I didn’t do YL in high school but I have several friends who did it through high school and college. A couple of those people are now staffers. Not in the DC area, but the YL here is really chill and open minded—not especially preachy or born-again ish. It seems to be a mentor/socialization heavy organization. I’ve helped out with some of the activities, kayaking, dodgeball tournaments, etc. For those events, the format seems to be: do an activity, eat food, 20 something year old tells a story about Jesus or the Gospel in a modern telling, kids go home. I know that one friend goes to meet with some kids she mentors and goes to their sporting events, etc. From the perspective of knowing staff, I wouldn’t classify it as cultish. Staffers hang out with people of different faiths, orientations, and aren’t super wrapped up in their jobs to an obsessive degree.

Hope that helps, OP

Anonymous wrote:I was stalked and pressured in high school by Young Life and later in college by Navigators. They really were a love bomb cultish thing and I encourage kids to stay clear unless they already come from an evangelical family- making this type of thing something more akin to their culture.

These groups do recruit

I was briefly involved with Navigators early in college, in part due to my evangelical roommate. It inspired me to learn more about my faith (I was raised mainline Protestant), but probably not in the way Navigators intended--after my investigations led me to trying to figure out why the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, I decided the Jews knew what they were on about. Fast forward a few years and I ended up converting Orthodox. So I guess I was sort of "unsaved" by Navigators. I've always found it kind of amusing.

I am in my late 20s and was involved in YL in high school (graduated in 2008) so maybe more recently involved than some of you?

I grew up in Delaware and went to a high school similar to Wilson - very diverse. I was an athlete and honor roll student.

Most of the popular kids/athletes were involved in YL. We definitely still drank on weekends, beach week, etc. YL gatherings included anyone who wanted to join, freshman through seniors. Usually our meetings were sing-alongs, funny skits, hang outs. Maybe a prayer at the end but nothing preachy.

I went to YL camp over the summer. IT WAS AMAZING! Bike riding, skits, music, team building, the "blob", rock climbing, rope swings, and other teens from all over the east coast.

The leaders build you up by being so fun and approachable and make you feel included and then hit you towards the end of the week by telling you to give yourself to Jesus. I specifically remember them using the analogy that god has a file cabinet on everyone and everything you have ever said, thought, spoken, whatever, was known to him. Ask for forgiveness and he will erase all of the bad things you have ever done. It felt culty to me.

They told us to find a spot on camp grounds where you can be alone and commit yourself to Jesus. It felt culty to me.

I stopped going after that.

I was raised a Catholic, I'm atheist now.

Recognizing that YL chapters vary from school to school, one thing I appreciate about YL in retrospect is that the youth leaders always treated all the kids with respect, including (if not especially) the kids who weren't as popular or as strong academically. High school in this area can be cut-throat (parents with high expectations, and kids with their own social pecking orders), so it was meaningful to see adults generally treat "average" kids with respect and kindness. I was a strong student and hung out with different groups in high school, but I think participating in YL made me a better person.

Totally depends on the local chapter. I attended in highschool in the 1980s in a large southern city. In my school all the "jocks" and cheerleaders went and some regular kids as well. Some kids took it seriously and didn't drink and went every week. Others, like me, didnt take it seriously and partied and went occasionally. I never felt any pressure either way. I grew up Catholic FWIW and went to CCD every week in grade school and was confirmed in 8th grade.

I did YL as a college student and enjoyed it. I met people from all walks of life and worked hard in the kitchen serving meals to the campers and with teen moms. I’m now a med student who isn’t really religious but it really helped put into perspective different life experiences. I also echo the protective factor- I never really drank all through college and married young to a wonderful man as a virgin. At clinics now when I see the extent of STIs I’m sooo happy I was involved in these groups as a teenager. I don’t fully agree with purity messaging but hey, I’m not upset with how that worked out for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a current Young Life leader in Frederick. I'm 29, with 2 young kids and married, so not a college age kid living at home with my parents. I was involved throughout middle and high school, and stayed involved throughout my adult life before becoming a leader again.

I am not evangelical Christian, I am presbyterian.

If you tell me your city/county, I can give you the contact information for the Area Director, the adult that is in charge of the college age/ young adult leaders and finances/ etc. He or she would be MORE than happy to speak or meet with you about any/all concerns!

This is very cool of you to join the thread and offer to share info. Thank you.

