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Table of Contents 5 Simple Steps to Maximize your Trip to UNSHAKEABLE...3 UNSHAKEABLE Parent Letter...6 Preparing for the Outreach Experience...7 Quick Tips for Conference Fundraising...8 How to Raise $120 in 7 Days!...9 10 Ideas for Your Road Trip to Conference...10 3 Important Housekeeping Items...11 2
5 Simple Steps to Maximize your Trip 1 Step 1 Plan and Evaluate Set up a meeting with your lead pastor or church leadership as soon as possible to talk about your interest in the conference and how it aligns with your church s mission. For help with this, check out the About section of the UNSHAKEABLE site. Once you get the go-ahead from your church leadership, brainstorm and pray with your adult leaders about how many students and which students you would like to take to the conference. Dream big! Write down important dates in your calendar including the conference dates (these can be found on your conference city page), what day you will be leaving (if you will road trip), student deadlines, when you would like to purchase your registration, etc. Plan your timeline for when you will announce it to your students and how/when you will collect registrations. Remember that the earlier you purchase your tickets, the better chance you have to save money by taking advantage of discounted pricing! Plus, this event can fill up fast, so don t wait to get registered. 2 Step 2 Promote and inspire Tell your students about the UNSHAKEABLE conference! Help them see the reasons you want your group to attend, give them a vision for the ways it could impact them and their friends. You can use the UNSHAKEABLE promo video as a visual aid. Tell your students parents about the event. You can use the UNSHAKEABLE Parent Letter located in this Conference Planning Guide to send out in an email or home with your students. Incorporate the Pre-Conference Curriculum as you begin to promote the event to help your students connect with the concepts and get excited about attending. Encourage your students to invite their friends to the conference. Create a sign-up list to hang in your youth room/space to help you keep track of how many students want to go and how many you will end up taking. 3
3 Step 3 Purchase Tickets Buy tickets for your group. We recommend doing this as early as possible. There are a limited number of seats available and it can fill up quickly. Continue to remind your students about the event at each youth group meeting. Remember that they will take their cues from you, the youth leader. If you are excited about attending this event, they will be too! As the conference gets closer, get an idea of how many students will actually attend the event. Make sure you have the right amount of tickets. (Remember to get tickets for your adult leaders too.) 4 Step 4 Prepare for the Trip If you are traveling and need to stay in a hotel, make your room reservations asap. You can find information for Dare 2 Share hotel blocks on your conference city web page. Set aside some time to plan your Outreach Experience. Incorporate your students in the process. Don t skimp on this! Some of the best experiences and growth kids have come from sharing their faith with someone else. For more information on the Outreach Experience, see Preparing for the Outreach Experience in this Conference Planning Guide. Within 1-2 weeks before the event, confirm the travel details with your students and their parents, youth leaders, hotels, and any rental vendors you may use. Get familiar with the Drama Guide so that you are acquainted ahead of time with the themes that will be presented and with the follow up discussion questions. This will be posted in the Conference Resources of your city page at dare2share.org/unshakeable. Print out or email your students any necessary documents such as the Waiver and Release form (found on your Dare 2 Share city s web page), and a packing list. Give a date when the waiver and release forms are due. Designate a location where your group can meet the day you leave. Make sure this location is communicated with the students parents. 4
5 Step 5 Pray and EXPERIENCE! Be praying with your adult leaders over the weekend event. Pray for the things you want to see happen in your students lives; pray for boldness as students go on the outreach experience, pray for answers from God the kids have been asking for, and pray for changed hearts and salvation. On the day you leave, collect any forms and money that haven t already been collected and bring all Waiver and Release forms with you to the event venue (unless you completed them online). Use the road trip to the event (long or short) to connect with students and build relationships for the weekend ahead. Use the 10 Tips for your Road Trip to Conference in this Conference Planning Guide for some ideas. Take in the UNSHAKEABLE conference weekend! Remember that your students will follow your lead, if you are engaged and excited, they will be too. If they need some help warming up to the Outreach Experience, let them see you reach out and engage someone with the gospel, and then encourage them to take the lead. Feel free to get in touch with us at any point along the way! We are happy to help! Call us at 1-866-448-0272 5
