Youth With A Mission (YWAM)

Youth With A Mission (YWAM, generally pronounced as "why-wam") is an international, inter-denominational, non-profit Christian missionary organization. Founded by Loren Cunningham in 1960 to "know God and to make Him known," YWAM now has operations in over 160 countries.

Youth With A Mission has been active since 1960. Originally using the model of sending youth on short-term trips to foreign locations, YWAM has expanded its day to day operations to Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe and The Americas. In the nearly 50 years since its inception, YWAM's activities have expanded from youth-focused short term trips to include educational training, church planting, business as mission, and relief and development services. Today, YWAM involves people of every age group.

YWAM is now comprised of people from over 150 countries and a large number of Christian denominations, with over half of the organization's staff coming from "non-western" countries.