Psalm 66:5 says “Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!”
We are stopping to take a moment to reflect on all of the things the Lord has done through Youth Alive Qld in 2024. Often we fix our eyes on the present, or we look to the future, but before we do any of those things, we want to look and marvel at the hand of God across our state. We have witnessed thousands of students' lives be transformed through the grace of God and hundreds of leaders and future leaders equipped with the necessary tools to continue the race God has called them to. For that we want to stop to say Thank you God…
Firstly, we want to thank all of the incredible Youth and Young Adult Pastors across our state who are raising up fearless disciples week in and week out. The growth that we have witnessed across all areas of Youth Alive QLD is a direct reflection of the health of youth and young adult ministries right across our state. So thank you for your commitment to seeing young people walk out their God call! There is a unified focus around reaching young people with the gospel, raising up disciples and resourcing leaders with the necessary tools to be effective in whatever area God has called them to.
It's our prayer that this snapshot of the year will encourage you to see that God is on the move! This is a collective win for ministries right across our state.
A huge thank you to our incredible staff for carrying and running with the vision of Youth Alive QLD. It would be impossible to see what we have seen without your dedication. Thank you to every Regional Director for their unwavering dedication to young people and for carrying the vision across the state, our volunteer army that goes above and beyond to create spaces for encounters and to our financial partners. It has been a dream to be able to have the resource to see a generation won for Jesus and you have made this a reality.
This is a small chapter in the incredible story of Youth Alive and we are privileged that we all get to be a part of it. If God is for us, who can be against us.
Isaiah and Renee
Simmons
18 United We Stand Events
1805 Faith Commitments
8500 Attendance
209 Youth Groups Represented
650 Bibles Distributed
This year we saw United We Stand take new ground right across the state. We officially launched four new regions (Rockhampton, Dalby, Kingaroy and Redlands). There is a hunger across Youth Ministries to unite together to do grassroots evangelism in their local areas with a burning desire to see young people encounter God and get plugged into a local youth ministry.
"For the Youth Con" - a Youth Pastors and Leaders conference with 87 different Youth Ministries represented across the state and over 600 leaders gathered for a significant time together. We had leaders travel from New Zealand, Victoria, Tasmania and all over Queensland to be part of this significant event.
The vision was simple, to rally the leaders whose heart is “for the youth”, to have moments of encounter as well as practical training to continue to reach and influence the students of our regions and cities. Our guests, Pastors Tim and Rebekah Somers, Youth Pastors of Elevation Church, came all the way from Charlotte, North Carolina to speak life into the conference. What they carried was significant as altars were filled, the presence of God was incredibly tangible and leaders tarried on for hours in worship, even after the sessions were concluded. In our last session, regional leaders across Queensland anointed every leader with oil and we saw God move powerfully.
We sensed a shift across the conference. Leaders were focused more than ever on the prize. Not the ministry, or goals, but focused on Jesus. Youth Pastors were interacting with one another despite differences in youth ministry size, demographic or location, we genuinely sensed that we are all in this together.
5582 ATTENDANCE
700 BIBLES DISTRIBUTED
236 YOUTH MINISTRIES REPRESENTED
1500 FREE TICKETS GIVEN AWAY
28 SCHOOL PROGRAMS DELIVERED
10 DENOMINATIONS
Presbyterian
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Church of Christ
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Non-Denominational
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Pentecostal
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Methodist
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Uniting Church
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Seventh Day Adventist
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Baptist
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Anglican
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Lutheran
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Presbyterian * Church of Christ * Non-Denominational * Pentecostal * Methodist * Uniting Church * Seventh Day Adventist * Baptist * Anglican * Lutheran *
SCHOOLS TOUR / POP UPS
We had the privilege of speaking to Students in schools across South East Queensland. This year we were able to have Y.Shadey headline our school tour! Students that might not have been able to make it to WONDERWORLD still had the opportunity see Y.Shadey perform at their school and deliver a powerful testimony of putting his faith in God.
28 HIGH
SCHOOLS
This year we launched “For the Youth Sauce”, a resource hub for Youth Pastors and Leaders.
More than ever before we are seeing Youth Pastors searching for resources that are relevant to their context. Questions like, “how do I operate a flourishing youth ministry in Queensland” is motivating this new resource arm of Youth Alive QLD.
This year we launched “For the Youth Sauce”, a resource hub for Youth Pastors and Leaders.
Youth Pastors will have the opportunity to sign up for coaching and mentoring, as well as listen to the “For the Youth Pod”, which features guests to talk through all things youth ministry and leadership. Leaders and creatives will also have access to youth alive music chord charts and resources.
We are excited to expand our core operating model in QLD to now offer another layer of support to the Youth Ministries we serve. We want to help resource the vision of Youth Ministries, who are believing to reach students in their local areas. This is where the fund comes in… Youth Alive Queensland has raised finances through individuals and churches who believe in the next generation and because of this we are now able to offer grants between $1000 and $5000.
