street from Maejo University. The goal is to use this ministry space and location to develop strong, Christian leaders attending the university who will positively impact college students’ lives with the love of Jesus Christ.

Instituto da Juventude [Youth Institute] – Luanda, Angola
This project will bring at least 800 young people from West Angola together in a historical missionary school to strengthen their faith and discern God’s vision for their lives, teach about Angolan Methodist history, and encourage church leadership at local and district levels.

Ministry with At-Risk Youth – Freetown, Sierra Leone
The Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone has left young people facing two major challenges: many young people lost their parents or caregivers to the virus, and young people who survived the virus now face the challenge of being stigmatized and feared by their communities. This project aims to help these young people develop spiritually, emotionally, and academically by reaching out to the victims on a one-to-one basis, radio discussions, and visits to schools.

Projecto Saude Jovem (PSJ) [Youth Health Project] – West Angola
Eight young activists will be trained to carry out the project, which aims to spread information about sexual health to the young people in the West Angola Annual Conference. The focus will be on HIV/AIDS, STDs, early pregnancy and abortion, and how the Bible relates to these issues.

We Care Youth Ministry (WCYM) – Gainesville, Georgia, USA
This start-up project at St. Paul United Methodist Church hopes to give young people opportunities to live their faith experience through ministry to others, whether this involves outreach to children/youth in the neighborhood, increasing participation within the life of the church, or providing support to the elderly.

Worship Band – Prague, Czech Republic
This project will provide needed instruments and accessories to improve the quality of the youth worship band, which in turn will help grow the youth and music ministry at the church, and create more opportunities for the band to share their faith on a larger scale.

Young People’s Faith-Sharing & Acts of Compassion Program – Catabato, Philippines
This project will help the young people of St. Michael United Methodist to witness and serve those in need in the Manubuan Village. They will be trained to share their faith, visit sick and shut-ins, help elderly and shut-ins with household chores, do vegetable gardening for the needy, prepare food for small children, encourage the community to resist drugs and alcohol, and be in ministry with prisoners in the municipal jail.

Youth Discussion Café – Samara, Russia
Through this project, youth in and outside of the church will be invited to attend a discussion meeting every Friday at Samara UMC’s café. There will be a special guest each week, who will share their story and answer questions, and they will be followed by a member of the youth group, who will share their Christian testimony.

Actividades Para Evanglizacao de Jovens [Activities for Youth Evangelism] – Porto, Portugal
This project plans nation-wide activities for the young people of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Portugal that seek to bring evangelization and faith sharing experiences as well as socializing among youth. The activities are held in different local churches in Portugal, and they energize the local communities and encourage young people to get involved on both local and national levels.

Enhancing Outreach in High Schools through Provision of Materials – Bamenda, Cameroon
This project hopes to reach 40,000 high school students on 50 campuses with the good news of the Gospel. This will be accomplished by providing free printed materials to young Christian leaders who will share the materials and their faith story, and then challenge others to do the same.

Beyond the Streets: Healing Through Spiritual Principles & the Arts – Houston, Texas
A project designed by students and youth leaders to give the at-risk youth in the community and church a positive, spiritually artistic outlet to deal with their everyday hurts and pains by participating and leading in a comprehensive, therapeutic fine arts program.

CheckPoint: Meeting Point for Children and Families – Chemnitz-ErlÖserkirche, Germany
This project is a new form of being and doing church for those who are not being reached by the traditional church in Hilbersdorf. CheckPoint is a space where children and their families can come to play, participate in sports, get help with homework, have a warm meal, and hear Bible stories. It is run by youth and young adult volunteers of the congregation and from the IMT-International Mission Team.

Coastal Zone Young People’s Program on Christian Witness and Outreach – Cotabato, Philippines
This project will organize the young people of the 4 local parishes and empower them to be faithful and effective witnesses of the saving, transforming love of God in Jesus Christ. They will also be encouraged and assisted in reaching out to the malnourished children and elderly couples in the communities.

Creation Dance Production: Youth and Young Adults Ministry – Milpitas, California, USA
A ministry that will reach out to the community through innovative and cultural dances. In addition, it hopes to create opportunities for spiritual growth and development through small group gatherings, retreats, and leadership development.

Global Young People’s Convocation and Legislative Assembly – Tagaytay, Philippines
GYPC-LA wants to connect United Methodist young people from all over the globe to celebrate who they are and who God is creating them to be. These young people will share their life experiences, struggles, gifts and realities, so that their stories transform the world. GYPCLA also wants to give these young people a legislative voice in the United Methodist church to make positive change.

SOWER First-Steps Youth Mission Adventure – Bethesda, Ohio, USA
“Sharing Our Witness Enriching Relationships” meets the needs of the community with a variety of building repairs, and strives to impact the lives of youth so they can see the importance of building relationships and serving others while serving Jesus Christ.. First-Steps began last year from youth groups who could not commit to a full week of mission work and have never participated in work mission before.

The Big Event – Plano, Texas, USA
An event to engage youth in a larger Methodist Christian Community where they have the opportunity to worship together in a way that inspires them to serve, pray, and study scripture to live as devoted followers of Jesus Christ. This is for all the North Texas Conference Youth, and it hopes to develop and connect leaders to the local church, district and conference leadership opportunities.

