Summer Camp holds some of the funniest, most encouraging, and biggest life-change moments we encounter in youth ministry. The kid who drank the entire pitcher of leftovers in the cafeteria, the leader who broke an ankle taking rec a little too seriously, and the girl who was so angry at her mom for signing her up accepting Christ during night three chapel. God uses camp in a really unique way to draw His kids close to Him.

The impact camp makes is undeniable. We’ve all seen it–and many of us have experienced it ourselves. But the orchestration of an amazing week often requires months of planning.

To help you take this year’s camp to the next level, here are some resources to add to your program as well as lessons and insights from our decades of camp experience:

The Details

• Summer Camp Counselor Toolkit
• Summer Shirts
• Threads Camp
• View All

Cool Countdowns

• Did You Know? Countdown Clock
• The Ultimate Green Screen Countdown Video Package
• Magic Countdown Video
• View All

Next Level Fun

• DIY Helmet of Shame
• Humans VS Zombies
• DIY Foam Pit
• View All

Blog posts to help you with all things camp…

We combed through our blog to find the posts that we thought would be most helpful.

• How I Had 80% of My Students Register for Camp on the First Day
• Help Students Keep the Camp High
• How to Build and Keep Momentum All Year Long From Summer Camp
• How to Communicate with Parents by Text While You’re Away at Summer Camp
• Summer Camp Rules Street Magic with Mavid Lane
• Things to Think Through When Planning Sermon Series, Camps, and Curriculums
• Questions to Ask Summer Camp Volunteers
• 3 Things to Do Right After You Get Back From Camp
• Letter to Parents After Summer Camp
• Fun Twitter Campaign Idea for Summer Camp
• Making the Most of Cabin Times
• Get Your Senior Pastor to Help Promote Camp

Podcasts to help you with all things volunteers…

We combed through the podcasts in our network to find the episodes that would be most helpful.

From The DYM Podcast:

• Episode 52 (start at 30:12 for tips on how to keep camp costs down)
• Episode 87 (start at 19:18 for tips on student freedom at camp)
• Episode 125 (start at 27:56 for tips on running your own camp)
• Episode 138 (start at 7:09 for tips on activities for camp)
• Episode 157 (start at 28:29 for tips on the cost of covering your own camp)

From Youth Ministry Hacks:

• Episode 06: Hacks on Building a Great Summer Camp Culture with Brian Howard and Dayne Scanlon
• Episode 18: Hacks on Running Your Own Camp With Brett Eddy

From 15 Minutes with Frank:

• Episode 33: Youth Ministry Summer Camp Reunion Nights (start at
• Episode 58: Camp Scholarships and Sex (start at 13:37 for tips on scholarships for camp)
• Bonus Episode: Youth Ministry Summer Camp Resources

Videos to Help Train Your Leaders…

In this video from DYM’s Leader Training Library, learn from Doug Fields and help your leaders maximize every minute God has gifted them with the students He chooses for your next trip.

We know full-well how important volunteers are to our ministries. These leaders are how we multiply ourselves so each student has a caring adult in his or her life. These are the people who show up early and leave late, who are willing to take a pie in the face for the team, who know students’ stories and are on a first-name basis with parents.

At least, that’s the dream…

Recruiting and training new leaders, helping them catch the ministry vision, equipping them to lead small group, camp cabins, and ministry teams…all the while caring for, supporting, encouraging and inspiring them to show up and keep showing up (especially during that seemingly never-ending period between spring break and summer) — it’s all easier said than done.

We get it.

Let us help you create a volunteer culture that’s as legendary as you are!

Along with our Leader Training Library and DYM University, we’ve gathered up some of our downloadable resources, blog posts, and podcast episodes to help you win with volunteers.

Build A Vision

• Leadership Team Resource Bucket
• Monthly Training Template
• Volunteer Toolbox
• View All

Build Your Team

• Volunteer Job Descriptions
• Volunteer Process Pack
• Volunteer Starter Pack
• View All

Train Your Team

• Leader Basic Training
• Volunteer Youth Ministry: A Roadmap for Effective Leadership
• As One
• View All

Equip Your Team

• Small Group Nuts and Bolts
• Defining Deep
• Small Group Administration Tools
• View All

Blog posts to help you with all things volunteers…

We combed through our blog to find the posts we thought would be most helpful.

