YWAM Lausanne Response to the Guardian Observer Articles

YWAM Lausanne is part of Youth With A Mission’s global movement dedicated to knowing God and making Him known among the nations. YWAM is active in approximately 180 countries and includes over 20,000 volunteers. As a multicultural and multigenerational movement, YWAM brings together Christians from a wide range of traditions and backgrounds.

Our mission focuses on three core areas: Evangelism, Training, and Mercy Ministries. These expressions are carried out through independent YWAM campuses around the world. Since our founding in 1969, YWAM Lausanne has faithfully engaged in this mission, equipping and sending out thousands to live lives of purpose and calling.

We celebrate the many individuals who have been deeply impacted through YWAM training and continue to flourish in their walk with Jesus. At the same time, we acknowledge with humility that some have had harmful experiences during their time in YWAM. At YWAM Lausanne, we are committed to upholding high standards in all areas of our ministry, leadership, and training to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of every student and volunteer.

We are actively reviewing and strengthening our safeguarding policies to make this a key and effective priority. Our training programs are designed to help students grow in faith and character while also respecting their personal rights and responsibilities. Therefore, we are opposed to any form of group pressure in public confession.  We value the professional support and experience of counsellors and medical professions and are quick to recommend external care when needed. Our programs are not intended to replace professional therapeutic support.

At YWAM Lausanne, we aim to empower Christians to pursue God’s call in all areas of society.  We believe that the YWAM Missionary has the same value as vocations in society.  Therefore, we do not put pressure on students to join YWAM or elevate the call of a cross-cultural missionary over other occupations.  

We affirm the vital role of good communication with family, friends, and the local church.  We strive to remain open and accessible to parents and pastors of students at YWAM Lausanne.  

We are grieved by the reports of former students who have felt pressured to confess personal struggles, who were made to feel that missionary work is a superior vocation, or who experienced disconnection from their home communities. These reports are deeply concerning to us. We are committed to learning from these experiences, holding ourselves accountable, and equipping our staff to lead with integrity, care, and transparency.

Every student who attends YWAM Lausanne has opportunities for feedback and receives debriefing. Through this, experiences—both positive and negative—can be expressed. We recognize that these tools may not always be sufficient and are currently working to develop more accessible and trustworthy channels for students to voice their experiences safely.

We are grateful for the former members of YWAM who have raised their concerns and expressed their hurt. Their openness has helped us to re-evaluate the implementation of our practices, to ensure that each student at YWAM Lausanne goes from here into a fruitful and healthy life of following Jesus.

If you have been impacted and want to connect with someone confidentially, please contact our safeguarding team at reporting@ywamlausanne.com

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