The national programs of YFC in South Asia have experienced healthy growth over the past five years and currently have very strong, national training initiatives in place. These training programs are providing practical and culturally relevant skills to conduct youth outreach and discipleship in the cities and villages of their countries.

With some of the staff and volunteers there is a need to provide additional training opportunities and exposure that provides:

• a higher level of teaching
• an opportunity to learn from other youth workers and be challenged
• exposure to the larger family of YFC and the Kingdom of God
• brainstorming time with other youth leaders to meet the challenges
• encouragement and challenge to stay the course and be refreshed
• a challenge to more proactively reach out to new people groups within their country and surrounding nations

Meeting these needs through Regional training conferences allows YFC to accomplish these goals in a cost effective and achievable way. Because the cultures across South Asia have common elements, young leaders will more easily identify with their international counterparts and find commonality. But, at the same time, because there are still many differences between the nations in South Asia, the participants' worldview and perspectives can be expanded and enlarged.

We see ASPIRE South Asia as one strategic part of a larger training plan that YFC has for equipping our staff and volunteers to be effective in reaching out to the young people of our world. Our training initiatives have their start at the local level, expand out to a national level, then to regional, area, and international opportunities as they meet the individual development needs of our staff and volunteers.

Plans are underway for our next ASPIRE South Asia being held in Kathmandu, Nepal sometime in 2009.

View ASPIRE South Asia 2006 Photos