AJ Crocker knows it takes an entire village to pull off an event like Youth Quake (YQ).

The annual youth conference, set this year for February 14-16, takes place on the campus of Briercrest College and Seminary and enlists the help of hundreds of volunteers – about 250 of those are students.

“I love that we’ve been able to grow and been able to involve more students in different capacities,” the YQ director said.

Students serve at YQ in a wide variety of areas from hospitality and tech crews to worship and dance teams. Most students host YQ guests in their dorm rooms.  That adds up to a majority of students serving in some way.

This year’s keynote speaker is Mark Clark, pastor of the Village Church in Surrey, BC.

“I’m excited for the depth that our speaker will bring,” Crocker exclaimed. “He’s going to be challenging both to students that are unfamiliar with the Bible and the church, but also very challenging to the students that are very familiar with Christianity.”

The topics for the main session will focus on this year’s theme of “Kingdom Citizens.”

“We’re talking about what the kingdom of God looks like,” Crocker explained. “We’re talking about what it means to serve King Jesus in that regard and then what it means for the Monday after YQ – what does it mean for us . . . to be actively functioning in this kingdom of God while we’re here on earth?”

Crocker is also excited about the band lineup this year.

“I think our band lineup is among the better ones we’ve had,” he said. “We’ll have a number of options with Britt Nicole, Rocket Summer, Nine Lashes, and Kutless – many teenagers will have a blast with that.”

Although the weekend will be full of youthful intensity, Crocker says there’s a rhythm to all the planning and activity.

“We’ve had a number of successful years in terms of momentum and quality,” he said. “Being able to build off the last five or six years in the culture that’s been created is really fun. Our normal way of running Youth Quake now is really smooth and really exciting.”

Even though Youth Quake is just a week away, registration is still open.

Crocker emphasized that registration includes food, lodging and activities.

“All you have to do is drive to Caronport and we’ll take care of everything else.”

Information about registration can be found at the YQ website: briercrest.ca/YQ.