CIY

Engage offers trips to...
Recruit and equip students to be Kingdom workers right now.
Provide environments where students learn from Kingdom workers.
Develop spiritual growth in students and student ministries.
Train students to engage people as they follow Jesus.

Yes. Training is the heartbeat of Engage. It is essential. Engage has developed an online training resource with videos and intentional training exercises that will help prepare you before the trip, guide you during the trip, and help you continue to process and learn after the trip. This training includes both spiritual and cultural content and will train you for not only international settings, but for being a Kingdom worker wherever you are. This resource also includes self-assessments to track your progress throughout the training (both before and after the trip) and allows you to keep an online journal so you can review and reread the things you have learned.

You will meet up with the CIY Engage trip leaders and your other teammates at the airport of your international flight departure. This location varies for each Engage trip. Before leaving the country, time will be spent getting to know your team and going through important pre-trip orientation. You are responsible for making travel arrangements to the departure airport, by either booking a domestic flight or driving (not included in the cost of the trip). Once you arrive at the departure airport, all costs are covered, other than souvenirs, extra snacks and beverages, and incidentals.

Each Engage trip is unique and is planned to best serve the local church, community, and mission partners. A general overview of each trip can be found on the Dates & Locations page of our website. Click on the trip location to read more about what that trip entails. For more specific questions, please call Engage staff at the CIY office.

CIY has been facilitating mission trips for more than 30 years, and each location is carefully researched to ensure the safety of each trip participant. Engage never takes a student team to a location without first sending CIY staff to do a survey and research trip. Information relating to food, water, housing, political stability, and health concerns are reviewed with our in-country mission partners. Engage monitors reports of political unrest and travel conditions through the U.S. State Department, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides Engage with information relating to potential diseases in the regions we visit. Travel medical insurance is provided for each participant. The coverage for this plan includes doctor or hospital visits and admittance for illnesses or injuries. The plan also includes coverage of an emergency medical evacuation if a serious situation would arise. Engage provides trained and qualified trip leaders, many of whom have decades of experience. Each trip leader is required to have a criminal and sex offender background check.

Trip leaders will be provided with the location of the nearest medical facility. It is the responsibility of the Trip Leaders to ensure that the affected individual(s) receive appropriate care, are accompanied while away from the team, and appropriate payment arrangements are made. Trip Leaders have access to medical release forms for everyone on the trip at all times.

Summer Trips:

• Trip Deposit - $250 due as part of the online application (applies to Trip Cost)
• Deadline #1 – $500 due on February 2, 2024
• Deadline #2 – $500 due on March 31, 2024
• Deadline #3 – Remaining balance due 14 days before the trip

The International Airfare listed for the trips is based on reserved international airline tickets. The fares are locked in, but until the tickets are booked and finalized the fuel surcharges that are included in the ticket price structure as subject to change. When fuel surcharges change the amount is not typically large, however CIY will pass along any increases. You will be made aware of the additional cost (if any) once tickets are finalized and fuel surcharges set.

The Trip Cost is the combination of the Base Cost and International Airfare for the trip. The following expenses are included in the Base Cost:

• Meals
• Lodging
• Team Training Expenses
• On-site Ground Transportation
• Travel Medical Insurance
• Work Project Materials
• All Taxes and Fees

The following expenses are not included in the Trip Cost:

• Passport Fees: a current/valid passport will be required for CIY to purchase international airline tickets. Without a passport copy, CIY will not be able to book your necessary flights.
• Domestic Travel: transportation to and from the departure airport of the international flight (international airfare is INCLUDED in the cost of the trip). Instructions for making travel arrangements will be provided after trip acceptance.
• Travel Visa: some locations require a travel visa. This information will be communicated to you if it applies to the trip you are on.
• Immunizations: refer to the CDC website or talk to your doctor about specific immunization needs.
• Incidental Expenses

Engage understands that the amount of money it takes to go on a mission trip may seem daunting, but remember that the funds can come from a number of sources over a period of several months. The most important thing to remember when raising money is that this mission is God’s and not yours. Dedicate it to prayer. If this is God’s will for your life and you do all that you can, God will provide a way. A few examples of fundraising ideas are below:

