FAQs
Here are some of the common questions
we get from students.
Claim Your Campus is a Christ-centered prayer movement led by middle school and high school students. Students meet for prayer on their campus once a week with their peers to pray for their school. The mission of CYC is to see a prayer group every day at every middle school and high school in America. When at least 3 students a day at 5 days per week (15 students per campus) are praying on all 67,000 campuses, there will be over 1 million students united in prayer!
Invite students who show up to your prayer walk and other classmates to pray with you weekly at your school! Then Download the Claim Your Campus app, choose a day and time to meet, and show up every week to pray for your school!
CYC is for any student who wants to participate that is in middle school or high school. It is not a club but a movement led by students. There are student organizers (who lead 1 day a week) and student participants. There are also adult sponsors who help encourage students from behind the scenes.
Student campus prayer groups can meet on campus before, during (typically at lunch), or after school, outside of classroom instructional time. We recommend the same time and place each week to build consistency. Students often use the hallway, the cafeteria, or have permission to use a classroom for their prayer group. We recommend thinking strategically about where you meet, deciding if it’s best to be public or private with your meeting place.
Yes! One of the biggest myths is that prayer is outlawed on public school campuses. It is legally undisputed that students have a right to gather for prayer on their campus, as long as it’s not during class.
CYC provides a daily focus for your prayer time that will not only guide your time but also provide helpful information about prayer. You are provided a brief reading to prepare your group to pray that is read aloud. Then you pray together either all together or in smaller groups depending on how many students are present. CYC has 4 prayer strategies to pray for on your campus: Grace, Peace, Justice, and Mercy. Within each of these 4 strategies are 5 issues that affect your school. So each day you are guided through praying through a strategy into 1 of these issues. We recommend not taking time for personal prayer requests, but rather spending your time together praying corporately for issues affecting everyone on your campus.
The typical weekly prayer group lasts around 15 minutes but can vary according to the group.
Yes! Joining a group is easy on the Campus Prayer app. The vision is for weekly prayer groups to continue inviting other students and growing in number.
No. You will be asked on the app if you are involved in a church or campus ministry, but it is not by any means required. Any student may join.
We recommend pointing your parents to the Claim Your Campus web site. Let your parents know that you are meeting with friends at school to pray for your school and that they can learn more either on the website or through the Campus Prayer app.
CYC is student-led and adult-encouraged. We recommend that students invite trusting, caring adults to help encourage and motivate them to be meeting on their campus. Adults play a behind-the-scenes type of role but are important to help sustain the students as they continue to meet weekly for prayer.
CYC is Christ-centered. Our organization's statement of belief can be found here.
No. The app is not absolutely necessary to use; however, it is very helpful and provides guidance during the prayer group.
Word of mouth is the best and most effective way of growing your prayer groups. We don't recommend trying to “advertise” through posters, announcements, etc. or even to be recognized as a “club” or official group at your school. Doing this can provide unwanted complications and is not effective. Students personally inviting is the #1 way to see more students get involved in praying for their school.
If your school isn’t showing up after you’ve entered the city, first try nearby cities or townships, schools are sometimes listed in an area we wouldn’t expect. If that still doesn’t bring up your school, send an email to info@claimyourcampus.com with the full school name, city, and state and we will get the school added within 2 business days of the request.
We love seeing churches empower and commission their students to see their schools as mission fields! We have resources and student testimonies that will echo what you’re already preaching.
Simply show one of our inspiring videos and encourage students to download our free app using this helpful resource folder: Church Promo Kit.
Download our Prayer Walk Guide and read through the instructions. You gather your friends/group at the front of your school to get started. Then read the prompts and pray out loud together. Then you can walk around the school, most likely on the sidewalk surrounding your school, praying silently or out loud. After circling the entire school, stop at your starting place to read and pray the final prompts out loud!
Invite your classmates, friends from youth group, pastor, parents, teachers, or mentors! We encourage you to invite at least 2-3 people to walk with you.
Be respectful to your school as you plan your prayer walk. It is legal for students to lead prayer on school campuses but not for staff members. If you walk after school hours or on the weekend, it is okay for you to pray! If your school asks you not to be on school grounds, respectfully pray on the public sidewalks / parking lots around your school!