Contact Contact work is the heart of the Asian Young Life ministry... It means meeting Asian kids on their turf, going where they go, getting involved in their activities, and taking an interest in them. In other words, an Asian Young Life leader establishes "contact" with an Asian American high school kid. This "contact" can take place anywhere: at a local high school, on a basketball court, at a shopping mall, at a restaurant, at Borders... basically, any place where kids hang out. Over time, it is hoped that genuine, "no strings attached" friendships will develop between the Asian Young Life leader and the young people with whom he or she has contact; as these friendships mature, it is further hoped that the leader will "earn the right to be heard," the right to offer advice and insight to his or her teenage friends. Some of these young people may eventually get involved in Asian Young Life, but many do not. That's OK. Asian Young Life leaders initiate these friendships simply to model God's love and to be there for kids. Even kids who never get involved in Asian Young Life nevertheless still recognize their local leader as an adult figure whom they can trust and to whom they can turn in times of need.
Club "Club" is the name Asian Young Life gives to its outreach meetings. Sometimes described as "organized chaos," club typically takes place about four times during the school year on selected Saturday nights. Anywhere from 80 to 150 kids will show up for an hour of crazy skits, fun games (which we call "minutes"), and the singing of popular songs familiar to them on their iPods. The last 10 to 15 minutes of club consist of a brief message given by an Asian Young Life leader on some aspect of God and His relevance in kids' lives. Club opens up a door for kids and leaders to get to know one another and to engage in conversations on what they may have heard at club. For many kids, club is the highlight of their month.
Camp Every summer, we take a busload of Asian American kids to a Young Life camp called Saranac Village for a weeklong program of adventurous activities, entertainment, and inspirational messages. Saranac is only one of 20+ camps owned by Young Life, all of which are INCREDIBLE and are located in places that, in the words of a newsreporter for The Saturday Evening Post, "would make travel agents drool." Saranac Village, for example, sits on a huge freshwater lake in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York and includes parasailing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, sailboats, a hot tub, a 100-foot-long water slide, and a whole lot more.  We strive for excellence in all aspects of our camping ministry because we want kids to experience life from a new perspective. As a result, the term "camp" may be misleading;  it is probably more accurate to refer to these properties as "resorts for teenagers."  Simply put, we want to give kids the best week of their life.   Our Asian Young Life leaders are instrumental in helping kids to get the most out of their week at camp. Our leaders go to camp with kids they know from home and serve as cabin leaders for these kids, joining them in all of the crazy activities and adventures of camp. They also help their high school-age friends to make sense of what they learn while away at camp. For many kids, it is usually at camp that everything comes together for them. The serene environment provides them a perfect opportunity to think about their life and how God fits into everything. It is not uncommon by week's end for many of the kids to take home from camp a newfound relationship with their Creator as well as a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian.
Campaigners After kids come home from camp, many have questions about the Christian faith, so Asian Young Life has established "Campaigners" to help these young people to learn more about Christianity.  Kids often meet in small groups with their Asian Young Life leaders to discuss their ideas and questions about faith and to begin exploring the Bible.  Kids can usually ask and say whatever they want.  The ultimate goal of Campaigners is to get kids to a point in their lives where they can stand firm in their own faith and go on to have a positive impact on the world.  Our Asian Young Life leaders encourage kids to get involved in a local church and to become comfortable with the larger Christian community.  Our leaders also strive to prepare kids for college and to assist them in maintaining and applying their faith in life after high school.