Are you planning your next church youth group break? We’ve put together some suggestions, to help you all make the most of your time away together.
Select a venue
Find somewhere that will suit your youth group perfectly. Be sure to consider the ages, abilities and needs of your group, alongside what you’re hoping to achieve from your trip. If you’re looking for a residential venue, see if you can hire it for exclusive use, so your group can really spread out and make the space their own. Our Belsey Bridge venue is available for exclusive hire from 80 people. Make sure your venue has lots of indoor and outdoor space, including something to do if the weather forces you all inside for the day! Then look around nearby for any local attractions, activity centres, hiking routes or beaches you could visit.
Choose a name
Give your youth group break the feel of an epic adventure by picking a memorable name. Go for something dynamic and inspiring to make everyone feel engaged, or pick a theme for the trip with a name to suit. Create social media hashtags to share your trip photos, print t-shirts, or order some simple printed keepsakes that everyone can take home with them.
Plan your time carefully
Your itinerary will need to include some flexibility, but it’s a good idea to have a solid plan in place before you go. You don’t want to waste your precious time away feeling disorganised, so plan your group’s activities with 15-minute breaks between them, to allow for changing and moving around. On the day, you’ll need to roll with it. Lost sports kits, illness and bad weather can and do happen! Be prepared to adapt.
Include a variety of activities
Every member of the group will go home from the break with a different favourite memory of their time away, and you need to plan something for everyone. Rock climbing, canoeing, abseiling and archery can be balanced with crafting, photography, scavenger hunts and campfires. Just make sure you have enough volunteers to manage each activity, to keep everyone safe and happy.
Get good at communication
From handing out the first information sheets, to creating packing lists, and most importantly providing updates to parents during the trip, you need to make sure your communications are crystal clear. Set up group emails, private message groups or private Facebook pages, and make sure everyone knows where to find them. Lastly, check that all the families know how to get in touch with you in case of an emergency.
Create space
Your schedule should include some time for group worship, prayer and teaching sessions, but downtime is important too, when you’re supporting young people’s connections with God. Those conversations and connections can happen unexpectedly over hot chocolate in the evening, or while building dens together. Leave space for those sparks.
We’d love to welcome you and your youth group to one of our venues. Please get in touch for more information and to hear about our special offers.
