Young Life of Canada

What Young Life of Canada does

Young Life of Canada is a registered Canadian charity (119306918RR0001) founded in 1954 in New Westminster, BC, now headquartered at the National Service Centre in Langley, BC. The organization delivers Christian youth ministry to Canadian teenagers through a portfolio of programs including Contact Work (relationship-building in teens' everyday environments), Club meetings (regular gatherings with music, humour and a short faith talk), and Campaigners (weekly small groups for student leaders). All programs are provided at no cost to participants and are funded entirely by donations.

The organization operates specialized divisions — Skatelife (skateboarders reached through skate parks and shops) and Capernaum (youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities) — alongside the National Scholarship program that removes financial barriers to camp attendance. Since 2001 it has owned RockRidge Canyon, a 1,500-acre camping property near Princeton, BC, which includes the 203-acre Inspiration Lake, three dormitories housing 100 campers each, and Wolfe Creek Lodge; the facility serves as a premier summer camp for Western Canadian teens and operates year-round as a conference and retreat venue for rental groups.

Revenue is generated through a diversified donation model: individual giving (one-time and recurring), church and foundation grants, planned legacy gifts (wills, RRIFs, RRSPs, life insurance, securities), and event fundraising such as golf tournaments, cycling Fondos, and benefit concerts. The organization holds CCCC accreditation and PIPA-governed privacy compliance, is governed by a National Board of Directors with an Executive Leadership Team (President David Thakkar plus VPs for Strategic Growth, Field Ministry, CFO, Communications, and Property Operations), and runs its go-to-market through community-led and event-driven channels across BC, Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec and the Northwest Territories.

Name

Young Life of Canada

Legal name

Young Life of Canada

Website

https://younglife.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Young Life of Canada is a registered Canadian charity founded in 1954 that delivers free Christian youth ministry — clubs, small groups, camps, and specialized programs like Skatelife and Capernaum — to Canadian teenagers through volunteer-led, community-based operations funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Ministry Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Religious Organizations (8131), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

Keywords

• Youth ministry services
• Christian youth programs
• Summer camp operations
• Youth discipleship programs
• Religious charity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Langley

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Primary funding source from individual donors who support local Young Life areas, national programs, or scholarships. Donors can give one-time or monthly recurring gifts, with tax-deductible receipts provided.
2. Church and Foundation Grants: Funding from churches, foundations, and corporations that support Young Life communities. Each local area raises its own budget with support from these institutional donors.
3. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Bequests in wills, gifts of RRIFs, RRSPs, life insurance, and securities provide long-term sustainable funding. These are essential for camp scholarships, mission growth, and camp development.
4. Securities Donations: Gifts of publicly traded securities handled through Richardson GMP Limited in Calgary, providing tax advantages for donors while generating funding for the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Young Life of Canada delivers free, faith-based youth ministry services to Canadian teenagers through a relational outreach model comprising Contact Work (leader-led engagement in teens' daily environments), Club meetings (group sessions with music and Christian teaching), and Campaigners (small-group discipleship). The organization supplements these programs with owned camp experiences at RockRidge Canyon in BC and specialized outreach through Capernaum (for teens with disabilities) and Skatelife (skateboarders). All programming is offered at no cost to participants, funded entirely by donations.

Product overview

Young Life of Canada offers a portfolio of youth ministry programs centered on building relationships with teenagers through Contact Work, Club meetings, and Campaigners small groups. The organization operates RockRidge Canyon camp in British Columbia and serves specialized populations through Skatelife (skateboarders) and Capernaum (teens with disabilities). Fundraising initiatives include the National Scholarship, Leadership Lodge expansion, Ontario Regional Growth, and BC Interior Regional Growth campaigns, alongside a Legacy Giving planned giving program. All programs aim to share the Christian faith with teens 'where they're at' with no strings attached.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Capernaum: Young Life Capernaum gives young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities the chance to experience fun and adventure, to develop fulfilling friendships and to challenge their limits while building self-esteem through club, camp and other exciting activities.
• RockRidge Canyon
• Skatelife

Products and services

• Club Regular meetings hosted by volunteer leaders and staff for teenagers, including music, humour, and a talk about the Christian faith. Launched through relationships built via Contact Work. Targeted at Canadian teenagers in communities served by Young Life.
• Campaigners Weekly small-group meetings for student leaders to grow in faith and discuss leadership of the local Young Life club, often held early before school. For teenagers who have made a faith commitment and want deeper discipleship.
• Contact Work Activity where leaders spend time with teens in their world—at school, sporting events, malls, coffee shops, skate parks, or wherever they gather. Foundation for building the relationships that lead teens into clubs and camps.
• RockRidge Canyon Camp

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Canadian Centre for Christian Charities (CCCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Life is an accredited member of CCCC, upholding God-honouring code of ethics as a governing standard. This membership denotes appropriate standards of financial stewardship, public disclosure, and organizational integrity.
• Coalition of Youth Ministry ExcellencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for BC Interior Regional Growth initiative. Young Life's BC Interior Regional team works with this coalition to start new clubs in new communities using leaders who received world-class training from youth ministry experts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Power to Change Ministries: Canadian Christian ministry (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) focused on discipling youth and young adults; overlaps in faith-based youth engagement and Canadian donor base.
• Youth for Christ Canada: Canadian faith-based youth ministry organization running clubs, small groups, and outreach programs for teens across Canada; directly comparable mission, volunteer-driven model, and donor-funded structure.
• Young Life USA: Parent-affiliated counterpart organization running the same club, campaigner, and camp model in the United States; comparable volunteer-led youth ministry structure, though at substantially larger scale and with US-based facilities.
• Youth Unlimited (Youth for Christ): Canadian evangelical youth ministry network delivering clubs, mentoring, and outreach in schools and communities; directly comparable faith-based teen ministry model and volunteer structure.
• Scripture Union Canada: Christian youth organization running school-based clubs, camps, and discipleship programs across Canada; comparable faith-based youth ministry offerings and donor-supported operating model.
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of Canada: Faith-based student and youth organization active on Canadian campuses and in high schools; comparable donor-funded, volunteer-staffed model targeting adolescents and young adults.

Broad incumbents

• Scouts Canada: Long-established Canadian youth organization delivering outdoor adventure, leadership, and camping programs; comparable youth development and camp infrastructure, though secular and broader in mandate.
• 4-H Canada: National youth development organization delivering leadership and life-skill programs with a strong camp and outdoor programming component; comparable volunteer-led delivery to rural and urban youth across Canada.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada: National youth mentoring nonprofit pairing adult volunteers with youth across Canada; directly comparable mentoring-led, volunteer-driven model targeting positive youth development outcomes.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: National federation of community-based youth clubs offering after-school programs, mentorship, and recreation; broadly comparable target demographic and club-based delivery, though secular and a much larger established network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ylcanada
• YouTubevimeo.com/younglifecanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/younglifecanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/ylcanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-life-canada

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Young Life of Canada