Military-Connected Youth
The lives of members of the military and their families are extraordinarily difficult. There are approximately 1.6 million military children, ages of 11-18, of active-duty members worldwide. The majority of military families will move up to three times more than their civilian counterparts. The continual separations between parents and children and increased hazards of deployment create high anxiety in many military children’s lives. The same report states that one third of school-age military children show psychosocial behaviors such as being anxious, worrying often, and crying more frequently than children who are not connected to the military lifestyle.
YFC Military
For Youth For Christ the statistics emphasize the importance of their Youth For Christ Military outreach. Designed to be a place for young people connected to the military to feel like they belong, YFC Military is uncovering God’s story of hope in the next generation of military-connected young people. YFC partners with local chaplains, churches, schools and other like-minded organizations to reach military-connected youth through unconditional, authentic Christ-sharing relationships.
“Military life requires sacrifice, and military-connected youth proudly join in their family’s tradition of sacrificing for the good of strangers. But frequent moves and living life in the absence of a deployed parent is tough. As a result, military-connected youth often feel overlooked and struggle to find where they belong. This is why YFC Military is so important for these young people. Something powerful happens when these amazing young people feel heard, seen and believe they belong.”
-Jacob Bland, YFC USA President and CEO of YFC
In their own words
Several YFC Military staff members, volunteers, and youth commented on the outreach
- “YFC was a safe place for all of us to be open and honest and share what we were going through.”
- “Come as you are and we will show you the love of Jesus…’ It’s a value I learned through YFC.”
- “I love being able to serve kids wherever God, via the military, takes me!”