Dare 2 Share s 2017 Teen Evangelism Training Conference Dear Parents, One of my favorite things is to see our teenagers growing in and living out their faith. That s why I m so excited that we are planning on attending this year s Dare 2 Share (D2S) student conference UNSHAKEABLE! Teenagers are often overlooked and underestimated, but God wants to use them to bring about incredible transformation for God s Kingdom. Using the story of young David facing an immense giant, the UNSHAKEABLE Tour will inspire teenagers to find an unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ and equip them to answer Christ s call to make disciples who make disciples. There is also a special youth leader breakout session, which is designed to help youth leaders like me learn how to mobilize teenagers to reach their generation for Christ. Dare 2 Share s evangelism principles and proven strategies are built upon 25 years of experience working with youth ministries across the nation. They are committed to providing youth leaders and students with resources to help them in their walk with Christ and in their efforts to share Christ with others. Check out the D2S website at dare2share.org. You will find tons of free, culturally relevant resources there to help deepen your teen s walk with God and help them reach their friends for Christ. As our youth group prepares for this exciting training conference weekend, I am asking you to pray for us! Pray for the students to be prepared to take the message they will receive and use it to transform their lives through Christ. Pray for the impact on their schools and communities! Pray that we, as a ministry, will be used mightily in advancing His Kingdom here in our community and beyond. Below are the details for the weekend. Dates/Times: Cost: Location: Other: In Him, Your Youth Leader
Preparing for the Outreach Experience Hands-on outreach is our favorite part of the Dare 2 Share teen training conference experience. Every year we see real and lasting transformation in students as they get out of the conference venue and reach out to others with the gospel! The Outreach Experience has 3 main goals: To give students hands-on opportunities to hone their faith sharing skills To unleash students to become doers of the Word, and not hearers only To impact souls for Jesus. When students return from the Outreach Experience, they are excited, determined, and experienced in sharing the gospel. What once seemed like an impossible task, turned into a thrilling experience. 4 Keys to an Amazing Outreach Experience 1. Plan ahead of time what your group will do. Involve your students and settle on a plan that they are excited about. Feel free to customize as much as you want, but make sure gospel conversations are the main goal. 2. Be sure to leave time in your schedule for at least 60 minutes of pure outreach apart from travel time and lunch. 3. Encourage every student to share the gospel at least once during the afternoon. Celebrate every attempt, no matter the outcome! 4. When you come back, share your stories on social media and visit the Outreach Experience booth to share the amazing things God did. Since many students deepen their faith and solidify learned truths during this experience, it s important for youth leaders to start early in the planning process and to be intentional about their group s experience. Have questions? Visit the Outreach Experience page or call us at 1-866-448-0272! 7
Quick Tips for Conference Fundraising Tip 1 Pray for God s Provision. Every step along the way to UNSHAKEABLE should be infused with prayer, so get your students praying for God s provision both individually and as a group. Pray before every fundraising project and appeal. Then watch expectantly for how He answers and give Him thanks, whether the funds are coming in easily or it s a long, determined run to the goal. There s wisdom in the old saying, Do all you can and leave the results to God. Tip 2 Clearly communicate the impact of this weekend. As you tell parents, guardians, and senior pastors about the importance of this weekend, keep in mind basic facts about what Dare 2 Share conferences can do. Here are a few to get you started: The Conference motivates and mobilizes teens to share the love of Christ with their friends and family members back at home. This eventful weekend delivers an impact that has eternal significance. It even allows students who don t currently have a relationship with Christ a chance to hear the gospel and to trust in Him. Dare 2 Share conferences challenge students to step out of their comfort zones to reach