Ideas for Global Youth Day Outreach 2025

Global Youth Day is an initiative that recaptures the reality of Adventist youth as a global movement mobilized for service, contributing to the proclamation of the everlasting gospel and ushering in the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Each church is advised to scope out the needs of the community and design an outreach plan that fits the need as best and as practical as possible. It should involve the entire church and inspire acts of kindness into each person's life.

The church should be so integrated and integral to the community in which it is stationed, that if for some reason, the church must move, members of the community should miss the church's presence. We spend most church services indoors; however, the church should be a movement that is always in the community supplying the needs of the people within it. 

We should be seen and felt in the highways and byways, showing the love of God and His marvelous grace.

Here is a list of ideas you can implement as an outreach project for your church.

Call or Visit Someone Who is Sick, Missing members

• Call and ask how they are doing.
• Surprise them with a visit and bring flowers or a card.
• Bring a meal over.

Visit families in your community who have been affected by a tragedy such as death, disaster, critical illness, etc.

• Write them a letter on behalf of the church, include a card
• Visit the affected families in their homes
• Offer professional counseling to them
• Worship with them, pray with them
• Carry a gift basket

Use Technology

• Post varying scripture and uplifting messages on all forms of social media during GYD
• Post uplifting videos
• Write personalized direct messages to specific individuals
• Record personalized video messages of motivation and encouragement to individuals who need it. Ensure to mention their name.
• Run a Facebook or Instagram Ad in your area, promoting that you offer prayer, food, clothing, mentorship, or just a listening ear for anyone who needs it.

Visit the Homeless, persons in jail, persons in shelters (abused women, orphans, persons on drugs, etc.)

• Create care packages with toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, snacks, gloves, warm socks, and evangelistic literature, etc.) and hand them out to the homeless in your church community.
• Prepare healthy snack bags (sandwiches, fruits, water, drinks, etc.)
• Donate new or used clothing in a good state
• Worship with them, pray with them

For Sick / Shut-ins / Persons in need of assistance

• Prepare food baskets
• Worship with them, pray with them
• Share literature (The Great Controversy, Steps to Christ, Desire of Ages, magazines, etc.)
• Spend time in friendly conversation

At the Orphanage

• Share Bible stories
• Worship with them, pray with them
• Hand out toys (toys must be new or in very good, usable condition)
• Clothing (clothes must be new or in very good, usable condition)
• Share songs (sing-alongs)
• Give age-appropriate books

Visit a Nursing Home

• Worship with them, pray with them
• Arrange to play an instrument or sing at a nursing home in your area.
• Help with crafts.
• Help serving meals.
• Pray for someone.
• Take flowers for the ladies.
• Get a young person to adopt a senior for a day

The following are additional ideas as suggested by the Youth Department of the General Conference of SDA https://youth.adventist.org/GYD

GYD Suggested "Acts of Kindness"

Donate Your Locks

• When you can't donate your blood, there is another way of donating a part of you. Donate your hair! If you have long hair, you can cut your hair short and donate your hair to a foundation that uses it to make wigs for people with cancer. For the best results, braid the hair before you let the hairdresser cut it off. It will be easier to make a wig out of it!

Food Drive

• Organizing a food collection drive is an excellent way to help build a stronger community and show others that they really do matter. Through your generosity, others will know that you, your youth group, and your church care.
• There are so many ways to help your Food Drive project.
• Collect can goods and other non-perishable items.
• Every time you go to the grocery store, add a few cans or other non-perishable items to your list. Make a bin at home and put the items in there, when it is full donate it. Make giving a regular part of your shopping.
• Go door-to-door in your neighborhood and collect non-perishable items that can be donated to a food bank.
• Organize a can food drive at your office, school, or the local grocery store. Every can counts!

Read to a Child

• Time = Love. Giving your full attention to a child is a simple way to show them they are loved.
• Reading together can also be very relaxing, and can serve as a bond with a child or children you care about.

Acts of Appreciation to Service persons such as Police, Fire, Emergency Services

· Thank-you baskets or other acts of appreciation to the police and/or fire departments of your city/town