• Write a support letter. Once you’re accepted on a trip, Engage will provide you with a sample letter. Make the letter your own and send it to family, friends, church members, coaches, etc. The goal of the letter will be to ask for support in a couple of different ways. You will want to ask for prayer supporters (people who will commit to praying for you on a regular basis), as well as financial supporters.
• Set up an online fundraising page. Engage has an online template for you to be able to create your own fundraising page with a link that is uniquely your own. Once you are accepted on a trip, you will be able to set up your page and send the link to family and friends or post it to social media.
• Host a fundraising dinner. Invest in making a meal for several people you know. You could even invite your whole church! At the dinner, explain to your guests what you want to do and why you want to do it, and ask for donations and for prayer supporters.
• Plan a race. 5K, full marathon, color run, you name it. The entrance fee will go to support your trip (other donations on top of the entrance fee may come in as well).
• Organize an auction or yard sale. Ask for friends or families in your church to donate items to the sale and all the proceeds will go to your trip expenses.
• Facilitate a Parent’s Night Out. Gather some friends to help you out and use your church as a place to host a babysitting night. Parents can have a night out for a date and in return they can offer donations that will go directly toward your trip.
• Go epic and plan a food fight! Ask all participants (even adults) to pay an entry fee and bring their own food (pudding, flour, rice, etc.). 3…2…1…FOOD FIGHT!!

In the event you need to cancel your trip participation, you must notify CIY by email. The date of the correspondence will determine your cancellation date and the costs for which you are responsible. All contributions to CIY are non-refundable. You are responsible for the costs that CIY incurs as a result of your cancellation. If the funds that have been paid or raised at the time of cancellation do not cover the costs that CIY will incur, you will be responsible for paying the difference. If CIY has to cancel your trip due to political unrest, natural disaster, at the recommendation of the mission partner or US State Department, or for any other reason at the discretion of CIY, you will have the option of diverting to a different trip or waiting until the following year.

Groups from churches, college ministries, and Christian schools attend our trips every year. The following information is for adult group leaders who are intending to bring multiple people on the same trip. To reserve space on a team for your group, follow the steps below:

• Contact CIY Engage. You can call us, email us, or submit the form below to start the conversation! We will discuss trip options and the space we have available on those trips.
• Register and pay a nonrefundable deposit. After a trip has been landed on, your Engage contact will send you a link to our online registration. You will secure your number of spots by submitting a nonrefundable deposit (credit card online or send check within 7 days of registration). The amount of the deposit depends on your date of registration. See our Group Terms & Conditions for more details. This Terms and Conditions document will also be emailed to you by CIY for you to sign and agree upon once registration and deposit has been received.

Are you ready to apply? Follow these quick and easy steps to apply online for one of our teams.

• Submit the online Trip Application, which is available by clicking “Register” at the top of this page. This will take you to a simple online form that won’t take much time to complete. However, if you don’t have time to finish it in one sitting, you can save your application and return back to it at any time. Just save the application and copy the link at the bottom of the Trip Application. Before you begin your application, you will be prompted to create a Managed Missions account. Remember your login info because if you are accepted onto an Engage team, you will return back to the Managed Missions system for trip specific info and to create your online fundraising page.
• Pay a nonrefundable $250 deposit. The final step of the Trip Application will prompt you to enter credit/debit card information. This payment will not be processed until your application is accepted. The $250 deposit applies to the cost of your trip. If you are not accepted onto a team, you will not be charged the $250 deposit.
• Complete Trip Forms. Upon submission of your Trip Application, you will be provided with a link to complete the online Trip Forms (agreement to Engage policies; CIY release form; Financial Policy agreement; contact info for three references; etc.). Minors will need parent/guardian signatures on these online forms.

We're so excited to hear that you're interested in going on a trip with Engage!

More information

Groups of 12 or more (students & adult leaders combined) have the option to create a custom trip with some of our mission partners, including ones that are not listed on the Dates & Locations page. If you are looking for a trip with different dates or locations than our listed trips, fill out the form below. Possible custom trip locations are Brazil, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Ireland, Kenya, Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, Poland, and Romania.