Six years after the pandemic forced Colorado Springs-based Young Life to shut down its camps and absorb serious financial losses, the ministry has returned to a position of strength. Between 2023 and 2025, annual revenue climbed 17 percent, rising from $497 million to $584 million. The organization employs 224 people in Colorado Springs, among them local field staff and personnel supporting both national and international operations.
Domestic programming has grown at a measured pace. Across the United States, nearly 568,000 young people attend weekly Club meetings, and roughly 293,000 participate in Campaigners gatherings, which use Bible discussion and community to help deepen participants' faith. Internationally, the picture is more dramatic. Whereas 74,527 campers outside the U.S. attended Young Life camps in 2014, that figure reached 253,193 last year — roughly five times the number of domestic camp attendees. Africa has been a particular area of growth, with the ministry reporting that it connected with more than 3.1 million young people on the continent in the past year.
Founded in 1941 and relocated from Dallas to Colorado Springs in 1947, Young Life is marking its 85th anniversary this year. Its global footprint now spans 114 countries, supported by 25 domestic camps and seven international ones, with sites in places including Scotland, Brazil, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, and Canada. Not all properties are fully operational. The organization's oldest camp, Frontier, outside Buena Vista and open since 1951, has been on hold since the pandemic and is currently limited to smaller group visits while a significant renovation is underway; a full reopening could come as soon as 2028 if the "Restore Frontier" fundraising effort succeeds. Wilderness Ranch, located between Creede and Lake City, remains operational but has had to scale back certain outdoor activities during periods of heavy smoke from the Aspen Acres fire.
While the ministry's core commitment — forming meaningful relationships with young people — has remained constant for decades, leaders have worked to keep staff equipped with current knowledge about shifts in youth culture. That effort produced "The RELATE Project," a 2023 study drawing on responses from more than 7,000 young people between the ages of 13 and 24 across eight countries, covering topics such as belonging, identity, personal agency, and belief. Among the top concerns respondents identified were mental health, personal safety, climate and environmental issues, and economic opportunity; the data also showed that roughly half reported stress tied to school and finances, while close to 40 percent flagged mental health as a worry.
Findings on social connection were particularly striking. More than four in ten Gen Z respondents said they do not feel deserving of love, and about one-third reported reaching for social media rather than in-person contact when feeling anxious. Young Life camps have long addressed screen dependency by collecting participants' phones and devices at the start of each stay and returning them only at the week's close.
A new installment of RELATE research is scheduled for release on September 10, broadening the lens to include Gen Alpha alongside Gen Z and examining how AI companions — now used by roughly one-third of young people worldwide — are affecting the capacity for deep human connection.
Whether the "Restore Frontier" campaign raises enough to support a full reopening by 2028, and how the September RELATE report shapes youth ministry practice nationally, remain open questions to follow.