Even if you have scheduled the perfect youth retreat for your group, if the location itself is subpar, then the retreat could be less than anticipated. You must select a location with the amenities and experiences you wish to meet your objectives for your specific youth group.
Also, if you need more funding, then the retreat you wish for may only be a dream. It is imperative that you create a budget for your youth retreat with the church and individual budgets in mind. It does no good to plan the perfect youth retreat and then fail to create a budget for the youth retreat, which results in a high cost that no one can afford to attend.
A retreat can greatly benefit the well-being of your team or ministry. By taking them out of their usual environment and placing them in a new setting, you allow them to reconnect and form closer bonds. Many other factors can make or break a youth retreat, so proper pre-planning is a must for its success.
The retreat center you pick will have a big impact on the success of your retreat, so be sure to do your research and ask the proper questions. If you want to find out if Tekoa Retreats is the perfect place for your next retreat, contact us or visit our website.
Planning A Successful Youth Retreat
Location and budget are only two of the many factors that you have to address before going on a youth retreat. It can be overwhelming. However, this article can assist you with planning your next youth retreat.
Spending time together for an extended period can lead to friendships and fellowship that provide a space for youth to be themselves. Once youth feel comfortable being themselves or that the space is safe, they are more likely to open up about their faith and life experiences.
When those relationships are established, you can encourage more small group discussions and Bible study experiences in which the youth are willing to share their testimonies of faith or their doubts and questions.
You understand the importance of taking your youth group on a youth retreat but have never planned for one. Here is a process that can help you plan your next retreat.
Picking The Right Location Is A Must For A Youth Retreat
You should find the right location before you tackle the many details of planning a youth retreat. Even if you have everything planned well, you may end up in a poor location, and the youth retreat may be less than you had hoped for.
Also, by selecting a location for the retreat ahead of time, you may have other issues planned for you by the venue, such as housing, food, and recreation activities that are offered.
The retreat center you pick will have a big impact on the success of your retreat, so be sure to do your research and ask the proper questions. If you want to find out if Tekoa Retreats is the perfect place for your next retreat, contact us or visit our website.
Youth Retreat Planning Process
Now that you have selected a venue for your youth retreat, you can follow the following process to plan a successful retreat that will meet your objectives and create a life-changing experience for your youth group.
1. Pick A Date For Your Youth Retreat
Schedule your retreat at least three to four months in advance. Even better, schedule it during the year-end planning meeting for your church’s next-year events. Then, at least four months in advance, send the calendar to all your group members, so they have adequate time to plan to attend.
Be sure to keep in mind any major church-wide events that you would want your youth to be a part of and avoid those weekends.
2. Create A Budget For Your Youth Retreat
It is very important that you consider the economic status of the families within your youth ministry before you decide where to go for the retreat and what activities you plan to do. If your end budget cost per person is higher than you think families can afford, then you should look into opportunities for fundraising and sponsorships.
Creating a budget for your youth retreat ahead of time will show that you have considered all the options and have attempted to plan a retreat that meets your ministry’s needs in the most affordable manner. You can then utilize this budget to solicit funding to assist families with costs through fundraising projects and scholarships.
Here are a few ways to save on expenses when planning your budget.
- Create your own registration forms and promotional flyers. If someone on your planning team has the know-how, see if they’ll volunteer to create the promotional items you’ll need.
- Provide buffet style, home cooking for meals rather than restaurant meals. Many venues provide a cook for events for an additional charge. This would be less expensive than having a restaurant cater or having take-out. For an even more frugal option, have several of your leadership team volunteers cook meals for the retreat.
- Choose your location wisely. While it’s lots of fun to hold a retreat at a fancy venue, you can save costs by staying local. Many churches allow their members to use facilities free of charge. If you wish to save money by utilizing a retreat center that handles all aspects of the youth retreat, check out Tekoa Retreats to see what we can do to fit within your overall budget.
- Plan activities that don’t require expensive things. Keep activities simple. Easy crafts, nature walks, and sing-a-longs don’t cost much and are meaningful and fun.
- Adjust the length of your retreat if needed. Rather than a full week, try just overnight or a one-day retreat to keep costs down if your budget isn’t very big.
3. Start A Sign Up For Your Youth Retreat
Once you have figured out your budget, asking families for a deposit to confirm their commitment to the retreat weekend will be a good idea. Even if it is a lock-in, a small deposit can help with any supplies or purchases you need to make ahead of time.
