With thanks,
Matt and Beck Wiley
Directors, NSW Youth Alive
It is with immense gratitude and excitement that we reflect on this incredible year at NSW Youth Alive. 2024 has truly been a year of growth, innovation, and impact—a year of firsts in so many ways.
We expanded our regional reach this year adding two new regions to our rally schedule. This step forward allowed us to connect with even more young people across our state, fostering unity, connection, and life-changing God encounters. We also held our very first Youth Alive fundraiser, featuring an inspiring evening with Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy. This event was a significant moment, not only in raising resources for our mission but also in expanding our network and raising our profile.
Prayer has always been central to our vision, and this year we took it to new heights with the launch of United We Pray, our first-ever state-wide prayer campaign. Over the course of seven days, leaders committed to half-hour prayer blocks, ensuring continuous 24/7 prayer coverage for the youth of NSW.
Another exciting first was the launch of YAYA (Youth Alive Young Adults), our inaugural event specifically for young adults. The response was overwhelming, and it was encouraging to see a generation of young adults coming together to be inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
In our Youth Alive Academy, we achieved record numbers, welcoming more enrollments than ever before. This growth speaks to the hunger among young leaders to be equipped for ministry and leadership.
Finally, one of the most profound moments of the year came when we witnessed 1,000 people respond to a single altar call. This moment encapsulated everything we work toward: seeing teenagers find the love and forgivness, grace and HOPE of Jesus Christ.
We are deeply grateful to our team, donors, key stakeholders and partners who have journeyed with us this year. Your prayers, contributions, and encouragement have made all of this possible. As we look ahead, we do so with anticipation and faith, believing that greater days are ahead for NSW Youth Alive and the youth of our state.
This year, Beck Wiley launched Youth Alive Connect, a transformative initiative for female youth pastors across NSW and the ACT. Meeting quarterly over Zoom, 30 leaders engaged in intentional connection and leadership input, culminating in a powerful in-person retreat.
The goal of Youth Alive Connect is to build strong and resilient young female leaders. These gatherings fostered vulnerability, genuine connection, and growth, leaving participants feeling loved, inspired, and equipped. The retreat was a highlight, providing space for deep relationships and spiritual refreshment. Youth Alive Connect is shaping a generation of empowered female leaders for the future of youth ministry.
This year, we hosted our first Youth Alive fundraising dinner, featuring Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy. Craig was exceptional in every way. He inspired and equiped business leaders and pastors with practical leadership tools for success. The night was a resounding success, raising vital funds and significantly elevating the profile of Youth Alive NSW as an organisation. This event marked a pivotal moment in advancing our mission to empower and resource the next generation.
This year marked our first-ever YAYA Retreat, featuring Dustin Bell from Calvary Church. Over two days, 380 delegates from 40 churches gathered for a transformative experience. God moved powerfully—healing, inspiring, and encouraging delegates. The retreat fostered deep connections, enhanced unity among churches, and saw people mature in their faith. This milestone event left a lasting impact, equipping young adults to grow spiritually and build stronger communities of faith. Joel Mitchell is doing an outstanding job as the YAYA leader in NSW/ACT.
United We Pray was a week-long prayer campaign designed to inspire deeper, more consistent prayer and greater faith in God’s power. Leaders across NSW/ACT signed up online, committing to half-hour prayer blocks as we sought to cover every hour of the week in prayer. Together, we interceded for teenagers, believing for transformation in their lives. This initiative united hearts and strengthened a culture of prayer across the state.
Imagine Nations Church utilised funding from the YMEF fund for a mission trip to Oberon. The trip included 3 major events: a Saturday afternoon community outreach called ‘Common Ground’, Sunday morning church & a Sunday afternoon youth service (they’d never had a youth service before). The name of the skatepark is known locally as ‘The Common’ and this was “Turning Common Ground into Holy Ground”.
The event had 20 locals attend the Saturday outreach. There were several families who Lifechurch had never connected with before and they saw this as a significant success. We played games on the oval, hung out at the skate park and connected over food and beverages.
The church received an online inquiry on Saturday night from a family with 5 children between the ages of 2 to 10 years old asking if the church ran a kids program. Typically during school holidays the kids program doesn’t run, but because we were in town with a kids team… you can see where this is going. The family attended church the next morning and doubled the kids ministry!
10 local young people from the community attended Lifechurch’s first Sunday Arvo youth service. Half of them had never been to the church site before and almost all of them had never been in a youth service. The night was simple & significant. We played games to build relationship and connect. We led praise and worship and two of our team shared deep powerful testimonies that truly moved hearts. Two of our leaders preached the word and response moment.
Every young person who came received prayer at the end of the night, including what we believe was a miraculous healing & next steps to grow in a relationship with God. All 10 responded to the gospel commiting their hearts to Jesus!
It is with immense gratitude and excitement that we reflect on this incredible year at NSW Youth Alive. 2024 has truly been a year of growth, innovation, and impact—a year of firsts in so many ways.
We expanded our regional reach this year adding two new regions to our rally schedule. This step forward allowed us to connect with even more young people across our state, fostering unity, cvonnection, and life-changing God encounters. We also held our very first Youth Alive fundraiser, featuring an inspiring evening with Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy. This event was a significant moment, not only in raising resources for our mission but also in expanding our network and raising our profile.
