Summer Youth Missions Intern
Help lead student mission trips. Learn from a mentor. Grow in your faith and leadership.
This summer, you’ll help facilitate mission trips for middle and high school students. You’ll be paired with a Trip Leader who mentors you, guides your growth, and gives you meaningful responsibility. You’ll build real relationships with students, support their spiritual and leadership growth, and learn what it takes to lead a team.
This internship is geared toward young adults who have been out of high school for at least one year.
The Details
- Cost: The intern level has a program fee of $1,900, that can be fundraised.
- Pay: Up to $6,000 over and above the program fee. This is a support-raised internship, so you’ll raise funding from your network, with training and coaching from LeaderTreks.
- Covered: Once you arrive, your food, housing, and gas are covered.
- Schedule: Full-time for the summer. 9 weeks of trips running Sunday night through Saturday morning.
- Location: Training in the Chicago area, then an assigned to one of 11 different mission sites.
What You’ll Do
- Help facilitate weekly mission trips with a new youth group each week
- Build intentional relationships with students
- Support student spiritual growth through devotions, team discussions, and debriefs
- Create an environment where students can grow and lead
- Partner with youth workers and local ministries at your site
- Reflect daily on what God is teaching you
- Celebrate the summer at our end-of-summer retreat
Your Summer at a Glance
- May 19-26: All-staff training trip to kick off the summer.
- May 27-July 31: You and your Trip Leader serve at your mission site, welcoming a new youth group each week.
- August 1-3: Reunite with all interns and staff to debrief, worship, and celebrate.
What You’ll Gain
- Mentoring: A Trip Leader and Mission Trip Manager invested in your growth
- Soft skills: Creativity, adaptability, community building, collaboration, and problem-solving
- Résumé-ready experience: Public speaking, facilitation, teamwork, and cross-cultural communication
- Community: Friendships with interns, staff, and youth workers across the country
About Support-Raising
You’ll raise support for your summer, like any missionary. It’s worth considering for three reasons:
- You’ll have training. LeaderTreks has done this for years and equips you along the way.
- Your summer costs are covered. You won’t pay for housing, food, or gas.
- The math may surprise you. Many interns make and save more than they would at a typical summer job.
You’ll Thrive Here If You:
- Follow Jesus and want to grow in your faith
- Are eager to learn, serve, and be mentored
- Enjoy working with students
- Are flexible, hardworking, and ready to travel
- Are at least one year out of high school, have a driver's license, and can pass a background check
No ministry experience? Leading a team, volunteering, or mentoring younger students counts.