Young Life Yavapai County
Ellie Hubbard
Stor y Ellie’s
CONTACT WORK
Because kids don’ t care how much you know until they know how much you care, Young Life leaders show they care by going where kids are, meeting them as they are and believing in who they can be. Within Young Life we call the persistent going out into the world of kids “contact work ” But kids just call it friendship.
CLUB
We like to think of club as a “party with a purpose ” It ’ s controlled chaos that ’s almost impossible to describe, but kids know it when they see it . And before the party ends, we share a simple message about God’s love for them. After all, that ’s what the celebration is all about
CA MP
Kids consistently tell us that Young Life camp is the best week of their lives. How else would you describe a week where deep relationships are forged in the midst of mind-boggling fun and you hear the greatest stor y ever told?
CA MPAIGNER S
Campaigners is a weekly gathering for kids who wish to learn more or grow in their faith through study, service and leadership We’re with kids for the long haul to help them take the first steps of faith with unconditional love Along the way, we encourage kids to celebrate their faith through participation in a local church congregation
Young Life has transformed my life in ways I never expected. Its most profound impact was shifting my focus from religion to a personal relationship with Jesus. The summer after my freshman year, I attended camp at Lost Canyon in Williams, Arizona. Though I already knew Jesus, the simple, powerful message of the gospel reshaped my understanding of who God is—not distant and strict, but deeply relational. That week marked a turning point in my faith and ignited a fire in me to spread the message I had heard all over my hometown.
Throughout high school, I served as a junior leader and invited my friends into the Young Life community. I attended multiple camps with my friends, each year inviting more and more of my peers to hear the good news I had heard summers before. After graduating, I pursued a degree in Youth Ministry at Grand Canyon University with the goal of one day becoming a Young Life Area Director. Following college, I returned to my hometown of Payson, Arizona, where I began leading and later joined the sta . Over the past two and a half years, I’ve helped rebuild Payson Young Life, specifically focusing on the girls from Payson High School and Rim Country Middle School. Meeting local students through coaching and substitute teaching was vital to the growth of kids known by name in Payson, Arizona, and enabled me to create a positive relationship with the school system.
Now, God has called me to take the next step in ministry. I’m joining Yavapai County Young Life as a Sta Associate, focusing on Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott Valley, Arizona. I look forward to growing in my faith through training and community while introducing local students to the life-changing love of Jesus. God has used every part of my life to prepare me for this moment, and I am so excited to deepen my faith, ministry experience, and spread the Gospel in a di erent part of the state.
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life."
— Psalm 143:8
Yavapai County Young Life currently operates two active ministries: Young Life at Prescott High School and WyldLife for middle school students. Prescott High serves approximately 1,436 students, and leaders there currently know 45 students by name. Most WyldLife attendees come from Mile High Middle School, which has a student population of about 578. This ministry has built personal connections with 115 students.
Across both ministries, 15 committed volunteer leaders actively invest in the lives of local youth. On average, 22 high school students attend Young Life club each week, while WyldLife averages 12 middle schoolers. Prescott Young Life also o ers Campaigners—a discipleship group for students who want to grow deeper in their faith.
O ver vie w Area Area Goals Overview
As I step into the Sta Associate role, my first priority is personal growth and maturity in ministry. I aim to fully embrace Young Life’s training as I grow in Christ, deepen my spiritual disciplines, and develop as a leader within a Christ-centered community. This foundation is essential to the vision I hope to build in Prescott Valley. My top goals include developing strong relationships with a leadership team, Bradshaw Mountain High School, and local churches. I hope to recruit and disciple six new volunteer leaders focused specifically on Bradshaw—leaders who love Jesus, care for students, and want to serve the broader community. Building a trusted relationship with Bradshaw sta , teachers, and administrators is also key, with the goal of being invited on campus, present at events, and actively walking alongside students. I also hope to partner with churches to care for Prescott Valley’s high schoolers. These priorities lay the groundwork for launching a Young Life club at Bradshaw and getting to know 145 students by name.
• Go to https://giving.younglife.org/EllieHubbard.
By Mail:
Personal checks may be made out to Young Life, with AZ36 - Ellie Hubbard on the memo line, and sent to:
Yavapai County Young Life P.O. Box 1728 Prescott, AZ 86302
Young Life was incorporated in 1941 by Jim Rayburn, a seminar y student and part-time youth minister in Gainesville, Texas, who wanted to reach out to kids disinterested in church. Rayburn went where kids were and found creative ways to share the love of God with them. His methods continue to transform lives today.