Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 17:27     Subject: Re:Experience with YoungLife camp
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: I like that YL gives kids the opportunity to have fun without alcohol or smoking, but my daughters say that it tends to attract popular/mean kids. My daughters aren’t involved in high school but one wants to do college YL when she goes to college.


I forgot to add that it also encourages teens to get very close to their adult mentors.


+1

Also if you think kids are not drinking and having sex at YL you are a fool


But it's sex with a godly, caring adult.


lol, good one.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 16:29     Subject: Experience with YoungLife camp
Anonymous wrote:Granted it was almost 20 years ago, but every teen that I knew that went to young life camp lost their virginity at young life camp. Many of them had their second or more partner at the same time or in the same night. No judgement on the acts, just the hypocrisy.


Similar observation but I recall it was mostly the kids who were already with the fast crowd meeting new fast kids. There is not enough supervision at these camps.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 12:12     Subject: Re:Experience with YoungLife camp
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: I like that YL gives kids the opportunity to have fun without alcohol or smoking, but my daughters say that it tends to attract popular/mean kids. My daughters aren’t involved in high school but one wants to do college YL when she goes to college.


I forgot to add that it also encourages teens to get very close to their adult mentors.


+1

Also if you think kids are not drinking and having sex at YL you are a fool


But it's sex with a godly, caring adult.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 12:11     Subject: Experience with YoungLife camp
YoungLife is a cult. Post in a cult forum to get cult advice.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 11:53     Subject: Experience with YoungLife camp
Anonymous wrote:Granted it was almost 20 years ago, but every teen that I knew that went to young life camp lost their virginity at young life camp. Many of them had their second or more partner at the same time or in the same night. No judgement on the acts, just the hypocrisy.


Same. Where I grew up, this was the "popular" kids who were having sex, drinking, and doing drugs and YoungLife was a front.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 07:57     Subject: Experience with YoungLife camp
Granted it was almost 20 years ago, but every teen that I knew that went to young life camp lost their virginity at young life camp. Many of them had their second or more partner at the same time or in the same night. No judgement on the acts, just the hypocrisy.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 02:07     Subject: Experience with YoungLife camp
Anonymous wrote:Unless your child has truly special needs, they will be just fine. Time to start removing the bubble wrap.


This is SUCH a weird take. My kids are basically free range feral compared to 90 percent of people on DCUM and are anything but bubblewrapped but I'm still not like, "heard P.Diddy is going to be out soon, what do you say we send them there for winter break?" No? No way?! And has nothing to do with general freedoms just the common sense you want them to hone. Which they don't need to earn with experience in a cult.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 00:41     Subject: Experience with YoungLife camp
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Former young life leader who now has her own kids. I left the ministry/ evangelical church a decade ago and went back to the Presbyterian church (PCUSA). Going back to a traditional church really caused me to reflect on how important the traditions, rituals, calmness/ order is in living in faith. So example, teaching my family about advent, lent, the epiphany, the church structure, ect.

YL is overstimulating and takes teens on an emotional rollercoaster at a time where they’re already dealing with a lot and sometimes encourage leaders to cross serious emotional boundaries with teens, not to mention you are constantly being asked to fundraise which made me feel icky. If you’re going to have your kids involved I’d make sure you over communicate with the adults involved and supervise closely.


This.is a great explanation of why it was problematic for myself growing up and now my kids. The camps are fun so I signed my kids up to do one but am now backing away from it. Its fun but the fun is actually what makes it problematic. Rather than religion being about doing good for yourself and others, its very emotional and cultish. Getting wrapped up in the emotion and being "all in" rather than exploring religion and actually doing something productive with it.


The fun is PART OF THE TACTICS used to indoctrinate. As a cult expert, I cannot stress enough the importance of people educating themselves about coercive control, indoctrination, cults, and why kids of this age are targeted. PLEASE. Although I am an atheist, this is NOT about religion. Coercive control can happen anywhere, but religion is definitely a place where this type of tactic works exceedingly well. These types of organizations are very alarming, and are designed for one thing only...not to mention they are a tool of religious fundamentalists; the same ones that want to make this a Christian nation and are well on their way to doing so.