• 5 Keys for Training Adult Leaders
• Things Your Best Leaders Do
• 5 Indicators Your Volunteers are “All In”
• 7 Strategies to Get More Volunteers for Your Youth Ministry
• One Thing We Can’t Forget With Our Volunteers
• 3 Truths You Have to Know About New Volunteers
• How to Show Your Volunteers Value
• Let Your Volunteers Have More Skin in the Game

Podcasts to help you with all things volunteers…

We combed through the podcasts in our network to find the episodes that would be most helpful.

From The DYM Podcast:

• Episode 227: The GOOD Volunteer Show
• Episode 228: The WORST Volunteers
• Episode 287: Perception, Volunteers, and Bible Translation (start at 24:15 for how to handle flaky volunteers)
• Episode 306: Successful YM, Solid Volunteers (start at 23:59 for tips on volunteer experience)

From Youth Ministry Hacks:

• Episode 11: Hacks on Turning Glorified Babysitters into Real Authentic Leaders (start at 15:37)
• Episode 10.5 Mini-Sode Hacks on Volunteers with Frank “The Beard” Gil (start at 7:03)

From 15 Minutes with Frank:

• Episode 14: Youth Ministry Volunteer Training (start at 15:10)
• Episode 42: Determining Your Youth Ministry Wins with Your Leaders (start at 18:11 for tips on how to help leaders see tangible wins in your ministry)
• Episode 47: Leader Meetings and a Fun Game (start at 14:46 for Frank’s outline of a typical leader meeting)

Videos to Help Train Your Leaders…

In this video from DYM’s Leader Training Library, learn from Karl Romeus about how to help your leaders “set the temperature” of the room so students have a personal encounter with Jesus.

Be on the lookout for more Help Me With posts in the future!

I can vividly remember a handful of times in junior high and high school when a leader looked me in the eyes and told me he or she believed in me. They saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself. They let me take risks. They gave me responsibilities and watched me succeed… and sometimes they let me fail. They walked with me through my moments of great celebration and coached me through moments of embarrassment.

The time they took to develop me as a leader not only made me feel loved and valued… it was also instrumental in developing my walk with Jesus.

When we as youth workers invest in students and give them opportunities to lead, we spark something in them that has lasting results. We at DYM know Student Leadership is a time-consuming venture, so we want to equip you with tools and tricks to invite students to lead, set you up for successful student leader meetings, and offer some ideas for projects to get them dreaming.

Even if you don’t have an existing student leadership program, there are students in your ministry just waiting for someone to pour into them. Below are some of our favorite downloadable resources, blog posts and podcast episodes to help you take your student leadership program to the next level.

Nuts and Bolts

• Student Leadership Essentials Pack
• Student Leadership Application
• IMPACT Student Leadership Program
• View All

Leadership Experiences

• All About: You Own the Weekend
• Student Leadership Retreat Bundle
• Wheel of Service
• View All

Teaching Series

• 5 Student Leadership Messages
• Next: Why Church?
• #livelikeleaders

Individual Teachings

• Student Leaders Look Forward
• Student Leaders Stick With Truth
• Student Leaders Know Who They Are Leading
• View All

Blog posts to help you with all things events…

We combed through our blog to find the posts that we thought would be most helpful.

• Student Leadership Team Basics: Why?
• Student Leadership Team Basics: 6 Things to look for in student leaders
• Student Leadership Team Basics: The Interview
• How My Student Leaders Hosted the Christmas Party Without Me
• How to Have Student Leaders Actually Impact Your Ministry
• Struggles in Student Leadership – Favoritism

Podcasts to help you with all things events…

We combed through the podcasts in our network to find the episodes that would be most helpful.

