Pay it forward for Young Adults in Global Mission! Through the #YAGMForward campaign, you can help bolster this ministry at a key moment in its history, paying it forward for the next cohort of volunteers.

Your support is especially needed right now. While YAGM is unable to send volunteers due to COVID-19 this year, the vital work of this program continues as YAGM country coordinators partner with our global companions during a pandemic. We need your help to sustain and strengthen the YAGM program for the present and the future.

Give a gift to Young Adults in Global Mission in honor of the YAGM Australia country program today. Our goal is to raise $15,000, and you can help us get there! Your gifts will help ensure that this church can continue to accompany our companions, uplift leaders and be church for the sake of the world.

About the YAGM Australia Country Program

The YAGM program in Australia partners with the Lutheran Church of Australia and its affiliates, which include the social service organization Lutheran Community Care as well as some Lutheran schools and camps. There have also been some good conversations exploring partnerships with another church body, the Uniting Church in Australia. A YAGM volunteer in Australia can expect to serve in several primary areas: schools, congregations, camps and social service organizations, with some overlap. All volunteers are expected to involve themselves in a local worshiping community, and some placements include work within a congregation. YAGM volunteers commonly split work time between a couple organizations; the morning might be spent helping out at a church playgroup for young children, the afternoon at a community drop-in center. All YAGM placements in Australia involve work with children in some capacity. Some volunteers might find themselves working more with older children (junior high and high school age), whereas others may find a better fit tending to younger ones. Australians value the “give-it-a-go attitude” — being led into action by a sense of wonder and curiosity. Having the ability to laugh at oneself also goes a long way. The Lutheran population in Australia is generally aging, but all YAGM volunteers are able to build community with folks across different generations.