Prayer has always been central to our vision, and this year we took it to new heights with the launch of United We Pray, our first-ever state-wide prayer campaign. Over the course of seven days, leaders committed to half-hour prayer blocks, ensuring continuous 24/7 prayer coverage for the youth of NSW.
Another exciting first was the launch of YAYA (Youth Alive Young Adults), our inaugural event specifically for young adults. The response was overwhelming, and it was encouraging to see a generation of young adults coming together to be inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
In our Youth Alive Academy, we achieved record numbers, welcoming more enrollments than ever before. This growth speaks to the hunger among young leaders to be equipped for ministry and leadership.
Finally, one of the most profound moments of the year came when we witnessed 1,000 people respond to a single altar call. This moment encapsulated everything we work toward: seeing teenagers find the love and forgivness, grace and HOPE of Jesus Christ.
Finally, one of the most profound moments of the year came when we witnessed 1,000 people respond to a single altar call. This moment encapsulated everything we work toward: seeing teenagers find the love and forgivness, grace and HOPE of Jesus Christ.
With thanks,
Matt and Beck Wiley
Directors, NSW Youth Alive
This year, Beck Wiley launched Youth Alive Connect, a transformative initiative for female youth pastors across NSW and the ACT. Meeting quarterly over Zoom, 30 leaders engaged in intentional connection and leadership input, culminating in a powerful in-person retreat.
The goal of Youth Alive Connect is to build strong and resilient young female leaders. These gatherings fostered vulnerability, genuine connection, and growth, leaving participants feeling loved, inspired, and equipped. The retreat was a highlight, providing space for deep relationships and spiritual refreshment. Youth Alive Connect is shaping a generation of empowered female leaders for the future of youth ministry.
This year, we hosted our first Youth Alive fundraising dinner, featuring Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy. Craig was exceptional in every way. He inspired and equiped business leaders and pastors with practical leadership tools for success. The night was a resounding success, raising vital funds and significantly elevating the profile of Youth Alive NSW as an organisation. This event marked a pivotal moment in advancing our mission to empower and resource the next generation.
This year marked our first-ever YAYA Retreat, featuring Dustin Bell from Calvary Church. Over two days, 380 delegates from 40 churches gathered for a transformative experience. God moved powerfully—healing, inspiring, and encouraging delegates. The retreat fostered deep connections, enhanced unity among churches, and saw people mature in their faith. This milestone event left a lasting impact, equipping young adults to grow spiritually and build stronger communities of faith. Joel Mitchell is doing an outstanding job as the YAYA leader in NSW/ACT.
United We Pray was a week-long prayer campaign designed to inspire deeper, more consistent prayer and greater faith in God’s power. Leaders across NSW/ACT signed up online, committing to half-hour prayer blocks as we sought to cover every hour of the week in prayer. Together, we interceded for teenagers, believing for transformation in their lives. This initiative united hearts and strengthened a culture of prayer across the state.
Imagine Nations Church utilised funding from the YMEF fund for a mission trip to Oberon. The trip included 3 major events: a Saturday afternoon community outreach called ‘Common Ground’, Sunday morning church & a Sunday afternoon youth service (they’d never had a youth service before). The name of the skatepark is known locally as ‘The Common’ and this was “Turning Common Ground into Holy Ground”.
The event had 20 locals attend the Saturday outreach. There were several families who Lifechurch had never connected with before and they saw this as a significant success. We played games on the oval, hung out at the skate park and connected over food and beverages.
The church received an online inquiry on Saturday night from a family with 5 children between the ages of 2 to 10 years old asking if the church ran a kids program. Typically during school holidays the kids program doesn’t run, but because we were in town with a kids team… you can see where this is going. The family attended church the next morning and doubled the kids ministry!
10 local young people from the community attended Lifechurch’s first Sunday Arvo youth service. Half of them had never been to the church site before and almost all of them had never been in a youth service. The night was simple & significant. We played games to build relationship and connect. We led praise and worship and two of our team shared deep powerful testimonies that truly moved hearts. Two of our leaders preached the word and response moment.
Every young person who came received prayer at the end of the night, including what we believe was a miraculous healing & next steps to grow in a relationship with God. All 10 responded to the gospel commiting their hearts to Jesus!
The Youth Alive Academy had a brilliant year, thriving under the outstanding leadership of Jess Bruce, Aywan Suleiman, and Chris Klum. Beginning with 40 students, we are proud to graduate 32, a testament to the challenging nature of the program. With two locations, the academy continues to go from strength to strength, equipping and raising Australia’s finest young leaders, ready to impact their communities with excellence and purpose.
We’re all about raising leaders who raise DISCIPLES! This year, we trained 639 leaders statewide, equipping them to disciple effectively. We’ve resourced youth ministries with Alpha, Love Is Our Weapon, Nikki Dent’s Breaking Up with Babel, Teen Freedom, and tools from ythmin.com. These resources empower leaders to disciple teenagers and build strong, thriving youth ministries that transform lives.
Youth Alive (YA) is a not-for-profit that exists to reach people with the gospel, raise young leaders, and resource youth and young adult ministries.
© 2025 Youth Alive NSW