Youth for Christ/USA is happy to announce the new strategic partnership with DeafYouth Ministries for creating effective and sustainable ministry with deaf and hard-of-hearing teenagers.

Ministry with deaf teenagers is tough! Once a youth worker is able to cross the language and cultural barriers between the hearing and deaf worlds, there awaits a microcosm of all societal ills. Deaf and hard-of-hearing teenagers face all the same temptations, dangers, and sins as other teenagers but without many of the supports available to their hearing peers. They are few in number, and in most cases, scattered due to educational mainstreaming.

Bob Ayres, President of DeafYouth Ministries, will serve as the YFC/USA “National Liaison for Deaf Teen Ministry.” On the regional and national level, there will be three to five YFC/USA staff people serving DTQuest® ministries. This team of folks will provide consultation to local YFC ministry centers for program development, support and oversight.

DTQuest® on a local level remains part of a YFC chapter’s overall outreach. The role of DeafYouth Ministries is to help establish these local ministries and provide training and support for the staff. Through this agreement, the local ministry center receives permission for full use of the DTQuest® name and logo.

The current DTQuest® YFC ministries are in the following ministry centers: Bluegrass (Central Kentucky), Central Indiana, Central Maryland and Tacoma Area YFC. If you are interested in starting ministry with deaf teenagers in your area, please contact Bob Ayres at bob.ayres@dtq.org to discuss affiliation benefits.

This official strategic alliance between DYM and YFC/USA is a testimony to God’s vision for reaching deaf teenagers as part of the “every.” You can learn more about DTQuest® at dtquest.org.