Youth With A Mission is a global movement of Christians from many cultures, age groups, and Christian traditions, dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world. Also known as YWAM (pronounced “WHY-wham”), we unite in a common purpose to know God and to make Him known.

Back when we began in 1960, our main focus was to get youth involved in missions. Today, we still focus on youth, and we also involve people aged 9 to 90. We currently have tens of thousands of staff (called “YWAMers”) and we work in thousands of teams and locations.

One of the joys of participating in YWAM is to work with people from many nations. YWAM’s staff come from nearly every country in the world, including places like Indonesia, Nepal, Mozambique, and Colombia.

We invite you to join us! Type a city name or a ministry idea into the search box below. Discover how you can use your gifts and callings in the YWAM world.

YWAM Los Angeles began when John Dawson started doing ministry in the heart of Los Angeles, California in 1972. A few years later, John decided to put down roots in California and founded the YWAM base in Sunland. Eventually, YWAM LA was moved to Lake View Terrace, where we’ve been planted for about 43 years. From the beginning, YWAM LA has been a base passionate about seeing the city transformed and restoring thousands of lives. We dream of seeing Los Angeles going after God’s heart full of love, justice, and mercy. Our base brings God’s presence to the city in many ways including through justice work, evangelism, and mercy ministries. Every week countless students and staff go out to the streets of LA and participate in bringing the gospel to the unreached, encountering those who need justice, and spreading the love of Christ to our city. Not only do we reach those in Los Angeles, but we also go to the nations in order to make God known. Annually, we see 120 students come to our base, experience God in fresh ways, and make Him known throughout the world. We hold 13 schools every year, and send out 15 teams to the nations in order to see the good news spread to the ends of the Earth. Today, our base consists of 50 staff members who lead schools, participate in ministry, and are committed to knowing God and making Him known. YWAM LA is eager to see our city and the world transformed by the love of God.