Packing for your first Youthlinc trip can be daunting. The unknown can make it hard to determine what to pack. In your team manual, there will be a packing list that is a great resource, but I personally have been on 4 service trips with Youthlinc and have learned a few tips and tricks for packing through experience. Pack at least a couple of outfits and your essentials in your carry-on. On my first humanitarian trip to Kenya, my luggage was lost for 8 days! Not only did I

Walking the streets of Phnom Penn, fresh off grueling travel days, with unknown scents in the air and a cacophony of sounds from cars and bikes swerving past me was uncomfortable. The little restaurant we got to, with menus of mysterious items I never knew I never knew, felt intimidating and bizarre. Had I been alone, I might have felt overwhelmed, but, in a group of 20 people feeling the exact same things, all I could feel was excitement. If I could give advice to all first-

My experience as a Youthlinc humanitarian has been nothing short of transformative. Arguably, the most impactful part has been my journey through leadership. My first trip was to the beautiful island of Fiji when I was a junior in high school. Holding the title of Youthlinc first-year humanitarian carried a heavy importance to me -I had big shoes to fill. During the preparation process, I was placed on the education committee, which was thrilling. I got to see and delegate

The other day, I found a blog entry my mother wrote in 2010. It’s titled “In Her World”, and it recounts a brief conversation between us. I had no idea that this exchange would take on a new meaning for me 16 years down the road. In Her World Sunday, October 31, 2010 She has her own world. I’ve suspected it for some time, and today she verbally confirmed. Recently, we've had lots of discussions regarding things her two-year-old sister doesn’t understand simply because of her

Each year, Youthlinc participants step into experiences that stretch them in meaningful and lasting ways. From navigating new cultures and languages to living in unfamiliar environments, the international portion of the Service Year is designed to push participants beyond their comfort zones and ultimately, help them grow into lifelong humanitarians. But growth doesn’t happen without challenge. Over the years, we’ve recognized a consistent theme: alongside excitement and purp

By: Josh Anderson In 2022, I had the opportunity to go on my first Youthlinc Service Year program to Kenya. When I first signed up, I felt hesitant and unsure about my place in the program and the impact it would have on either me or the communities we worked with. Humanitarian work broadly was something I was not familiar with, and I had doubts about what would come out of the experience. Little did I understand at the time just how incredibly transformational the experien

By: Rivi Bero The biggest thing I have learned from my service journey is that opportunities are waiting for you- you just need to show up! Throughout my high school career, I’ve been fortunate to attend a private Catholic school strongly rooted in community service, with community service as a fundamental graduation requirement. For many, this may seem unnecessary, time-consuming, or even impossible due to the large number of hours that can look intimidating to the eye.

By: Matthew Cordner The Youthlinc Service Year experience is one that will truly change your life, but how much you gain depends on how much you put into it. The Youthlinc service year is about more than just the capstone trip, it’s about serving others and building connections both in your local area and abroad. First, invest yourself fully into your local service. This is where the real change happens. When I was a humanitarian, I would volunteer twice a week at the Springv

By: Eva Mora When I first signed on to do my first Youthlinc trip, I had no idea where I was going, what I was doing or even why. I had no real why. I signed on late in 2023 to the Cambodia 2024 team and no idea how much it would change my life. That same year I became a student body officer at my school. The fundraiser my school hosted each year brought me 40 hours of service in my own community in just a month. It was the most service I had done in a long time, and I realiz

By: Justin Powell On February 18, the Youthlinc community gathered for the premiere of Closer Than We Think: A Year That Changes You —and what a night it was! Even with a snowstorm rolling in and roads less than ideal, you showed up. That simple act says more than any speech could. It speaks to the strength of this community and the shared belief that our mission matters. At Youthlinc, we talk often about creating lifetime humanitarians. The premiere was a living example of t

By: Jessica Hardiman “How did you get into a career like this?” I was recruiting at Utah State University’s Study Abroad Fair last week when students kept asking me that question. Each time, it stopped me in my tracks. I smiled, because the honest answer isn’t short. I didn’t start college with a clear plan. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, what degree I would finish with, or where I was heading. In fact, I changed my undergraduate major more times than I care to admit. Eno

By: Jordan Taylor Building Community, Empowering Youth, and Leading with Purpose in Ecuador At the heart of Youthlinc’s work in Ecuador is Evelyn Yucailla, an architect, community organizer, and passionate advocate for youth and women as drivers of lasting change. Evelyn serves as the Director and Program Coordinator of Fundación Nukari , one of Youthlinc’s key in-country partners in Ecuador. Her work centers on community development, youth leadership, gender equity, and hu

By: Kylee Finch How do you put into words the experience that you have seeing the world and all good within it? How do you put into words how much your life changes when you experience all of what the world has to offer in villages from around the world? Short answer you really can’t, long answer is the stories I have from my experience. I have been on two Youthlinc service year trips now and each year my life is impacted more and more. The summer of 2024 I was on my first

Youthlinc would like to give a big THANK YOU to the Low Family Foundation for their support of a variety of projects at Youthlinc. The Low Family Foundation has funded our construction projects in Fiji for the past two years, including helping to establish a computer lab at Mataso Primary School and funding the installation of dozens of bathrooms through the villages ravaged by Cyclone Winston in 2016. They have also supported projects in Cambodia by helping Youthlinc to buil

I’m max bengtzen and me and my family have been involved with Youthlinc for over ten years. We as a family have traveled on eleven trips to six different international service sights as well as served countless hours locally with Youthlinc teams. From the perspective of a seventeen year old this is pretty cool but I didn’t fully realize the impact that Youthlinc had on me and my family until I got the opportunity to serve with Youthlinc personally. Last summer I had the oppo

Youthlinc is fortunate to have many donors that help us achieve our mission of creating lifetime humanitarians. Seminal among those is the Michel Foundation. They began supporting Youthlinc in 2009 and have never stopped. Cumulatively, over the past 12 years the Michel Foundation has donated approximately $450,000 to Youthlinc! The Michel Foundation has supported dozens of international construction projects, have funded Legacy Sponsorships, the Young Humanitarian Award

By Jordan Taylor Guatemala is home to volcanoes, rainforest, and ancient Mayan sites. There is an endless need and a desire to improve. As one of our closest sites, Guatemala proves that you don’t always need to travel far to find a genuine need and sustainable projects to dig your heels into. Youthlinc has been working in Guatemala since 2012 and is excited to announce our return after a very short-lived break this past year. In 2014, we became partners with People for Gu

By: Jackie Moynihan There are so many amazing organizations in our community that make what we do at Youthlinc possible. Today, we would like to take a minute to highlight one of those organizations, Juan Diego Catholic High School. Juan Diego has been the generous host of our annual Service Year General Orientation for the past four years. This event marks the beginning of a new adventure for about 500 Service Year participants, both students and adults. The staff at Juan D

By: Tong Quang Nam I am Nam. I am writing this to send my great thanks to the organization for helping Buoc village’s residents recover and improve their living standards. As a person who has spent years in Buoc village working and living with the people there, I am very thankful and impressed by Youthlinc's assistance. Last year, after a massive landslide in Buoc village and its surrounding areas, the minority people suffered from seriously detrimental effects in terms of ch