ProjectYM Mission Base

At ProjectYM, we invest in the adult leaders who are making a difference in the lives of young people – because their ministry matters.

In fact, according to Springtide Research, 24% of young people without an adult mentor in their life say they ‍"never feel their life has meaning or purpose" – no wonder depression and suicide rates among young people are so high! That same study shows that if you add just ONE adult mentor (outside their home) into the life of those young people, that number drops to 6%.

24+1=6

Keeping healthy youth ministry leaders in ministry long term is not just about making disciples, it’s about saving lives.

Over the years working with thousands of Catholic youth ministry leaders, we’ve learned:

1. The longer a youth minister stays at one parish, the stronger that youth ministry program becomes.

2. The biggest reason youth ministers leave ministry is because they feel alone, isolated, and unsupported.

So if we want to build stronger youth ministry programs (and reach more teens with the Gospel), we need to find ways to make sure youth ministers are well-supported.

Our most effective strategy to do just that is built around small, in-person gatherings. During these 4-day events, youth ministers create solutions, dream up big ideas, and collaborate on innovative strategies.  But bigger than any of that – they build community.

When a youth minister leaves a ProjectYM event, they’re not alone – they’re now part of a committed support network that will walk alongside them through the ups and downs of ministry.  That support system, that community, is a game changer – because it keeps ministry leaders in the game years longer.

Over the last 11 years of ministry, we’ve proven that model – but now it’s time to take it to the next level and invest in our own facility to host those gatherings.  Doing so allows us to host, train, and support Catholic ministry leaders more frequently and efficiently.