Young Life is an evangelical Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado which focuses on young people in middle school, high school, and college. Week-long Summer camps are a major focus, and these have a definite evangelizing aspect. For example, there are large-group “Bible talks” once or twice daily often followed by small-group “cabin time” discussions. And toward the end of the week, the young people are asked to go outside, be alone for 15 minutes, and attempt to talk with or commune with God. Young Life estimates that a third of campers commit or re-commit their lives to Jesus and the Christian faith, with this estimate being based on “how many Bibles we gave out, how many kids went on new believer walk, and those who stood at ‘Say-So.’” The organization was started in Gainesville, Texas in 1941 by Presbyterian minister Jim Rayburn. Young Life operates globally using several different organizations with different focuses. As of 2019, Young Life had chapters in 8,513 schools, with average weekly attendance at 369,600 across the organization. Young Life also has 67,000 volunteers as of 2019. History In 1941, Presbyterian seminary student Jim Rayburn started Young Life. He had been challenged to come up with ways to connect with and reach high school students who showed no interest in Christianity. He began hosting a weekly club which featured one or two skits, as well as a simple message about Jesus. The Young Life website credits the beginning to Clara Frasher, an elderly woman who around 1933 recruited friends to help her pray for teenagers attending Gainesville High School. In 1939, Jim Rayburn who was a young seminarian started a chapter of the Miracle Book Club. He also worked with local pastor Clyde Kennedy. The Young Life approach is to go where teenagers are and make friends with them, thereby earning “the right to be heard.” In the late 1940s at Wheaton College in Illinois, the organization developed its combination of using both paid staff and volunteers. “Campaigners” is a separate Young Life group for teenagers who have dedicated their lives to the Christian faith. Also per Young Life’s website, they have had partnerships with Fuller Theological Seminary, as well as other seminaries. Capernaum is Young Life’s ministry for young people with developmental disabilities. Wyldlife is Young Life’s ministry for middle school students. Camps Numbers and locations Young Life maintains summer camps in 18