Young People Leadership Seminary Project – Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire
A project to create awareness about the leadership issues within the church and society and find ways to approach these issues. It also hopes to encourage and empower young people to become efficient church and social leaders and involves them in their responsibility as leaders in the church.

Youth as Vanguard to Building Peaceful Socio-Political Society – Karim Lamido, Nigeria
This project will encourage youth to serve as a vanguard of peace in the society, to identify areas in which youth could be used to bring a change in an unjust, socio-political society, and to help youth identify their potential as reliable citizens where human dignity is respected.

Youth for Change – Jalingo, Nigeria
A project to educate and mobilize young people on the dangers of HIV/AIDS, empower young people to turn away from substance abuse, and to advocate for peace and conflict resolution for sustainable change and unity among religious and ethnic groups in North-Eastern Nigeria.

Education of Young Christians on Justice and Respect for Church Resources – Sud-Kivu, Democratic Republic Congo
This project aims to create 6 cell groups of young people that will participate in trainings and Bible studies about justice and peace. It will also host several radio broadcasts to spread Christian education, as well as a Bible Contest.

“Greater” Movie Project – Flint, Michigan, USA
The goal of this project is to involve at least 100 youth, 10 local churches, and 10 local businesses to create a full-length movie and use the result to spread the news of Christ across the nation.

Integration of Marginalized People in the Church – Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Congo
This project will organize and educate 100 young leaders about human sexuality, how the issue threatens to divide the Church, and emphasize the importance of living together in the love and grace of God.

Mentoring of Young Students for Adaptation to Foreign Life System at Africa University – Mutare, Zimbabwe
This project aims to provide a support system for incoming students at Africa University that are from different nationalities and facing the challenge of adapting to so many new things; there will be a workshop seminar that gathers students together to share their experiences.

Mission Trip to Hungary – Ministry to the Roma (Gypsy) Population – Princeton, Minnesota, USA
This project will provide a mission trip for a youth group to experience Hungarian and Roma culture, develop leadership skills, experience the lives of marginalized people living in poverty, and share the message of Christ through words, deed, actions, and attitudes.

North Georgia Conference Youth Retreat Leadership Team – Atlanta, Georgia, USA
This project gives youth the opportunity to lead as staff during 1 of 4 retreats hosted by the North Georgia Conference, and the grant would provide a scholarship to cover their cost for the weekend.

Seminar and Advocacy Support for At-Risk Methodist Youth – Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Congo
The goal of this project is to create a seminar for young leaders to develop skills of advocacy with policy makers for social justice and educate the community on social principles.

Training and Awareness on Peace in the Electoral Process in Congo East - Goma, Democratic Republic Congo
Because the lack of access to information and training is the main reason for a decrease in the number of young voters, this project aims to education young people and clarify the electoral process in the country.

Wilder Suden – Karlsruhe, Germany
This project, which translated means, “Wild South” and is led entirely by young people, organizes 6-8 weekend events and 4-5 summer camps each year, where youth from all over Southern Germany come together to have fun together and worship the Lord.

Young United Methodists Action on Witness and Outreach – Iloilo City, Philippines
This project will provide a new evangelism program for the young people in Jaro United Methodist Church to grow in moral and spiritual maturity, and share their faith experiences with each other.

Youth Café Platform Discussion and Action – Samara, Russia
This project facilitates weekly meetings where youth group members of Samara UMC can discuss issues of faith and live, cook and eat together, play, and invite non-believing friends; after developing a strong leadership group, they plan to expand their outreach ministries to young people in need in the community.

The Baton Youth Empowerment Project – Lagos State, Nigeria
This project focuses on teaching young people entrepreneurial skills so that they can then train other young people and receive assistance in setting up their small-scale endeavors.

Evangelism and Discipleship and Leadership Development – Dhaka, Bangladesh
This project will train 200 young leaders in evangelism and discipleship, and from this group, some will help lead the church, some will create Bible study groups, and others will receive computer training for future job opportunities.

I Know English Educational Center – Ryzan, Russia
The goal of this project is to create an educational center that teaches English to full-paying students as well as orphanage graduates and young adults with disabilities; the building would also be available for local churches to use on weekends.

Jesus Ambassadors Prayer and Evangelism Centre – Hohoe, Ghana
This project aims to create a place where youth are taught about Christianity in hopes to change their negative perceptions about Christ, be trained in house to house evangelism, and some will receive start-up funds for small businesses.

Support for Food Production and Capacity Building of 230 Rural Household Youth in the Rural Town of Kingwangala – Democratic Republic Congo
This project will train the local population to better organize its agricultural efforts and increase the food availability for those in need.

Youth Advocacy, Outreach, and Sensitization Against Breast Ironing – Suhum, Ghana
This project seeks to create an open discussion through media campaigns, community awareness, and the use of drama, music and, dance to end a traditional practice that can be physically and emotionally harmful to young girls; a Biblical gospel message is also incorporated throughout the project.

We are happy to provide further information on past Youth Service Fund Projects and encourage you to fundraise and create your own projects as well!