What is YWAM?
Get to know the global movement we are a part of.
Youth With A Mission
Knowing God and Making Him Known Since 1960.
Youth With A Mission is an international volunteer movement of Christians from many backgrounds, cultures and Christian traditions, dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world.
Also known as YWAM (pronounced “WHY-wham”), our purpose is simply to know God and to make Him known. When YWAM began in 1960, our main focus was to give young people opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus to the whole world, according to His command in Mark 16:15.
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Today, we still focus on youth, but we have members (known as “YWAMers”) of almost every age and many of our short-term efforts have grown into long-term endeavors that have impacted lives and nations.
YWAM has a decentralized structure that encourages exploration of new ways to change lives through training in order to convey the message of the Gospel and care for those in need.
We are currently operating in more than 1,800 locations in over 180 countries with over 18,000 volunteer staff.
18 YWAM Values
The eighteen Foundational Values of Youth With A Mission are the expression of our basic beliefs. These shared beliefs and values are the guiding principles for both the past and future growth of our mission. Some are common to all Christians everywhere; others are distinctive to Youth With A Mission. The combination of these beliefs and our values make up the unique family characteristics of YWAM—our “DNA.” They are values we hold in high regard which determine who we are, how we live and how we make decisions.
