Christian Youth Retreats - Plan Ahead for a Great Experience

By Mark Dubler
Executive Director, Otyokwah Camp & Retreat Center

Christian youth retreats are said to be some of the most significant events in a teen’s life. When teens are taken out of their typical environment and put into a different one, the atmosphere is conducive to reflection, decision-making, and significant personal growth. Unfortunately, not all Christian youths can afford to go to retreats. However, with a bit of creativity and a little elbow grease, a teen can find a way to earn his way to camp.

Many Christian youth retreats take place over a weekend. This article, however, will focus on the week-long Christian youth retreats. These are the ones that teens find “too expensive.” The first thing to do is determine the actual cost to the camper. Remember to keep in mind incidentals, like meals and fuel costs. Once you have the bottom line, check the calendar to see how many weeks there are till the payment due date. Divide the total due by the number of weeks, and calculate how much cash must be earned or raised each week. This makes saving for Christian youth retreats seem more possible. The old adage says you eat an elephant one bite at a time.

Christian youth retreats often offer 3 ways to help a camper afford the cost. These options include: fund-raisers, reduced fees, and scholarships. Fund raisers can take the form of the typical door to door product sales, coupon book sales, or raffles. Still other fund raisers are turned into large events, where the campers volunteer their time to serve at the event, in order to earn money toward Christian youth retreats.

Some families have asked Christian youth retreats and their directors if there is an option of a reduced fee. Sometimes the camp will accept volunteer work hours at the retreat center as barter for all or part of the week’s stay a Christian camp for the youth retreat. It is not uncommon that Christian youth retreats offer scholarships to students because they have financial support from donors.

Obviously, the sure way to earn fees for Christian youth retreats is by good old elbow grease. Teens are able to do many odd jobs. The typical odd jobs for teens include babysitting, yard work, pet sitting, car washing, and snow shoveling. But with a little creativity, there is a job for everyone. It is very rewarding for teens to know that they can earn their own way to any one of many the Christian youth retreats available today.

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Mark Dubler is the Executive Director of Otyokwah Camp & Retreat Center and a Woman's Retreat expert. Check out our great discounts for first-time groups at Otyokwah Camp & Retreat Center.