Young Episcopalians in Service

YES CO Service Trips for Youth of The Episcopal Church in Colorado, Grades 6-12, with opportunities for recent graduates and young adults

Why YES Trips?

Jesus taught us that when we clothe the naked, feed the hungry and tend the sick, we are serving Christ Himself. Caring for others in loving service is a vital component of Christian practice. Serving others through the support of Christian community is especially important for youth. During adolescence and the years leading up to it, young people are exploring who they really are in the context of peer relationships. We believe that each person is created in God’s image, unique in their own way. For youth to discover who God intended them to be, in Christian peer community, is life changing. Discovering who they are while serving others is even more so. Summer youth trips through Young Episcopalians in Service seek to follow Christ’s command to love our neighbors, and to transform our youth through that loving service.

For more information about YES Trips please contact YES Mission Programs Coordinator, Kimberley Hubbs, at yes@episcopalcolorado.org

Photo from the Rapid City, SD trip, June 2022

YES 2024 Offerings:

  • Spring One Day Mission – March 2, 2024 – Event Completed
  • Summer Service Trip – June 9-15, 2024 – Registration Full
  • Summer Pilgrimage – July 7-12, 2024 – Registration Full

YES is excited to announce the launch of applications and registrations for the 2024 trips. As the YES ministry grows we are excited to begin offering two trips again each summer. These trips now have a newly defined focus which we hope will offer a deeper experience for youth as they journey through self and faith discovery. Pre-pandemic YES trips were defined first by age, middle school and high school, then by location, in state and out of state. After the huge success of this past summers trips and looking at where the YES ministry will go in the future, we are redefining the trips into two areas, Service and Discovery.

Service experiences will be the June week long service trip open to middle and high school youth, ages 12-18. The One Day Mission is also a service experience open to the same age group which offers a one day peek into a day on the week long trip. It also offers a way for our youngest members to become familiar and comfortable with a day in service and hopefully begin to prepare them for the week long experience.

Discovery experiences will be the second trip offering, usually in July. These trips will offer a deeper, more immersive experience for high school youth, ages 15-18. They will rotate in a three year cycle offering three different discovery paths, Leadership, Adventure, and Community. The Leadership trip will be EYE, every third year. Adventure will be the River Rafting trip, which we are offering next summer and Community will be an experience in a communal environment where we can learn and grow sharing in the every day lives of others whose lived experience is very different than our own. The first community trip will be in the summer of 2025. Stay tuned as this experience is developed.

There are 30 youth spots on the NM trip and 22 spots for the pilgrimage. After the energy created by the trips from this past summer there is a new excitement around Colorado for next summers trips. YES received support and funding from all five regions during this grant cycle allowing us to offer more funds to off set the trip costs. It also brings to our attention that the trips may very likely fill quicker this year. We encourage all families to get your applications or registrations in at your earliest convenience to ensure your youths spot. Look for more information to come about informational and trip preparation meetings. This year we will be working to build more connections before we leave on the trips.

We are so excited for this wonderful ministry and for summer 2024. We look forward to you joining us on a trip!

YES Spring One Day Mission, St. Clare’s Ministry at the Epsicopal Church of St. Peter & St. Mary – Event Completed

YES Albuquerque, NM Service Trip 2024 – Registration is Full

YES invites youth from around the state of Colorado to join us June 9-15, 2024 as we travel to Albuquerque, NM to serve the community there. We will be a group of 40 people, youth and adults, who will live in community together for a week. We will serve at various community organizations Monday through Thursday. Friday will be our adventure day where we go explore the local area. The evenings will be filled with fellowship, fun, and formation where we will take time to reflect on our day, build relationships with our fellow missioners, and spend time discovering things about ourselves, God, and the world. We hope you will join us for this fun and impactful trip.

Please click the registration link above to secure you spot on the trip. Please read the instructions on the main page carefully and spend time together, youth and parents, filling out the informational items. Reach out with any questions to yes@episcopalcolorado.org

Looking forward to spending time with you next summer!

YES Summer Pilgrimage 2024 – Registration is Full

YES invites youth from around the state of Colorado to join us for a summer pilgrimage journey where our external journey floating on the San Juan River will open us up to our inner journey with God.

This trip will take place July 7-12, 2024, leaving Denver and beginning at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Mission on Navajo land, through the petroglyph-filled canyons of the Upper San Juan River, and ending in the surrealist landscape of Arches National Park.

This trip is perfect for High School youth, ages 15-18, rising sophomores through graduated seniors, who are interested in nurturing their connection with God, the natural world, and the friendships around them. We encourage youth at all stages of faith and outdoor experiences to consider applying. (being comfortable in the water is required) Applications open December 8th at 5pm.

We will be hosting an informational online meeting on Monday December 11th at 7pm with the trip leaders and river guides for anyone looking for more details. For questions, please email Kimberley Hubbs @ YES@episcopalcolorado.org.

YES 2023 Trip Reports:

Below please find reports, videos, and links to youth reflections from our 2023 events and trips.

One-Day Mission

The One-Day Mission brings youth and leaders from around the diocese together to participate in a half day of service, a meal together, and fellowship. Allowing us to reconnect during the year and also get a feel for what a day on the mission trip is like. This event is open to all youth 6th grade through seniors in high school. Churches are required to send the appropriate number of adult leaders to youth ratio per Safe Church policies. If you are struggling with providing enough leaders for your group, please reach out to Kimberley Hubbs so we can get you covered by partnering you with another church. This is a no cost event so we hope as many churches and youth can join us as possible.

Spring One Day Mission March 2023 at St. Clare’s Mission, Denver

Fall One Day Mission Oct. 2023 at Project Cure, Centennial

Kansas City, MO, June 4-10, 2023

Enjoy our Kansas City Trip Video Report

Follow this link to hear youth reflections as the sermon from Kansas City
Youth Reflections

The Epsicopal Youth Event 2023 – EYE

Youth Reflections on EYE/YES from St. Mike’s, Colorado Springs

EYE Written Report with words from the youth
EYE Full Report

Youth Reflections given as sermons:
Youth Refections from Christ’s Church, CR, start at 14:30
Youth Reflections from All Saints, Loveland, start at 28:00

Youth refection at EYE from Colorado’s own Devyn Hubbs, EYE23 planning team member

Not Familiar with EYE? Learn more about EYE here:

YES, the youth delegates, their families and the delegation leadership thank all our private sponsors, the High Plains, Front Range, Sangre de Cristo Regions, and Bishop Kym Lucas for their amazing financial support for EYE23. EYE had a cost of $1000.00 per person, with your generous support each youth was able to attend for $100.00. Thank you all for making this life changing experience available to so many youth in Colorado.

YES Leadership

The success and safety of every trip is dependent on the skills and experience of adult leaders who accompany the group. They work in right relationship with both youth and adults to take a strong leadership role during the trip. All adult leaders who participate on YES trips should already have relationships with the youth and other adult leaders.  YES is committed to our Episcopal Safe Church Policies which requires a 1 to 6 adult to youth ratio. Church staff, clergy, and youth leaders have all served successfully as leaders on YES trips. Adult leaders must complete Safeguarding God’s Children training and are required to have a current back ground and driving check on file with YES.

For more information about becoming a YES adult leader please contact YES Mission Program Coordinator Kimberley Hubbs