others with the Good News of Jesus. This pushes them to dive deeper in their faith, solidifying what they believe. Tip 3 Don t be afraid to ask for direct donations. Consider asking each of the adult small groups in your church to provide financial and prayer support for a particular student. Have your student prepare a presentation and visit one of the adult small groups to ask for their prayers and finances in person. Promise a personal follow up time with the same group to report back and share how the conference weekend was personally transformational. Tip 4 If fundraising isn t your forte, get help. Be honest with you group s parents if fundraising isn t your forte. Ask a parent or adult volunteer (or a team of adults) to serve as the Fundraising Lead for the UNSHAKEABLE conference. If no one steps forward willingly, search farther afield for successful business people in your church for advice and assistance. Remember, you don t need to reinvent the wheel. Tap into other s successful ideas. One helpful website loaded with creative, successful fundraising approaches is EGAD! Ideas. 8
How to raise $120 in 7 days! Why $120? (This includes the typical cost of conference, gas, and hotel accommodations) Day 1 Sponsor yourself for $20. Day 2 Ask your mom and dad to sponsor you for $15 each. Day 3 Ask two family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings) to sponsor you for $10 each. Day 4 Ask four friends/co-workers to contribute $5 each. Day 5 Ask two people from your church to contribute $10 each. Day 6 Ask two neighbors to contribute $5 each. Day 7 You ve done it! You ve raised $120! Great job! Personal touches are always best call, speak to someone in person, or mail a handwritten note explaining to them where you are going, what you will be doing, why you are going, and how they can support you financially and overall. 9
10 Ideas for Your Road Trip to Conference 1. Make sure everyone goes to the bathroom before the trip even if they don t have to. 2. Create a sweet playlist to jam out to in your vehicle! 3. Think of games you can play with your group in the car. Some ideas are 2 Truths and a Lie, Would You Rather, I Spy, Team Storytelling, and 20 Questions 4. Have a few intentional questions to ask your group that will prepare their hearts and minds for conference (save these for when you get closer to the venue). An example of a question would be, What do you hope God shows you this weekend? Conversely, on the trip back, engage conversations around things that happened during the weekend. 5. Bring your phone or a camera to capture fun(ny) moments. You never know, you might have the makings of the next viral video like the Harvard Baseball boys that made this video on their road trip. 6. Bring snacks and tell your kids to bring snacks what s a road trip without snacks?! 7. Bring a trash bag. Cleanups after road trips are the worst and a trash bag can help immensely! 8. If you can, make time to stop at the world s largest anything, or fun places along the way that will make the trip more memorable. 9. Bring a case of water bottles, or a jug of water students can use to fill up their own water bottles. 10. Tell stories to build memories and relationships. Topical ideas may get students talking (if your group doesn t know each other well). Topic ideas could be: The craziest thing I have ever done, My first memory, 3 things you hope will happen in the future, and Why you decided to come on this trip. Note: it may help if you are the first one to answer the question. 10
3 IMPORTANT HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS Just a little bit of housekeeping! Here are 3 important items we want you to be aware of as you plan for the UNSHAKEABLE conference. 1) Waiver & Release Forms Each student and adult leader will need to complete the Waiver & Release form prior to the event. You can either download the printed form here or go digital and have your group fill it out online. The form is available online at this link. You can also find information on this on your city page. 2) Offering Time There will be a special offering time at the conference. We give students the opportunity to participate in the offering because we believe in giving them a chance to practice generosity and pay it forward. Please make sure your students are aware of this opportunity and that if they participate, they should save enough money for meals. Giving is not mandatory. 3) Resources for Sale At each conference, we make Dare 2 Share resources available for students and youth leaders to purchase. All of the books, curriculum and gear help students to share their faith and youth leaders to create Gospel Advancing Ministries. These are offered at a conference-exclusive discount and all of the proceeds go towards the ministry of Dare 2 Share, enabling us to train and reach more with the gospel. Check out Dare 2 Share s resources ahead of time at: store.dare2share.org 11