Pink Folder/Draft YWAM Outreach Guidelines

{{Pink Folder| DRAFT YWAM OUTREACH GUIDELINES

Flights
(This information will become dated and so is not necessarily a reliable guide to finding the best flights.)

There are a number of agencies which can help and which are YWAM friendly:

Flight Bureau (Edinburgh)

Tel: 0131 669 9006

YWAM line: 0131 669-9225

Fax: 0131 657 5004

Email: 100113.3156@compuserve.com

Key Travel (Manchester)

Tel: 0161 819 8900

Fax: 0161 839 3893

Balcombe Travel

Balcombe Stores Tel: 01444 811 239

Balcombe

West Sussex

Costs
Cheapest is NOT always best. Remember we are training missionaries to get on the field on time and functioning when they get off the plane, not backpackers trying to see the universe on $5 a day.

The following needs to be considered:


 * Duration of any stop-overs and consequent additional (hidden) costs.
 * Duration of any stop-overs and consequent additional fatigue.
 * Flexibility of the ticket. Ticketing may need to ne at least semi-flexible for students who may need to be sent home early, unexpected emergencies and changes to plan.
 * Quality of carrier. Arriving shredded after hours with some cowboy outfit is not the best way to start things off.

Carriers
Certain carriers do not carry out proper maintenance even on international flights. Currently it is YWAM policy not to fly Aeroflot internationally and to try to find viable alternatives when in the CIS.

Travel Insurance
Everyone going on outreach must have insurance to cover medical expenses (£1.000.000), emergency repatriation and arrangements for the return of the body in the event of death.

Check coverage in the event of war or other violence. Firms used include Kingsworld Master Policy - 01767 262208 and Banner - 01342 717917. Both know YWAM well.

Non UK citizens may have taken out their own insurance in their country of residence, but they may not use this for outreach unless it covers the items mentioned above.

Inoculations
For the most part the local GP service is sufficient (though please note it is not necessarily free and students should be notified of potential costs on application to the school). Costs can run up to £150 in certain circumstances, however, on occasion a second opinion may be needed or an alternative service. In such cases use Interhealth (the best), London Hospital of Tropical Diseases or British Airways Health Service. Interhealth are a good source of drugs, mosquito netting, AIDS kits, etc. So are ECHO in Croydon (cheaper, but often we would have to buy in bulk.)

If at all possible have people start their inoculations before arriving on the school. In any case most courses of inoculations take some 6 weeks to complete, sometimes longer for complex courses.

NB. UK inoculation advice may differ from advice in other countries. A particular problem in the past has been BCG inoculations (against TB). The principle to follow is to take the most conservative advice of two conflicting opinions and, in general, to heed UK advice. Doing otherwise may invalidate or weaken insurance cover.

Any doubts should be processed thoroughly with your medical consultant.

Security
Until formally accepted on YWAM staff, DTS students are considered members of the public.

It is YWAM international policy that they must not be allowed to visit or work in areas of known danger. If the area in which they are working becomes dangerous or is likely to become dangerous, they must withdraw without debate or argument if asked or instructed to do so by local or national leadership. All students should be made aware of the possibility that they may be required to leave an area in advance of local YWAM staff and the reasons for this. Team leaders must have the ability and knowledge to support an evacuation of students.

Training
It is UK YWAM policy that those going overseas for significant periods of time must have received training in the following in addition to the standard DTS curriculum. Those going overseas short term have the following as a minimum:


 * Cultures - how they work in general, cross-cultural adaptation, re-entry adjustment, specifics of local culture.
 * Team life - how they work in general, natural history of a team, leadership expectations.
 * Expectations and goals of the team and the outreach.
 * Physical health on outreach.
 * Security briefing appropriate to the location.

It cannot be assumed that those going on outreach from second level schools will have received the above training and time needs to be set aside for revision or instruction on all of the above.

Pastoral Visits
Visits are becoming increasingly the norm, but are not yet considered policy by YWAM (UK).

For those using them, their aims generally are as follows:


 * Check that students are well generally, content with leadership and meeting their learning goals.
 * Check that the local leadership are happy with the team in general, individuals on the team and the quality of their contribution to the local vision.
 * Check that the team was adequately prepared.
 * Check that the ministry being used can actually support the learning goals of the students. Give active consideration to the team staying or leaving and/or individuals on the team staying or going.
 * Give active consideration to changing the ministry or goals of the team.
 * Negotiate future outreach possibilities with local leadership.
 * Report back to the school leadership under the headings above on returning to Harpenden. Clearly, with the above remit, pastoral visitors must be seasoned YWAM staff able to negotiate, assess and evaluate outreaches and outreach locations at the appropriate level. Pastoral visits may be paid for by the school budget. One method is as follows:
 * For a visit to one team in one country the DTS pays the travel costs of one person. Costs are considered to be the airfare, the visa and any extra insurance required. Inoculations, spending money, insurance beyond that required and any onward travel is not covered.
 * For a visit to more than one location the DTS will pay the travel costs of up to two people.
 * For a visit to a location considered dangerous for people travelling alone the DTS will consider paying the travel costs of up to two people, particularly if the principle visitor must be a woman.

Any pastoral visitor may take a companion, but the DTS will not be responsible for the companion's costs, except under the third condition above.

Pastoral visits are made in the middle of the outreach phase, give or take one week. Visits last a minimum of three days on site and a maximum of ten days on site. The ideal duration is calculated at one day per outreach location student.

Mail and Parcels for Students (Taken on Pastoral Visits)
Often the pastoral visitor will be asked to take mail for students. Some thought needs to be given to this in advance. Letters, etc. may (and should) be taken, the problem, however, lies with parcels.

A team of ten each receiving 2 kg of parcels will take the pastoral visitor over their personal weight limit. One solution is not to take parcels except in special circumstances (medical supplies, birthday present, etc.).

Under no circumstances should unopened parcels be taken on board an aircraft, even (especially) if gift wrapped. Drug couriers and terrorists can be very convincing on the phone about parcels coming for students from their nearest and dearest!! Therefore the pastoral visitors will open and check the contents of all parcels from whatever source or not take the parcels.

Some thought needs to be given to the discipleship issues involved. Many missionaries will go many months without parcels from home - it is to be hoped that this group can survive 10 or 12 weeks without parcels!

Graham Fawcett

11/04/97

revised 25/02/98; 21/11/00; 29/04/02 }}