This year we were able to partner with the following projects
Rekon WONDERWORLD School Tour
Total Attendance: 1500 Students Engaged
Students engaged on the tour represented at WONDERWORLD: Aprox. 500
Schools Engaged: 9
The purpose of the Wonderworld School Tour, from the perspective of REKON Youth Foundation, was to actively engage with high school students across the region to promote the Wonderworld event delivered by Youth Alive. This tour aimed to create meaningful connections with students who may not currently attend any youth groups, offering them an opportunity to experience a dynamic and uplifting event. By organising a team of artists and youth leaders to perform in schools during lunchtimes, we sought to capture the interest of these students, build excitement, and provide a welcoming environment for them to encounter positive messages and experiences. Through this initiative, we aimed to extend our reach to a broader audience of young people, facilitating encounters with God and fostering connections to local youth programs like REKON and other youth groups in the Logan area. The ultimate goal was to inspire and support these young individuals by providing ongoing community and engagement opportunities, helping them to stay connected and grow in their personal and spiritual journeys.
HILLTOP WKND
Total Attendance: 1230 Students Engaged
Schools Engaged: 7
Hilltop WKND 2024 was a record-breaking event, impacting hundreds of teenagers and their families across the Northern Gold Coast. Thanks to the incredible support from Youth Alive Queensland, this year’s event reached new heights, touching lives in ways we hadn’t anticipated. Below is a brief summary of key highlights from this year’s event.
School Tour & Hilltop Hotspot Zone
The school tour leading up to Hilltop WKND reached over 3,000 students across five high schools, making a significant impact on the local youth community. With a guest rapper & giveaways including 1,500 pancakes & 2,000 zooper doopers. The schools were deeply impacted.
Hilltop Hotspot Zone
During the 3 night event, the Hilltop Hotspot Zone was a central hub, with over 500 students passing through over the weekend. This zone featured key resources such as information on Youth Alive Academy for school leavers, mental health support services, and the opportunity to connect with school chaplains & Queensland Police Force representatives. The police presence helped break down misconceptions and fostered positive relationships between law enforcement and the youth.
Salvations & Decisions for Jesus
Hilltop WKND 2024 saw over 250 students make decisions for Jesus. Ps. Andy and Susannah Harrison delivered powerful messages, with hundreds responding to the call for prayer. Additionally, over 270 Bibles were distributed. One of the most touching moments of the weekend occurred on Sunday night when 5 parents of teenagers made decisions for Christ, demonstrating that the impact of the event extended to entire families.
Follow-up – Alpha Youth Series
The follow-up after Hilltop WKND has been remarkable. Over 60 students have already completed a 4-week Alpha Youth Series. The series helped new believers build a solid foundation for their journey with Christ, and the support provided by leaders and mentors has been crucial in ensuring ongoing spiritual growth and engagement.
Dan and Poppy would like to express their deepest thanks to the Youth Alive board and directors for their unwavering support in making Hilltop WKND 2024 such a success. With their help, we were able to take the event to new heights, impacting hundreds of teenagers, their families, and the broader community in powerful ways. We look forward to seeing the ongoing fruit of this incredible weekend!
Dreamers Youth Festival
Total Attendance: 1050 Students Engaged
Schools Engaged: 5
Dreamers Festival 24 was next level! Seeing a record breaking number of young people attending, decisions for Jesus, community formed and so much more. To God be the Glory!
Dreamers Schools Tour: We were able to partner with 5 local highschools this year to present well-being lunchtime programs during mental health week, with the help of DJ Josh Ham & our amazing Dreamers Team, we were able to engage 1000+ students across 3 days with giveaways, zooper doopers and an invite to Dreamers Festival.
Decisions for Jesus: Over Dreamers Festival we saw God move! With 400 decisions made for Jesus, it felt like a move of God! We were blessed to have Ps Dave Edgar with us who ministered powerfully. Each being followed up over the weekend by our amazing New Christians team, being given tailed made resources to help them with their next steps and being plugged into the Alpha Youth series to help them grow in their faith. Thank you Jesus for all you have done!
YA Academy Pop Up: We were pumped to have Ps Isaiah & the YA team come through and help get our grade 12s connected into YA Academy, we are excited to see 3 of our grade 12s joining academy next year!
Darren, Holly and the whole Shiloh Youth team want to thank Youth Alive QLD for empowering us to take Dreamers Festival to a new level, resourcing us to reach our city with the message of Jesus and see young people make a decision to follow Him!
7SOUND
Total Attendance: 896 Students Engaged
Schools Engaged: 31
We had the incredible opportunity to host three 7SOUND events in Devonport, Brisbane, and Adelaide with the amazing Reggie Dabbs. These gatherings had one mission focus: to release a prophetic sound into each city and region, declaring the name of Jesus and seeing teenagers encounter Him for the first time!