From The DYM Podcast: 

• Episode 106 (start at 5:13 for an inside look at the Student Leadership Conference)

From Youth Ministry Hacks:

• Episode 22: Hacks on Student Leadership with Jen Bradbury

From Mentor Me:

• Episode 8: Doug Franklin

PLUS we just released this NEW DYMU Course, Developing Student Leaders with Doug Franklin, President of LeaderTreks, designed to help you and your adult leaders feel confident to develop student leaders in your ministry!

The quickest way to get a room of teenagers giggling and squirming in their seats is to mention the word sex…or anything to do with sex…or anything that even sort of sounds like the word sex.

In the sexually-charged culture we live in, students are exposed to many points of view on the subject and we, as youth workers, want our students to hear God’s truth–to help guide them towards His best for every area of their lives, including their sex life, sexuality, and sexual desires.

And we know teenagers aren’t the only ones who might be a little uncomfortable talking about sex, we rounded-up some of our favorite downloadable resources, blog posts and podcast episodes to help you tackle this tough topic. 

Teaching

• Deal Breakers
• Waiting, Dating, and Mating
• Birds and Bees
• The Pursuit
• Him & Her
• God, Guys & Girls
• View All

Games

• Romance Or… (Bromance/Womance)
• Battle of the Sexes
• Bizarre Mating Rituals
• Sirioke Love Songs
• Know it Or Throw it: Sweetheart Edition
• The Mating Game
• View All

Complete Programming

• Single Pringle
• Super Sexy Super Pack
• What is Love?

More Help

• Help! My Son is Looking At Porn
• The Porn Problem
• Adolescence, Sexuality, and Parenting
• View All

Blog posts to help you talk about all things sex and dating…

We combed through our blog to find the posts that we thought would be most helpful.

• Sex/Relationship Series Spring 2017 Debrief
• Sex, Purity and Relationships Panel in Saddleback’s High School Ministry
• Three Things NOT to say in your sex talk: sexy clothing
• Three Things NOT to say in your sex talk: virginity
• Addressing Sex and Porn… but from another perspective

Podcasts to help you talk about all things sex and dating…

We combed through the podcasts in our network to find the episodes that would be most helpful.

From The DYM Podcast:

• Episode 287: Perception, Volunteers and Bible Translation (start at 8:43 for tips on how to talk to middle schoolers about sex)

From Youth Ministry Hacks:

• Episode 20: Hacks on Counseling Student’s Sexual Sin with Aaron Crumbey (Saddleback LA) & Youth Pastors and Porn with Craig Gross (XXX Church)
• Episode 1: Hacks on Talking About Porn, Homosexuality; Other Tough Topics 

From 15 Minutes with Frank:

• Episode 56: Blonde Flat White is a Gross Drink (start at 12:24 to hear how Frank is utilizing Derry’s Super Sexy Pack)
• Episode 57: Play Dough and Sermons on Lust (start at 5:38 to hear how Frank programmed for his youth group talk on porn)

Be on the lookout for more Help Me With posts in the future!

Every moment we spend with students is an opportunity to create a memory. As youth workers, we hope the memories that stick are of those in which they felt loved and known, but we know that it’s often laughter that helps us break down walls and build trust that leads to the vulnerability which results in life change. Which means that, sometimes, the starting point for a student being open to receiving the gospel is watching you get hit in the face with a dodgeball.

Fun is essential to great youth ministry, but it it’s easier said than done. Let us help you round-out your Spring (and maybe even Summer!) calendar with trench-tested events… without shouldering the creative process alone!

We gathered up some of our favorite downloadable resources, blog posts and podcast episodes so you can spend more time perfecting your bob-and-weave and less time mapping out the court. 

Already have your calendar planned?! Way to go! Check out tips and tricks from the DYM Bloggers and Podcast Hosts for making the most of every event–from planning to execution!

