The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program invites ELCA young adults ages 21-29 into a transformative, year-long journey in international service. As they offer themselves in service, ELCA young adults are shaped by the witness of our global neighbors. They share in the journeys of companion churches and organizations in one of ten countries around the world.
A year of service through the Young Adults in Global Mission program invites young adults to become the hands and feet of Jesus in the world, providing critical support to ministries and projects in communities of need. It also invites volunteers into a journey of self-reflection, providing them space to consider their sense of identity, God’s work in the world, and their place within it all.
Young adults serve in the spirit of accompaniment, walking alongside global companions in mutuality, interdependence and solidarity. Areas of service include, but are not limited to, health and development, congregational ministry, human rights, education, homelessness, addiction recovery, women’s issues, and children and youth. All site placements provide opportunities for young adults to confront issues of wealth and poverty, racial privilege, economic disparity and globalization, all through the lens of faith.
Candidates for Young Adults in Global Mission apply to the program at large rather than to a specific country. Applicant preferences are taken into account but the final decision about where volunteers serve is made by Global Mission staff and YAGM country coordinators in mid-April. Current YAGM country programs include: Argentina/Uruguay, Australia, Central Europe, Jerusalem/West Bank, Madagascar, Mexico, Nepal, Rwanda, Senegal and the United Kingdom
Applications for the program are open from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15 each year, for service starting the following August.
We are a church that believes God is calling us into the world — together. Come, imagine yourself in the world!
To learn how you can support Young Adults in Global Mission, visit their sponsorship page hereto support YAGM.
For more information contact YAGM at 800-638-3522, ext. 2861, or by email.
Photo by Kristin Opalinski
