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Students stay a short walk from our main hub property in shared accommodation with other students. Living in community is a great way to meet people from diverse backgrounds, and it’s lots of fun! We value community by sharing sit-down meals (lunch and dinner on weekdays, dinner on weekends) prepared by our kitchen ministry and enjoyed together like a big family. The kitchen will supply some basic breakfast staples to stock your dormitory.
Life and missions will always have their risks, but we do thorough, prayerful research and risk assessment before heading anywhere on outreach. We are mindful of travel advisories and ensure we have appropriate insurance in place, as well as local contacts and contingency plans. We work hard to train our outreach leaders and have local and Perth-based support in place for them. There are no guarantees in life of course, and reaching those who need Jesus won’t always be easy. In doing that, we want to both stretch our comfort zones and exercise wisdom.
Yes, we welcome families! We believe that families, and not just individuals, have a calling in missions to serve together as a family. Please let us know if you are planning on bringing your family. Please also note that school-aged children may need to be enrolled in schooling as a condition of your visa. More information regarding costs, accommodation and education for children can be provided by the Registrar.
Yes, certainly! Just chat with your school leader about when would work best. If your guests are hoping to stay for a few days, you can email hospitality@ywamperth.org.au to see if any of our guest accommodation is available.
Yes, you’re welcome to visit! Just contact our Registrar at info@ywamperth.org.au and you can arrange a time to join us for a meal or a tour or a chat.
An FTS is a full-time training program and is designed for wholistic learning which happens through all kinds of activities (see our FTS page for more info) so the schedule doesn’t work well alongside a job. Most FTS students will take leave from their jobs if they’re employed before coming.
Additionally, if you are an international student most of the visas used to do a FTS do not allow you to work in Australia.
Yes, a University of the Nations recognised DTS is a preliminary requirement before you can do other Focused Training or join volunteer staff with YWAM.
You can apply online here or email us at info@ywamperth.org.au, and we will send you information regarding the school you are interested in.
Most Focused Training Schools include an outreach as part of the school. You can check the school’s page for more information. Outreaches are highly recommended, not only as a hands-on extension of your learning, but as an opportunity to meaningfully touch people’s lives through all God has been equipping you with.
Sorry, not right now. To complete your DTS here in Perth you need to be confident in listening to, reading, writing and speaking English to participate in our training. Please note that for some nationalities the visa process will require proof of your English Proficiency.
We have an amazing kitchen team who prepare all our meals. They do their best to cater for those with food allergies and intolerances. So, we typically have diary and gluten free options at meal times. If you have a more specific dietary requirement, please let us know.
Clothing
Apart from casual wear, bring one set of formal clothes for meetings, church and formal events. Many outreach locations do require at least knee-length skirts for women and pants for men. Unless you want your casual clothes turned into work clothes, we strongly suggest you bring a set of clothes that can get dirty. There is a wide variety of jobs to tackle, and some can get messy. For recreation clothes, we suggest you bring shorts and runners (sneakers). With bathing suits, please be sensitive to our cross-cultural context and bring one-piece bathing suits for women and swim shorts for men. For shoes, you'll want a pair of casual shoes and dress shoes.During winter it can get cold (June – September), so bring jeans, jumpers (sweaters) and a jacket. Remember, outreaches may be in another climate, so come prepared for different types of weather.Please note: We have an international student body and as such need to consider a larger audience of cultures in our dress (what is OK in your culture might cause offence to someone from another).
Bedding
You will have a bed (most often a bunkbed) during the lecture phase, but you will need your own bedding (pillows, sheets, blankets, duvet/quilt, etc.) as none will be provided. A fitted sheet is required for all students. Please bring this with you unless you prefer to buy it when you get to Perth. There will be times on outreach where you may not have a bed and will be sleeping on the ground; you may therefore want to bring a sleeping bag and suitable air mattress/mat/Therma-rest with you, though these can also be readily purchased in Perth.
Personal Items
With regard to personal items, please bring whatever articles of clothing you need, limiting it to one large hiking backpack or suitcase. You will have some space under your bed, 2 or 3 shelves in a cupboard and a small amount of wardrobe space. Our storage is limited, meaning you will need to be able to carry everything with you during the outreach phase. There is no storage space provided on campus for your things while you are on outreach.
Cars
If you are planning on bringing a car please let us know. Please be advised that due to local parking restrictions there is no personal parking available on campus. Wherever you chose to park your car, you do so at your own expense. We aim to have all of our accommodation located within walking distance from the YWAM property. Public transportation is easily accessible and can take you throughout the city.
Generally, your school leaders will research and pray over options for outreach locations before the school starts, based on considerations like ministry opportunities, local contacts and ongoing partnerships. These locations will be communicated early in the school, or beforehand if already set. Some teams will serve in multiple locations on outreach, and others may focus on one location for the whole three months. We have a significant focus on Asia, Africa and Australia, but we can send teams anywhere in the world.
We are an urban “walking campus,” so you’ll stay a short walk away from the main YWAM hub in shared accommodation with other students. Classes, meals and other events take place at our central facility. Our main property includes an in-house café, lounge spaces, library, wifi and more.
Our school leaders and staff are full-time volunteer staff serving with Youth With A Mission Perth. School leaders have generally staffed previous schools and have demonstrated both character and leadership capability. Staff and leaders have all done their own schools and received leadership training. Over the course of the schools, they’ll continue to receive ongoing leadership development, input and mentoring from our training team.
One of our big values in YWAM is that we want to be people who “do first, then teach.” So the men and women who teach on our schools are people who live what they’re teaching. They’re practitioners, not just lecturers. You’ll likely hear from a lot of full-time missionaries, as well as people living missionally in their careers, pastors, or other faith leaders.