Event Nuts and Bolts

• Twelve Week Event Promotional Checklist
• Event Prep Kit
• The Party Planner
• View All

Big Events

• NERF WARS Event Package
• PAINT WAR Event Super Pack
• Survivor Lock-In
• View All

Fun Nights

• The Movie Discussion
• Ready To Go Game Night
• Car Rally Scavenger Hunt
• Napoleon Dynamite Interactive Experience
• Selfie Scavenger Hunt
• Dodgeball Event Kit
• View All

Worship Nights

• ACTS of Prayer
• A Journey With God
• Spiritual Formation Experience
• View All

Guys/Girls Retreats

• Man-Made Guys Retreat
• Night Out with Jesus
• Parent-Teen Day
• View All

Blog posts to help you with all things events…

We combed through our blog to find the posts that we thought would be most helpful.

• 4 Rules to Follow to Make Sure Break-Even Events Actually Break Even
• The Most Important Thing After an Event
• The Best Thing We Do All Summer 
• The Single Most Effective Way of Inviting Students to Events
• Why People Will Show Up To Your Next Event
• Why We Only Do Events on Wednesday Nights
• 6 Tips for Putting on Events

Podcasts to help you with all things events…

We combed through the podcasts in our network to find the episodes that would be most helpful.

From The DYM Podcast:

• Episode 69 (start at 13:15 for tips on how to price your events)
• Episode 97 (start at 20:01 for tips on event planning strategy)
• Episode 160 (start at 28:59 for tips on how to pick volunteers for events)
• Episode 306: Successful YM, Solid Volunteers (start at 6:30 for taking over a ministry and what events/programming to invest in)

From Youth Ministry Hacks:

• Episode 21: Hacks on Running Effective Big Events (start at 16:45 for what makes a gospel/event night effective or skip ahead to 20:45 to hear the hacks on running big events)
• Episode 23: Hacks on The Review Process (start at 8:23 for hacks on the review process for events and programming)

From 15 Minutes with Frank:

• Episode 04: Laser Tag & Youth Ministry (start at 9:40 for tips on running your own in-house laser tag night)

Be on the lookout for more Help Me With posts in the future!

As youth workers, we know that missions matter to the heart of God. We also know that it’s essential for students to serve as their faith becomes their own. We might just be a little less confident that we can take a group of teenagers somewhere without losing one of them, having to clean up the repercussions of a carsick Johnny, or make sure no one does anything so culturally offensive that we get sent packing.

Because missions matter we at DYM want to help all the details feel a little less intimidating and more doable. Whether you’ve taken students on a trip before or are just looking into what it might take, we gathered up some of our favorite downloadable resources, blog posts and podcast episodes to help make the planning process a no-brainer for you. Looking to serve locally this year instead of planning a trip? We’ve got resources for that too. Let us help handle the nuts and bolts of missions so you can focus on helping your students grow. 

All-In-One Kits

• Mission Trip All-In-One Toolbox
• Mission Trip Nuts and Bolts
• Mission Trip Organizer
• View All

Before You Go

• Imprint: Training for Your Team
• Mission Trip Checklist
• 2-Minute Stories
• View All

Mission Trip Devotionals

• Encourage: Missions Trip Journal
• Oh, What a Week! Mission Trip Devotional
• Heart Work for Hard Work: Mission Trip Devotions
• View All

Serve Locally 

• Mission Trip To Your School
• Salt & Light Challenge
• Summer of Missions
• View All

Blog posts to help you with all things missions…

We combed through our blog to find the posts that we thought would be most helpful.

• 10 Questions to Help Parents Decide Whether Or Not Their Child is Ready for an International Mission Trip

• 5 Thoughts On Leading Students On A Mission Trip

• The 4 Types of Students on Every Mission Trip

• Thoughts on Mission Trips

Podcasts to help you with all things missions…

We combed through the podcasts in our network to find the episodes that would be most helpful.

From The DYM Podcast:

• Episode 65 (start at 51:20 for tips on trip discipline)

• Episode 310: Single in YM, Side Hustle, and Missions Trips (start at 14:48 for tips on mission trip covenants)

• Episode 311: Katie’s Back! (Start at 14:38 to hear about the trip she takes students on to Rwanda every year and what makes it magical)

From 15 Minutes with Frank:

• Episode 11: Youth Ministry Mission Trip Training (start at 6:23)

Coming soon: a round-up of our most helpful resources on events, student leadership, events, and more.