A registration deadline at least two weeks out can also help you plan how many numbers you have. This helps with gathering any supplies or accommodations you need to make for that amount of people.
4. Pick A Theme For Your Youth Retreat
Pick a theme or Scripture that speaks to you. What is stirring in the hearts of your youth at the moment? The possibilities are endless! Pick a Scripture that goes along with the theme but is relatively short. It should be something that the youth can remember easily or have some key points that they can apply to their everyday lives.
5. Create Lesson Goals For Your Youth Retreat
Once you have decided on a theme, what major lessons do you want your students to learn from this? Think about how these lessons can be broken down into small group lessons and/or leader-led messages.
6. Balance Activities During Your Youth Retreat
Once you have started thinking about what your lessons may look like, decide whether you want small group sessions, individual journaling time, and/or large group messages. Having a variety will be helpful for different learning styles; however, this will depend on the size of your group.
In addition to your lessons, take breaks throughout your time together and include some recreational activities. These can be as simple as playing games as a large group, walking outside, etc. Again, some of these decisions will differ based on your location.
The staff at Tekoa Retreats can assist you with planning recreational activities on their property.
7. Create A Schedule For Your Youth Retreat
Finalize your schedule for the retreat. Creating a schedule and making plans will help you identify the length of each activity and how much time you need to allow for it. Having this in mind early on can also help if you have volunteers who may be helping with just a portion of the event and/or if you need a specific space.
8. Plan For Food and Lodging For Your Youth Retreat
If you have already scheduled the venue for your retreat, then most, if not all, of this step has already been done for you. You will need to verify food and housing after you know the number of students and volunteers who will be attending and their specific deity needs or allergies. The staff at Tekoa Retreats are available to assist you with this step.
9. Recruit Volunteers For Your Youth Retreat
Recruitment for volunteers should be started the moment you set the time for the retreat to ensure that you have the help needed. You need to re-evaluate this process when you have a final student count to ensure you have enough adult volunteers who are going with you. Finally, the week before, you need to verify that everyone who signed up to help is still able to go.
10. Pray Before And Evaluate After Your Youth Retreat
Leading up to the retreat, pray for your students and volunteers. Prepare your heart for the weekend. Throughout the weekend, take notice of how your youth are involved and what lessons speak to them. Keep these questions in mind: What worked well? What situations arose that you felt unprepared for? Did lessons seem to resonate with the students? Were there conflicts?
It is important to do a self-evaluation of the weekend, but also check in with volunteers and the youth about things that you may want to change for next time. Most importantly, observe if your youth seem to demonstrate the theme from the retreat in their everyday lives.
Tekoa Retreats Can Assist You In Planning Your Next Youth Retreat
Western North Carolina is a magical place of high mountain peaks and deep, hidden valleys filled with rushing rivers and streams full of trout and cascading waterfalls. The Blue Ridge Parkway travels through the area. Great portions of the landscape are within protected government lands in the form of national forests, state and local parks, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The region is the perfect location to go to for your youth retreat because of all of the natural wonders to explore, as well as the many exciting attractions located throughout the region. There are many youth camps in the region; however, Tekoa Retreats in Hendersonville has all you need for your next youth retreat.
Tekoa Retreats Is The Perfect Youth Retreat Venue In Western North Carolina
Camp Tekoa is a summer camp and conference center located in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, near Hendersonville. Tekoa is owned and operated by the Western NC Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Tekoa offers a wide variety of summer overnight, adventure, and day camps for boys and girls. These include elementary day camps, mini camps, and overnight camps for elementary, middle school, and high school students. Tekoa also offers adventure camps for middle and high school students.
Our mission is "Touching hearts, changing lives, sharing the light of Christ." Our camps encompass that mission statement in all that we do.
Tekoa Retreats Accommodations And Adventures In Western North Carolina
Tekoa Retreats offers a beautiful, forested campus surrounding a three-acre lake. The accommodations include secluded cabins, lodges, and a dining hall with a capacity of 350 people.
The property is loaded with fun outdoor adventures, including the high ropes course, bouldering wall, lake zipline, disc golf course, basketball courts, and hiking trails.
There's no better place for a retreat than in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Camp Tekoa is the place for Touching Hearts, Changing Lives, and Sharing the Light of Christ! Let us host your next group retreat, picnic, school or community function, college or youth retreat.
Camp Tekoa is located at 211 Thomas Rd. Hendersonville, NC 287139. Our phone number is (828) 692-6516. If you want to find out if Tekoa Retreats is the perfect place for your next retreat, contact us or visit our website.