The first program, “Quest for Life: Nurturing Joy in an Uncertain Age,” offers over three dozen program modules designed to nurture 24 Christian practices, habits, attitudes, orientations, beliefs and virtues that have proven to ground flourishing lives of meaning, wholeness, resilience and joy. (e.g. gratitude, worship, prayer, agency, belonging, forgiveness, etc.)

The second program, “Quest for Life: Beacons of Joy in the Midst of Suffering” offers ten program modules designed to nurture hope and joy in the midst of the adversities and afflictions that are too often present in the lives of modern adolescents. (e.g. depression, anxiety, poverty, substance abuse, and family instability, etc.).

The practices and virtues addressed in both program modules were developed by a national advisory board of leading practical theologians and practitioners. The advisory board was led by YMI founder, Skip Masback, and included, among others, Kenda Creasy Dean, Andy Root, Anne Wimberly, Almeda Wright, David White and Roger Nishioka. Each program module is supported by a full lecture by a scholar-practitioner team, an accessible essay on the module’s topic, ten or more short inverview clips with the scholar-practitoner team and ancillary helps.

As Archbishop of Canterbury put it “. . . religious faith is not just a set of private beliefs about supernatural things, but a comprehensive ground for reflection on how the world and human life hang together….” The YMI Quest for Life program introduces youth to this “comprehensive ground for reflection,” offering Christianity’s “Life 101” as the treasure map to the “abundant life” Jesus came to share.