Converge Fellows Program
internships • outreach projects • discern calling
How Converge Fellowships Work
You can lead or host a team or join. We make it easy to host Fellows to complete projects for your organization.
Converge Fellowships
This competitive serving-learning opportunity is for university students and young adults who will complete a collaboratively designed field project with a YWAM or partner host site. We have coordinated international internships for over three decades. Though many have opted not to seek academic credit, students from over 100 universities in nine countries have integrated their studies with service projects worldwide. They served in over 40 countries on more than seventy- five project teams. For decades, students gathered for ten-day pre-service orientations in El Salvador, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Switzerland, and eight States in the USA. However, now we offer our pre-service training online.
The Online Converge Course
Launched in 2013, Converge students are now offered the pre-departure orientation through our online Converge Course. Why did we shift to an online course?
The majority Church today, including the future majority of missionaries, life in the Global
South. Most of the energy and passion for world missions is in Latin America, Sub-Sahara Africa, and part of Asia. The majority of students in those regions do not have the financial resources necessary to travel to a location for a ten-day orientation before their internship. To further assist students from the Global South, we are receiving designated donations to scholarship them for internship. If you are interested in helping students who represent the future of world missions, I encourage you to make a contribution. Thank you!
Donate to Scholarship Students
Converge Fellows are guided by course content and a personal Mentor through preparation, enculturation, assessment, collaboration, and completion of their project. The course includes over 50 relevant and insightful video interviews arranged in 10 pre-departure lessons. Fellows begin the course several weeks before travel to the host site. The course continues with on site assignments designed to help every Converge Fellow to work closely with their host supervisor and to successfully complete their project and engage at a deep level with the host community. This course was originally designed exclusively for college internships, however, now we also accept any highly motivated young adult to apply to be a Converge Fellow.
Apply for a Converge Fellowship
Chart your path to learn to make a difference using your training, skills, and passions. Though competitive, college students, YWAMers, or any young adult may apply.
Pre-Departure.
The pre-departure Orientation consists of ten lessons with 50 short videos (2-5 minutes), and online questions for you to respond to course content and engage with your personal Mentor, your Host, other Fellows on your team, and Converge Coordinators.
Lesson 1 – The Changing Face of Missions
Lesson 2 – Understanding History
Lesson 3 – Prayer & Priorities
Lesson 4 – Knowing and Hearing God
Lesson 5 – Biblical Worldview
Lesson 6 – Right Relationships
Lesson 7 – Crossing Cultures
Lesson 8 – Justice & the Greatness of God
Lesson 9 – Calling
Lesson 10 – Final Reflections
All Converge Fellows are required to choose a Mentor from their own community, a faculty member, a pastor, a missionary, or any mature Christ-follower who will meet with you, pray with you, advocate for you, and advise you through this life-changing experience.
Enculturation.
Your Host will meet you at the airport, help you get situated in your housing, and give you some time to rest after your travels. In addition to showing you hospitality, your Host will give you some important instruction about the social and cultural “do’s and don’ts” and safety recommendations to help you navigate your new surroundings and pray for the people and place where you will be working. Your Host will introduce you to the people you will be working with and help you understand the vision, history, and the current status of the field project. Part of enculturation includes learning to use public transportation, and finding local services (such as the bank, shopping, and medical facilities). The objective is for you to join in the rhythm’s of community life, ready to join Jesus in the neighborhood. During this phase, you will complete a Community Mapping exercise designed to help you engage with the community you will serve.
Assessment.
In addition to your regular weekly schedule, you will build new relationships, listening and observing the way people live. You will build upon the mapping exercise by planning and conducting interviews to help you research and pray about your Field Project Report, a project you will design to meet a community need. Before you begin your Field Project Report, you will interview the project leader to discuss what you propose to design. Your Mentor may help also you regarding the development of your idea. When considering your Field Project Report, ask yourself: “If I were to move to this community, what would I do to make a difference for the glory of God?”
Project.
The Project is your unique contribution to your host organization and community during your Fellowship. As you develop your Project, you will draw on what you learned in the Course. The guiding question of your Project should be: “What can I do to empower the community and make a difference for the glory of God?” As you near the completion of your Project, you will write a Final Report documenting your project and reflecting upon your learning experiences. You will articulate objectives and goals and describe the resources you needed and challenges you faced. Your Final Report may take a traditional form such as a document written in Word, or it may be a non-traditional submission, such as a photo-journal, podcast, website, or video.
Debriefing.
How much did you grow? Debriefing is a time to review and celebrate your experiences. You will meet One-on-One with your Host before you depart from the field, and your Mentor online or when you return home.
Reporting.
Copies of your completed Field Project Report and photos or a short video should be given to the Host, your Mentor, and the YWAM Converge office.
You may audit the course and create your outreach experience if you choose. Anyone can enroll in the Converge Course and learn how to make a difference.
You can download the course syllabus outlining the phases, assignments, and curriculum in more detail.
Learn about the Converge Course
Apply for Converge Fellows Program for Your Organization
If you are a friend of YWAM missionaries who has experience hosting teams or interns, we invite you to become a Converge Fellows Host Organization. You will be registered to get exclusive use to our Converge App to define the opportunity at your location and administrate your Converge Fellows program. We will help you step-by-step from design to publication, approvals to fundraising, flights to travel insurance, and arrival orientation to debriefing interviews. The Converge App can save you about 80 hours of administrative tasks.
“You really made this mountain climbable.”
Mary Cartisano -
Build the $300 annual subscription into your program fees. Post a dedicated organization profile and individual fundraising profile pages for those you accept to your Converge Fellowship Program.
The App is for all Converge Fellowship Program Hosts and more…
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YWAM Converge, also known as YWAM Student Centre, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 54-1882074. Donations are tax-deductible. ©2023 YWAM Student Centre. All rights reserved. Terms of service.
