A YWAM Discipleship Training School, also called “DTS”, is a 5 or 6 month program designed to equip young people (high school graduates) as effective ambassadors of Jesus. It includes classroom lectures and learning, bible training, personal reflection, practical service, hands-on experience, international travel, and community living. Let’s take a closer look at some of the locations where you can participate in a YWAM DTS.
Youth With A Mission is all over the world! “With more than 18,000 staff and over 1,200 ministry locations, it is now one of the world’s largest missionary training and sending organizations.” Not every YWAM location offers Discipleship Training Schools, but many of them do. Of these 1,200+ locations, there are hundreds of YWAM bases to choose from. YWAM.org allows you to search for bases with a DTS according to region, passions/interests, dates, languages, and more.
Depending on dates, there are between 50 and 100 locations where you can do a DTS in North America! There are about a dozen in Canada, roughly 5 in Mexico, and approximately 40 in the United States. Once again, you can use the map or region feature on YWAM.org to explore those options.
If you’re looking for a YWAM DTS specifically in the USA, you should consider what region to look in. Are you looking for West Coast, East Coast, Central, or Southern? Are you wanting an urban setting, mountains, tropical, or rural? And what about passions and interests? Many YWAM bases offer DTS programs designed to focus on certain topics or activities. Some bases have specific areas of ministry that they specialize in as well. Another thing to consider is if you have medical needs, language barriers, or a specific time frame that might impact your ability to participate. Plug all these filters into the DTS finder on YWAM.org and you will be able to find the best YWAM DTS for your needs. All that being said, we highly recommend that you simply follow the voice of the Lord while looking for the best DTS locations. It can be tempting to want to choose a YWAM base and DTS location based on what appeals to you the most…but make sure that is really what the Lord is calling you to! Don’t simply search for the cheapest DTS or the most popular YWAM bases. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the DTS that is exactly right for your spiritual formation.
A FEW TIPS:
In summary, as long as you have submitted your plans to God and asked Him to lead you, you’re going to land in the right DTS location for you. If you have more quotations about the YWAM DTS and how it looks here at YWAM Asheville, please let us know! Someone on our staff team would be more than happy to talk through anything you might be curious about.