Youth Worker Appreciation Day - Youth Specialties

We are thrilled that you have expressed an interest in Youth Worker Appreciation Day.  In working with youth workers (both paid and volunteer) we have found that many youth workers feel isolated, under equipped, and only rarely affirmed. This special day (or weekend) presents a great opportunity for your congregation to say "thank you" to those servants of God who have made difference in your church.

If possible, we would encourage you to join us in setting aside some time in your Sept 7th worship service to show publicly how much you appreciate the adults that minister to the students in your church.

Youth Specialties will be lending its support through Press Releases, email blasts and partnering with over 100 local Christian stores (on Saturday, Sept. 6th) to make sure that youth workers across the nation know that they are appreciated.

The following ideas are suggestions to help you with your promotion and implementation of your Youth Worker Appreciation Day. With your imagination, the possibilities are endless!

Ideas for Sept 7th

• Set aside some testimony time for students, parents and other adults to share publicly the joy that youth workers have made in the lives of the students in your congregation.
• Download and use A Service for the Start of the School Year and Youth Workers Prayer.
• Download and use the videos. We’ve created four videos that can be used in a worship setting.
• Give framed Certificates to all of your youth workers.
• Create some special awards to highlight some great "stories". Some ideas: Volunteer of the year, Beyond the call of duty, My Casa Sui Casa, or the Lifetime achievement award

Additional ideas:

• Everyone loves gifts!  Some ideas: gift cards for I-tunes, Blockbuster, Netflix, etc.
• Take a surprise bag of groceries to help "re-stock" their pantry with snacks that mostly likely, your student has helped to eat them out of house and home!  Chips, dip, sodas, etc.
• Offer Free babysitting so that a youth worker can go on a date with their spouse!
• Hand written notes of appreciation from your students and congregation
• Over 2/3 of all youth workers pay "out of pocket" for their own resources or training --- help them out with a subscription to Youth Worker Journal, Group Magazine, or Journal of Student Ministries
• Underwrite and sponsor their way to the National Youth Workers Convention this fall or a spring training event.
• Sponsor a meal
• Provide the funds for a night of fun for youth workers (like Putt-Putt). Let them have fun together without students!
• Start a "resource fund" or give Gift Certificates to your local Christian Book store so that a youth worker can purchase books or resources that help them with either their ministry or help care for their soul.
• Suggest canceling youth group sometime - give them a night off!

Volunteer to help clean up after the next event...or better yet, become a regular volunteer!