The “E” of Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth’s M.I.L.E. reminds our churches of our Greater Northwest (GNW) Area goal of eliminating racism. One step on this journey toward justice is to learn about the history of native people in our GNW Area, including the Methodist involvement in boarding schools. Youth groups have the unique opportunity to visit the Yakama reservation this summer to learn about Native American culture, serve elders through work projects, and build friendships. Mending Wings, a native faith-based non-profit organization, invites youth grades 7-12 and their youth leaders and chaperones to Wapato, Washington, for a week-long S.L.A.M. Trip. To learn more about S.L.A.M. Trips visit slamtrips.com.
S.L.A.M. stands for Students Learning About Mission. Last summer, 61 youth and adults from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska came together on the Yakama reservation for an amazing week of learning and service. This summer, we aim to have 150 youth and adult leaders/chaperones participate in three separate GNW Youth S.L.A.M. Trips weeks. Your youth group may choose from the following dates which have been set aside for Greater Northwest United Methodist Churches:
- July 7-12
- July 21-26
- August 4-9
Each week will accommodate 50 individuals. The cost is $450 plus the cost of your travel to Wapato, Washington, on the Yakama Reservation. Going with the GNW Area offers the opportunity to do collaborative pre-trip work in conjunction with the Circle of Indigenous Ministries, the opportunity for adult leaders to train together. We hope we can help ease the burden of the registration process of churches and youth workers and assist your group with accessing scholarship funds through groups like UMVIM, assistance for BIPOC participants, and other funding sources.
To indicate your interest and begin the process for joining a Summer 2024 trip, FILL OUT THIS INTEREST FORM or reach out to the coordinator for your conference:
- Alaska – Murray Crookes (munrahcito@gmail.com)
- OR-ID – Drew Hogan (dhogan@fumcpdx.org / 469-878-1288)
- PNW – Sheila Miranda (smiranda@pnwumc.org / 206-870-6815)
