In this episode, Emma is joined by Melissa Powell and Kara Rodriguez to talk about one of their favorite parts of ministry—getting out across the territory to visit camps, youth councils, and divisional events. They share why these visits matter, what they’ve learned from youth leaders and young people, and how the Youth Department hopes to encourage those serving on the front lines of youth ministry.

REPLAY! This episode first aired in June 2025, but it is still relevant every year. If you listened the first time, listen again! If you missed it the first time, you won’t want to miss it now!

In this episode, we take a bird’s eye view of officer moves within the Southern Territory—how the process works and how we, as church members and leaders, can support officers and their families, especially children, during a season of change. Lt. Colonel Janice Riefer, Territorial Secretary for Personnel, shares her expert insights, and Jon Avery, Social Media Manager, joins the conversation with personal reflections and a look at a recent social media post about this topic that gained a lot of positive feedback.

Here is the link to the social media post referenced in the episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DIOG3yPxXax/?igsh=MXI5ZDBxOHhlZjVkNQ==

In this episode of Youth Down South, we’re talking about what it really takes to build a volunteer dream team — not just filling positions, but intentionally recruiting, training, and developing leaders who thrive.

Emma is joined by Roberta Simmons-Smith and Danielle Rowland for a practical, honest conversation about moving from “gap filling” to team building. We talk onboarding, creating ownership, preventing burnout, having hard conversations, and what actually keeps volunteers coming back year after year.

If you lead volunteers in any capacity — corps, youth ministry, RSYC, camp, or beyond — this episode is for you.