Youth Mission Trips and Safety

I've been doing youth ministry quite a while now-20 years.  And in that time I've never seen the concern for safety of teenagers as strong as it is now.  Much of this is positive-we all want to keep kids safe.  Some of it seems like overkill-more adults don't necessarily make things better.  Still, as leaders of youth mission trips (and everything else we do with our youth group), safety needs to be job number one.  Here are some tips to bring your kids back in one piece when the mission trip's over.

1.    Participate with a reputable missions organization with a good track record of keeping kids safe.  Does your missions organization provide safety materials before the trip for participants and adults?  Are they transparent about their desire to keep kids safe?  Do they tell you what they'll do to make sure kids are safe throughout each day and night?  Do their core values and codes of conduct indicate a spirit of emphasizing safety?  Going with a missions provider is most likely safer than going to an unknown location on your own.

2.   Recruit good adults and screen them and train them.  Our organization now requires a national background check on all adults who participate in our mission camps.  Many churches and many insurance companies also are requiring this as well.  In our case, we categorically exclude anyone with a felony.  Other missions organizations may do it differently, and your church may do it differently.  But a background check reveals things about adults you might not know, because they're not likely to tell you.  Train adults how to be safety officers at all times and know what to look for.  For example: kids might not appreciate the importance of drinking plenty of fluids in the hot sun-so adults can make sure they do.  Adults should be watching for things on construction sites like safe use of tools-especially power tools, electrical wires, safe use of ladders, and removal of debris such as rusty nails and sharp metal.  Adults should be concerned about the safety of the students at all times.  I don't agree that having two adults at all times with students is a necessary rule like it is for some churches, but I do agree it's good for adults never to be alone with a single student.  Let adults know what kind of touch is appropriate and what's inappropriate. A great, new resource for volunteers is the Volunteer's Back Pocket Guide to youth mission trips.

3.   Keep people accountable to the rules.  There are good reasons for things like lights-out times, not straying from the service or living area, and separating guys and girls in the sleeping areas.  It's your job to enforce them.  Every year before I left for our trip, I announced the things that would get you sent home-using alcohol or drugs or anything illegal, or doing anything to harm yourself or the people around you.  I told them I'd looked up the nearest bus station where we were going and how much it cost for them to buy a ticket to come home.  I made this announcement in front of parents, too.  This was all in the covenant they signed.  They knew I wasn't messing around.  Fortunately I never had to send anyone home, but I was ready in case I did (And I was ready to do extensive follow-up after I got home, too.)  Violations of other rules along the way were dealt with accordingly, too.  I was staffing a camp in Puerto Rico when we received complaints of boys shoving other boys in the shower.  This was close to the line of sexual harassment, but we decided the best thing to do was give the boys a stern warning-once more and they were going home.  But first we brought in their youth leader.  She was great, and she insisted she be the one to deliver the warning.  We offered to be with her when she met with them, but she said, "Trust me, you don't want to be there when I talk to these guys."  And we never had a problem with them again.  They even apologized.  That's a good youth leader. 

4.  Do safety training before you leave, and remind people continually during the trip of safety concerns.  At Group where I work, the people who do lifting (like the people in our warehouse) have to take a back safety course every two years.  Taking it once isn't enough.  There's value in getting refresher courses from time-to-time.  So before you go you need to say things before you go like, "The time to get off that hot roof is way before you start getting dizzy."  But remind people on that roof during the trip, too. 

5.   Remember most injuries happen during free time.  At our mission camps, most injuries occur off the service sites and back at the lodging facility.  They happen when people start running, jumping, wrestling, and doing the crazy things kids do.  So don't let your guard down even when the work is done and you're relaxing back at camp. 

6.   Have a safety plan, and show it to adult chaperones and parents before you go.  Who has the first aid kit, and what's it stocked with?  Who's keeping the health and consent forms in case someone gets hurt?  What's the procedure if someone needs to go to the hospital?  Plan for the worst and be ready to act if it happens.  Strange as it sounds, your thoughtful response during an emergency will score you more points with parents and church leaders than anything else you do.  So be ready. 

Mission trips can be powerful experiences of serving others and growing closer to God.  But the things you'll do involve risk.  Your efforts as a concerned leader will reduce the risks and keep those kids you love so much safe and whole.

Toby Rowe has been in youth ministry for 20 years and has helped lead more youth mission trips than he can remember. He has served at two churches and currently is the Mission Program Manager for Group mission trips.