The $500 million Christian camp giant Young Life has failed to protect young people from sexual misconduct, some former members say

Insider’s six month-long investigation into the Christian youth group Young Life has revealed 10 claims from women who said they experienced sexual misconduct as staff members, volunteers, or students involved in the ministry.

Around 400,000 children worldwide attend Young Life meetings each week, according to the ministry. Some 250,000 also go to a Young Life summer camp. There are 26 camps worldwide, 20 of which are based in the US.

“You go to camp and your life is changed forever,” a former volunteer leader from Colorado told Insider.

However, one of these camps was the setting in which Laureana Arellano, a former Young Life volunteer leader, said she was sexually assaulted in the summer of 2019. Cory Lange, another camp staff member, allegedly stuck his hands down Arellano’s pants while both were working in a camp kitchen in Colorado and grabbed her genitals.

Arellano said Young Life did not properly investigate her claims when she reported Lange’s alleged behavior.

Her allegation formed the basis of a 2020 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint and a federal lawsuit that’s since been settled out of court. In an interview, Arellano’s roommate at the time corroborated her account of her interactions with Lange.

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