Contact work is a simple principle modeled by Christ and "rediscovered" more than 60 years ago when a handful of men and women who were developing Young Life's methods began showing up at football games, sports practices and local hangouts so they could get to know kids. Contact work is about building relationships and earning the trust and friendship of teenagers.
 
Contact work is also lifestyle, not just a technique. "You are there to care for people for the sake of Christ," says one verteran Young Life staff person. "These relationships are not accidental or coincidental. They are ordained by God."