Adventures in climbing: Youth Dynamics helps Moses Lake kids rise to the next level

MOSES LAKE — Some amazing conversations can happen on the side of a rock face, said Todd Welch.

There are no barriers, he explained. “Every word in the dictionary comes out. But it’s the highlight of my trip because it’s the ‘I believe in you, I know you can do this, listen to what Todd’s telling you to do and do it, and then you’ll accomplish it. ... They’re the ones that make it to the top and keep rock climbing.”

What Welch refers to is the outdoor excursions organized by the Moses Lake branch of Youth Dynamics. Welch is the area director of Youth Dynamics — an organization that helps mostly middle school- and high school-age kids cultivate a relationship with God while also exposing them to outdoor activities they otherwise would not be able to access.

Welch, born and raised in Moses Lake, studied auto mechanics at Big Bend Community College before transferring to Corban University, where he studied social work and minored in psychology. He originally wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a mechanic before realizing he felt a different calling.

“I couldn’t have longevity in that realm so it just really felt like I needed to go do more, work with students,” Welch said. “That was always my passion, I think. So it was always something I knew I needed to do.”

Welch has worked in student ministry in a church setting since 1993 and joined Youth Dynamics in 2014, replacing then-area director and friend Dave Oliver.

Welch said he has worked with students in and out of some churches, camps and juvenile halls; he’s always been an outdoor enthusiast and likes to build relationships with “harder” kids, as he described them.

“It’s about getting at these kids that are maybe at the fringes and bringing them into a realm and begin to challenge them in life choices,” Welch said.

Before the restrictions on business and movement caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Youth Dynamics opened every Monday at 5 p.m. to host kids for a meal, activities and testimonials. Welch said Youth Dynamics would see between 20 and 35 kids each Monday. Although that group setting has been sidelined, staff members are still performing outreach.

Jane Borg, who started volunteering in 2011 and is now a staff member, has taken snacks, made home visits and continued to communicate with the kids during the pandemic.

“I actually really enjoyed working with Todd,” she said. “I like the fact that his interactions with students are both loving and caring.”

Located at 106 E. Third Ave. in downtown Moses Lake, Youth Dynamics boasts a much larger building than most people can tell from outside on the street. Inside is a full dining area, a basketball court, a stage with ample seating and a rock climbing wall paid for by a $3,000 donation from Confluence Health.

“We get an opportunity to sit down with our students — talk, laugh together,” Borg said.

“We’re trying to meet their basic needs — so food is a big one,” Welch added. “How do you negotiate emotions and feelings and how do you process those to become a healthy part of society. And I think really giving them a place that’s theirs and they know that we love them.”

However, it isn’t just a free meal and an open court for basketball. Kids who come to Youth Dynamics under the influence are asked to leave and some need more nurturing than a gentle reminder to push themselves through adversity.

“We love you, but we need to help you process this stuff to get to the next level,” Welch said. “What does that look like for you? Are you staying in school? Do you need help tutoring? We always have two or three girls that are pregnant, so how do we point you to a place where you can start beginning to be healthy and resources that you need.”

The other tenet of Youth Dynamics is communing with nature.

The organization has an “adventure base” located in Plain, Washington, where the group can organize rock climbing trips, horseback riding and whitewater rafting.

“I think it’s more of ‘I can’t do this’ and then we push them to this ‘I can do this,’” Welch said. “So that’s kind of the adventure part of it. Most of them have never been whitewater rafting, and if you’ve never been whitewater rafting, it’s pretty intense. You push them to the ‘You can do this, these are the things that you need to do’ and then do those things, and then it will be great and it’s awesome.’”

Welch explained that most kids who are reluctant to get in a raft or take that first step onto the rock wall end up enjoying the activity.

“You get them in the outdoor nature and enjoy what’s going on; there’s so many life lessons that you can teach them that it’s just like incredible,” Welch said.

Welch said the goal for the year is to raise awareness of Youth Dynamics because, he said, community members either know it exists or they don’t. He also wants more communities from across Grant and Adams counties to participate, like Warden and Othello.

For now, Welch and his staff will continue making an impact on kids one whitewater rapids at a time.

“It’s kind of the thing that keeps me going,” he said.