The Brisbane 7SOUND event culminated in running 17 high school programs under our school tour name, the iDECIDE Tour. Students from these schools helped promote 7SOUND and invite young people to the event.
At 7SOUND, we created plenty of space for young people to gather and hang out with one another by hosting a massive carpark party. This included inflatables, food, games, and basketball competitions, to name a few activities. We also gave away a $200 Foot Locker voucher through an interactive social media competition on the night!
Once in the main arena, we were blessed to have DJ Josh Ham, who performed incredibly, creating an energetic and passionate start to the night. This was followed by our iSEE YTH Band and the one and only Reggie Dabbs, who preached an inspiring gospel message that connected with every teenager present. At the end of his message, Reggie invited people to respond to Jesus, and we witnessed 205 people give their lives to the Lord!
Every one of these teenagers received a Bible and was diligently followed up by a youth leader within 48 hours of 7SOUND to pray, explain next steps, and connect them to a local youth ministry.
In total, 450 young people attended 7SOUND in Brisbane, and we are so thankful for everything God did—salvations, joy, and the sound that was released into this great city.
On to 7SOUND 2025!!
Youth Alive Music continues to be a resource to students and ministries across Queensland, Australia and the world.
This year we saw Youth Alive Music increase their monthly listenership across platforms to over 46,300 individual listeners.
Australia
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United States
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Philippines
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Colombia
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Singapore
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Brazil
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Canada
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Malaysia
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Germany
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Australia * United States * Philippines * Colombia * Singapore * Brazil * Canada * Malaysia * Germany *
TOP STREAMED COUNTRIES
THREE NEW SINGLES
In January of this year Youth Alive released three new singles for the summer: ‘Where He Goes”, “Be Alright” and “All Night” with a total stream count of 209,646. We also have had Youth Ministries downloading the tracks to be able to do these songs on a Friday night.
‘DO NOT DISTURB’ WORSHIP PROJECT + DEVOTIONAL
In June we released ‘Do not Disturb’, which was a worship project encouraging listeners to do what Jesus encouraged us to do… ‘shut the door, and pray to your Father in the secret place’ (Matthew 6:6). This project has seen 123,819 streams in only a few months.
Youth Alive has collaborated with the YouVersion Bible App to do a devotional around the meaning behind the songs. This will continue to be a partnership and resource for students and leaders.
Youth Alive’s commitment to develop and train the next generation of leaders is primarily done through our Academy. Youth Alive Academy launched their first ever tour, travelling to Youth Ministries on a Friday night to engage with year 12 students and youth leaders who desire to take the next step in their ministry journey.
This year we launched our ‘Go into all the world’ campaign where the Youth Alive Academy had the opportunity to be part of a local mission expression. We took a bus of students to Downpour Camp, 6 hours west of Brisbane. We took a bus of students to Downpour Camp, 6 hours west of Brisbane. We saw over 300 teenagers gather together to lift up the name of Jesus. Our students were privileged to be able to serve the young people and be part of an incredible camp.
This year we felt a burden for students and leaders to apply Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
At For The Youth Con we launched our “Go into all the world” campaign: a space where we could raise up the next generation of missionaries who felt a burden for suburbs, cities and nations. It was clear that God was aligning our hearts with the young people of Eastern Europe, who had a burden for God to do something new, however had no framework to see this newness break out.
We partnered with an existing church in Queensland that has invested time, resources and energy into this part of the world for the past five years. Our mission was to lead young people in breakthrough praise and worship at an existing conference, to train up the next generation of leaders and to partner with Youth Alive Serbia to do a major outreach. We saw hundreds of students and leaders set on fire for the things of God as well as over 50 decisions at the outreach in Serbia.
During UNITED WE STAND we took up an offering to be able to make this trip possible, and across the state we raised over $15,000.
We also partnered with Compassion Australia for the first time here in Queensland. Even though not all of us are able to pack up and go to another country to preach the gospel, we can meet the needs of disadvantaged young people across the world.
At UPPERROOM we saw over 150 young people sponsored who were in desperate need of basic necessities like education, food, water and clothing.
Hundreds of Young Adults joined together to celebrate all that God has done! It was a night filled with fun, music, and great conversations, set against the stunning backdrop of the water. This event not only allowed everyone to reflect on the year’s highlights but also served as a fantastic opportunity for Young Adult ministries to come together, strengthening connections and celebrating an incredible year!
In April, Youth Alive QLD hosted our Young Adults Conference, UPPERROOM, in Brisbane, where over 600 young adults gathered for an unforgettable experience.
The event featured incredible sessions from guest speakers Jeremy Johnson of Fearless LA, James Murray from Abide Church, and psychologist Liz Dallow.
We were also blessed by powerful worship led by Chardon Lewis from Citipointe. It was truly an incredible time of connection and growth with Young Adults from across the state.