Was just curious...is your DH (or DW if you are a man) also a YL leader? I know back in the 80s it was a requirement that if you were a YL leader and married, your spouse also had to be one too or you had to cease being a leader. Is that still the case? And do you know what the rationale behind that is? (I'm assuming it's so that YL doesn't cause some sort of friction or imbalance in the marriage....sort of like if you do drugs, your spouse should also be a druggie or there's gonna be issues! LOL....but, you know...not EXACTLY like that!)

Hi My DH is not a leader, and has never been involved in YL. When I was a student in young life, we had a couple married leaders, and only one of them had a spouse who was also a leader, and they lead at a different school. I don't know the rationale behind that, because it didn't seem to be a rule (I attended in southern VA, and in MD)

Anonymous wrote:I'm probably younger than most of you and was in YL during the current century For the record:

- I did not grow up in a church
- I did not want to drink, do drugs or be sexually active in HS
-YL gave me a group of friends with similar values and it was a great safe place to NOT have to fit in with the fast crowd.
-my experience was positive and kept me out of trouble and never put me in a situation that I was uncomfortable in.
- The YL kids in my high school were definitely the "good kids" who were never in trouble.

I'm very grateful that YL allowed me a safe social setting to be a kid and not feel pressured to do grown up things.

This was my experience as well and I am a man. As I've watched the Kavanaugh hearings, I think back to my HS experience as a young man and am so grateful I was never even remotely in a situation where I could have been impaired and made a life altering bad choice.

I can't say enough great things about YL ---- not for the typical teens, but for those with special needs. Our two older girls were busy with high school and activities including related to our Catholic faith. YL's special program called Capernaum was actually started by parents whose daughter was in a wonderful program out of state and some other adults. Right from the start a decade ago it was a wonderful outlet for teens and young adults with a wide range of special needs and religious backgrounds. In fact until the state YL folks said it had to limit YL members to age22, about half were mid 20s - 30.as it met such a social and positive outlet. Volunteers came from high school, college, single adults and even young families to run the now monthly gathering year-round for young adults age 22 - mid 30s. It is a faith sharing community in a positive, activity based sense with a focus on friendships.


I would say YL is a very positive and enriching activity for teens in broadening their knowledge of other people. And in today's world with the continued debasement of values, it is one counter balance. Forba young adult with special needs, whose social world often shrinks after high school, it is simply wonderful all around. I would encourage college age youth to participate as program leaders, too. There is now a yearly dance following the Tim Tebow Foundation in February for close to 100 which takes over 200 volunteers to pull off and really demonstrates the strength of YL as it is an outgrowth.

We wouldn't let our kids go into YL. Google YL. Where there is smoke there is fire.

We wouldn't let our kids go into YL. Google YL. Where there is smoke there is fire.

In college I met some people who had done Young Life through Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship. The IVCF group at my school leaned evangelical in theology and culture but was relatively inclusive, with a good number of mainline Protestants and some Catholics, and people who had varied interests and social lives. There were other, more extreme conservative Christian groups on campus which presumably the Young Life graduates could have joined if they had wanted to. I hope you'll take Frederick YL leader up on his/her offer.

The YL kids at my FCPS high school in the early 00s were the popular jocks who DEFINITELY drank, had sex, etc. It was super cliqueish. The groups vary by area apparently.

Anonymous wrote:I am a current Young Life leader in Frederick. I'm 29, with 2 young kids and married, so not a college age kid living at home with my parents. I was involved throughout middle and high school, and stayed involved throughout my adult life before becoming a leader again.

I am not evangelical Christian, I am presbyterian.

If you tell me your city/county, I can give you the contact information for the Area Director, the adult that is in charge of the college age/ young adult leaders and finances/ etc. He or she would be MORE than happy to speak or meet with you about any/all concerns!

This is very cool of you to join the thread and offer to share info. Thank you.

Was just curious...is your DH (or DW if you are a man) also a YL leader? I know back in the 80s it was a requirement that if you were a YL leader and married, your spouse also had to be one too or you had to cease being a leader. Is that still the case? And do you know what the rationale behind that is? (I'm assuming it's so that YL doesn't cause some sort of friction or imbalance in the marriage....sort of like if you do drugs, your spouse should also be a druggie or there's gonna be issues! LOL....but, you know...not EXACTLY like that!)

^^^oh and to add I never once heard the word homosexuality uttered at any sort of YL event or camp. As a matter of fact my best "girlfriend" was a homosexual boy who was also a member of YL.