YWAM NIKO Urban Paris

The TLDR is this, we made our YWAM DTS students homeless on the streets of Paris for 3 days.


In telling you all this I am breaking my "vow" to never share what happens in a NIKO camp. Ridiculous. I say "YWAM" but technically this was facilitated through "Kings Kids," a sister organization to YWAM. Whatever the case, this was standard for all of our DTSes, including a Crossroads DTS that had elderly students.

I participated 2x as staff and it's one of my biggest regrets, that I was so brainwashed I not only felt this was acceptable but actually beneficial for my students. We begin by telling them to only bring their Bible, good shoes, and warm clothes. The whole thing is shrouded in secrecy. People asking for further information are shut down. We take away all of their money, cell phones, and identification.

We show up to a basement, cave, in Paris and have prayer and worship. They are given the "choice" to participate. It isn't really a "choice" as they risk expulsion for not participating. A line is drawn and they are asked to cross it if they are to continue. This is hideous because absolutely NO ONE knows what it is they are agreeing to. They are given plastic shopping bags from a very low priced French grocery store and told to put everything they will "need" into the bags. Many will soon regret putting anything in the bags at all. Also don't forget we have all of their money, communications and identity and won't let them have it.

Then we take them into a park as it gets late in a very bad neighborhood of Paris, and play team building games while drunks and drug dealers cheer us on. They are told to get everything they will need to sleep. With no further explanation. People scatter into the streets gathering cardboard, trash, once they even found an abandoned mattress. After this we take them to an abandoned railroad track near a bridge where they all sleep for the night. After some time we give them army issue sleeping bags. "See guys we will take care of you, trust us." No one believes this is really happening. Anger and tears all around as we go off for a staff meeting. It's Fall so its rainy and around 36-40 degrees. No one really sleeps well.

The next day they are marched through the city with various spurts of running and the Paris monuments are pointed out. Often this is their first view of Paris but no one can take a photo or enjoy it. Again no explanation is given as to what or why this is happening. The staff call it the death march. It's 26 miles (42km), the length of a marathon. Remember they are operating on a few hours of sleep after sleeping outside in the cold rain the night before. If at ANY POINT a student were to get lost or fall behind, they would be alone in one of the largest cities in the world with no money, phone, or identification, in a language they don't know. So the motivation is strong to keep up with the in-shape staff member running ahead of them. It takes all day even up until midnight and beyond.

Those grocery bags with their belongings are like torture devices at this point and gradually begin to tear a part and items are discarded. The students suffer because they aren't prepared whereas the staff have been working out for months to get ready for this one day. Many former students still suffer from this. One girl lost her toenails, they never grew back right. Another has continuous pain in her knees. They failed to obey the "bring good shoes" rule. So it's "their fault." That night to everyone's delight they sleep in the cave. Paris caves are little better than the outside, moldy and cold. But at least everyone feels safer.

The next day we have a rigged lottery where staff draw "Bs" and students draw "As" out of a hat. The Bs get a lavish french breakfast and the As eat stale baguette (rock hard) out of a trash bag with water. This is to illustrate unfair privilege. Later that day we take them to a notorious train station to "talk" to people. Homeless people and drug dealers. Extremely dangerous. For lunch they have to panhandle in an outdoor market and aren't allowed to tell the people why or what they are doing. Just that they need food for lunch and have no money. Sometimes they're given discarded food, sometimes money. Often they are berated by angry tourists for being penniless Americans in Paris. Because they can't speak French they have to beg in pantomime or ask tourists. Whatever they gather together is what they have to eat. If they didn't think to get cutlery, napkins, plates, a can opener, to bad.

That night we feed them spaghetti. The next morning it's stale baguette again and they are taken into an abandoned railway tunnel where you can not see anything and asked to run through it on "faith." In the tunnel with us are homeless people and others doing drugs. Many fall and get injured. Then they have to scale a 20 foot fence. Or go back through the tunnel. Of course many fail and have to go back through the mile long pitch black tunnel. Once they got lucky and the fence had a whole in it. Then we debrief. Any complaints are met with stern beratement from the staff about them not appreciating this valuable lesson. Of course those who think it was all wonderful are highly praised.

We take them for showers. Everyone is SO EXCITED until they realize they are showering in a homeless shelter with other homeless men and women. Again lots of confusion as to why 18-22 year old Americans are showering with French homeless people. It's done and everyone is taken to Chinese food for "graduation." They are given diplomas and attaboys. Told they are to swear an oath to never tell anyone about NIKO, even their families. Then we take them back to the base.




It's all so insidious and it still happens every year. Here is their most recent. Just a couple of months ago.

I had former students review this for accuracy. To my horror, even those that enjoyed this event, thought of worse things that I had forgotten, now added. Sadly they all agreed, even those positive about it, that I did not exaggerate on any point. It's important to note that I genuinely believe the staff from King's Kids who run this event are lovely wonderful people who truly, in their heart of hearts, feel that this a very beneficial training.