The Salvation Army International

We imagine a world in which children and young people fully experience life, feeling loved and valued by their families and communities, and are empowered to make meaningful contributions.

We believe that children and young people:

are made in the image of God and are a gift from God.
are intricately made and should be treasured. This means we should value them.
are also dependent yet developing. This means they need our guidance, care and protection.
are natural models of faith and called by God to join his mission of redemption and reconciliation. This means we should give space to them to participate, co-create and co-lead in serving God and others with their unique set of gifts, talents and skills.

Resources

Explore resources for Sunday schools, youth groups and all-age worship:

International Day of Children and Young People

Every year The Salvation Army celebrates the International Day of Children and Young People on the last Sunday of April. In 2025 this is Sunday 27 April.

This year, the Norway, Iceland and The Færoes Territory has created resources for all ages:

Youth and Children's Section at International Headquarters

The Youth and Children’s Section at International Headquarters (IHQ) supports and strengthens The Salvation Army around the world in its work among children and young people through:

identifying and sharing good practices, like discipleship programmes, around the world
sharing and creating resources, such as children's programmes and our Faith Talks card game
connecting youth secretaries, for example by creating zonal meetings with youth leaders
giving young people a voice through the International Children and Young People Advisory Group
supporting territories in increasing youth participation.

Contact the team at youthandchildren@salvationarmy.org.

International Children and Young People Advisory Group

The Salvation Army believes that children and young people are a gift to families and communities and should be seen, heard and valued. They must be given space to contribute.

The International Children and Young People Advisory Group (ICYAG) is made up of 40 young people aged between 13 and 30. Living in countries all around the world, group members meet online and take part in surveys to share their ideas, concerns and recommendations with The Salvation Army.

Members discuss the topics that matter to them, as well as responding to requests from teams at IHQ. Recent discussion topics have included:

sexuality and relationships
mental health
theology of children and young people
the environment.

The ICYAG is led by Fernanda Rivera from Mexico Territory, who serves as chair, and Grace Moir from the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, who serves as vice-chair.

For more information about ICYAG contact youthandchildren@salvationarmy.org.

Sponsorship, child protection and youth participation around the world

Canada and Bermuda

The Salvation Army’s Youth Action Committee (YAC) is made up of young adults from across Canada and Bermuda. The purpose of this committee is to facilitate effective two-way conversations between young leaders and the youth department at The Salvation Army headquarters in Canada.

The YAC meets once every quarter; three online meetings and one in-person retreat annually, for a chance to share resources, have times of learning and connect with fellow young leaders.

The hope of this committee is to offer a voice for young leaders throughout the territory, to inspire and motivate creative ministry initiatives and to develop and promote young leaders as essential to the future of The Salvation Army.

South Africa

'My name is Nothemba Mkonto, and I have been part of the Ethembeni children’s home since 2021, working under the Grannie’s programme. I have cared for five children. Among them there was one child who displayed disruptive behaviour. When corrected, she would become angry. Through conversations we helped her to apologise and embrace children she had wronged and gradually she learnt the importance of apologising and her behaviour improved significantly.

'She now trusts me and feels comfortable sharing her thoughts and feelings. This child has changed me in profound ways. I am grateful to The Salvation Army for this invaluable opportunity.'

Norway

Sigurd from Norway joined DYNAMO, a one-year course about faith and mission.

The course was very practical: the team served food to people with drug and alcohol addictions.

'I was serving a man who started speaking to me. It was my first time doing something like this. When I tried to actually listen, I realised he was telling me a joke and it was funny. I made a quick reply and he laughed. At that moment I truly got to witness that these were just nice people. That made me realise the importance of the work, and that made me proud to be part of The Salvation Army.'

Singapore

A simple prayer and trust in the Lord were all it took for Augustine Tee, currently the Deputy Director for Residential Services, to begin his employment with The Salvation Army in Singapore in 2010, specifically with the Gracehaven and The Haven children’s homes.

Through the integration ministry between the children’s home and the corps (church), God revealed his purpose to him; a journey with the young people through healing, transformation and restoration.

As expressed by Augustine, ‘Being able to reach out to the less fortunate children and young persons who had experienced the trauma of abuses and neglect is such a blessing. What makes this journey of faith meaningful is that God has often revealed his heart to teach me to love every single young soul.’

Hear more from the Youth and Children's section on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube:

Youth and Children