Queens, New York (August 1-8) $280 per student
(1st payment of $50 due on May 6)

Commitment
Each student must attend all mission trip meetings and commissioning service. Each student is part of a team, commissioned to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Fundraising Options
Letters to Family and Friends, Skratchers Fundraising Cards, Pop Can Drive.

Grades: 9 to 12
As one of five boroughs in New York City, Queens is one of the most diverse communities in the world. You can share in these many cultures just by visiting a local restaurant, cultural institution or nature park. Amongst the excitement of the city, there are those who face daily challenges with poverty. Your group can reach out to the urban parts of Queens by serving children, the elderly and others as you partner with local organizations to shine the light of Christ.

Demographics
Cross the East River from Manhattan and you’ll discover Queens, New York on the western portion of Long Island. Queens is geographically the largest borough in New York, and second largest in population with 2.2 million residents. Today, immigrants comprise over 47 percent of Queens’ residents, and it is estimated that by 2010, a majority of its population will be foreign-born. Neighborhoods in eastern Queens have a relatively suburban look and feel, but its western and central sections are home to many urban neighborhoods. Visitors to Queens can enjoy the Queens Museum of Art and the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Park; or head north to Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets baseball team. The Queens economy is based on tourism, industry and trade, but not all residents reap the rewards of these businesses. Nearly 22 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, including nearly 19 percent of those under age 18 and 13 percent age 65 or over. These are the residents who are particularly in need of your love and encouragement. Come and serve in Queens for a diverse experience you’ll never forget.

About the Ministry
Our goal is to partner with local ministries and programs such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, elderly and children centers that seek to address the very basic needs of Queen’s residents. We desire to serve unselfishly, by doing whatever will truly help the community. Also participants will run Kids Club - a hands-on program led by your youth, offering high-energy games, crafts, skits, songs and interactive lessons all designed to help kids learn about Jesus. Depending on the organization’s needs, some participants will spend all four days serving at one location, while others will rotate between ministry sites. At the beginning of the ministry week, once on site, Adult Leaders will work with the Site Director to separate their participants into work crews. Your group will be mixed with the youth from other groups for their week of service. Due to multiple church groups and varying needs of the ministries we partner with, we cannot confirm until all groups arrive on site exactly what service your youth will be involved with. We ask that you come to serve with a willing and flexible spirit.

Activities
Evening activities during a YouthWorks week are designed to give participants insight into the lives of local residents and the culture of the area. Here is a list of possible evening/cultural activities: visit Rockaway Beach; take the subway to Flushing Meadows Park; attend a youth church service; and attend a community cookout. These are examples of what your group might partake in during your mission week. These examples are subject to change due to weather or availability. In case of change, suitable substitutes will be provided. We try to arrange for free evening activities, but from time to time, an additional cost may be required for an activity. Please plan to bring an additional $10 per person to cover any extra costs. We will confirm the details closer to your trip. Ministry Week Serve at local ministries & 2 days of Kids Club (begins late June/early July).

Transportation & Travel
We will be taking the church bus and/or rental vehicles dependent on Youth Works site arrangements.

Additional Information
If you would like more information on what there is to do in Brooklyn and surrounding areas before or after your trip, check out these local travel Web sites: www.nyctourist.com or http://www.nycvisit.com.