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A story from the Be A Leader Program | Central Asia
A story from the “Be A Leader” program
For many young people with special needs in Central Asia, society quietly assumes a limited future. Too often they are seen only as people who must be cared for, not as individuals who can contribute, lead, and serve others.
But sometimes a single opportunity begins to change that story.
That is what happened through Young Life’s Be A Leader program in that part of the world.
The program was designed for young adults with special needs who wanted to grow in confidence, faith, and leadership. Programs like this are extremely rare in the region, where people with special needs are often overlooked and rarely given opportunities to be full members of society — let alone leaders.
They were chosen from a group of Young Life Capernaum graduates – kids with special needs who used to come to club but have now become adults ready for next chapter.
Over the course of a year, six such students committed to learning together. Each participant was paired with two coaches who walked alongside them throughout the process.
At the beginning, even some of the leaders were unsure what would happen.
“My first emotion was that this might be impossible,” said Margo, a mother of a child with special needs and one of the program’s trainers. “I knew some of the kids and their families, and I wondered whether we would be able to move forward with the fundamental things.”
But God had other plans.
Over the year, the group met twice each month. Each gathering focused on a different topic: learning to accept themselves, building relationships, working as a team, and discovering who God created them to be. The students practiced leadership skills, completed assignments, and met regularly with their coaches.
One of the most powerful parts of the program was a series of interviews with professionals and church leaders in the community. These conversations allowed the students to ask an important question:
“How could a person with special needs be part of your organization?”
During one of these interviews, a remarkable moment unfolded.
Vlad, one of the program's participants, sat down to speak with a woman who was both the mother of a child with special needs and the director of a foundation that serves children with intellectual disabilities. As she listened to him share about his journey and what he had learned, something shifted.
By the end of the conversation, she offered him a job.
He would now work in her organization, helping in the garden, with the same benefits and responsibilities as any other employee.
For him, it was the beginning of a new chapter.
For her, it was a realization.
She later shared that the interview made her see something she had never fully considered before: that people with special needs can also be team members and leaders in their communities.
The transformation did not stop there.
Throughout the year, the six students grew not only in practical skills but also in their relationship with God and with one another. Churches that hosted the interviews began to witness their growth firsthand.
“Every kid grew in their life and in their relationship with God,” Margo said. “People in the church watched their transformation right before their eyes.”
Some of the students began volunteering with Young Life’s Capernaum ministry, which serves teens with special needs. One participant discovered a gift for sound and music and now helps run audio for camps and clubs, ensuring that music and worship flow smoothly.
Others felt a calling to serve more actively, stepping into volunteer leadership roles.
The program also changed the adults around them.
Parents who had initially been skeptical came to the graduation ceremony and were amazed by what they saw. Many realized they had unintentionally lowered expectations for their children.
Watch this short video from the graduation.
“We are used to lowering the bar for kids with special needs,” Margo reflected. “But here we learned to do the opposite — to believe they can and raise the bar instead.”
Coaches experienced transformation as well. Walking alongside the students challenged them to rethink what leadership and service look like. Some of those coaches are now preparing to become volunteers in Young Life.
For Margo, the experience was deeply personal.
"At first, I thought this would be a sacrifice to serve these students,” she said. “But I learned so much through it. Even my view of my own child changed.”
In the end, all six students completed the year-long training.
Each one finished stronger, more confident, and more connected to their community.
The Be A Leader program began as a pilot, but its impact reached far beyond the classroom. It introduced churches, organizations, and families to a new vision: that young people with special needs are not simply recipients of care.
They are leaders, contributors, and servants of others.
In a region where disability has long carried stigma and silence, this program represents something much larger than one year of training.
It is a glimpse of a different future.
One where young adults with special needs are welcomed into workplaces, churches, and ministries. One where communities begin asking new questions about inclusion and dignity.
And sometimes, that future begins with something as simple as a conversation.
One interview.
One job.
One life changed.
And through it, the possibility that an entire culture might change, one person at a time.
There is a treasure trove of powerful, transformational stories that take place almost daily in our ministry!
And we want to share them with you to encourage and uplift you, and to make sure the world hears about the miraculous work God is doing across the ocean in the nations that for almost a century denied His very existence. Sign up for a once-a-month Saturday Morning Stories from the Field to make sure you get every one of them! We hope you enjoy them.
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