The Cost of Youth Ministry

After reading a letter online of someone negatively discussing youth ministry, I decided to write about the costs that youth ministry has.

First, youth ministry isn't possible without the support of those outside the group.  This includes parents, other church members, and of course the rest of the church staff.  As with a majority of churches these days, ours is trying to stay afloat.  Included in that, is our youth group.  We are having to look for low cost (no more than $10) and no cost things to do.  This is extremely difficult with today's teens who seem to need something as stimulating as the technology they have in their hands 24/7.  A "movie night" or "family game night" isn't going to cut it, especially since most are "too busy" for these options.  How do you plan something the teens will enjoy, want to invite their friends to, make the parents happy because it doesn't cost anything, & still have time for your own private life (because you DO have one, unlike most people think)?  

Then there's the topic of fundraising.  I don't know what your local laws are, but where we live, you have to buy a $100+ permit for EVERYTHING!!  One summer, we decided for a service project, we would hand out FREE water to everyone at the park across the street from the church building.  This went really well until a few of our kids were told by a police officer that they weren't allowed to do that without a permit.  We aren't allowed to go door-to-door in order to sell things without a permit.  We aren't allowed to do a bake-sale outside of a store without first purchasing a permit.  We aren't even allowed to have a car wash because of the constant water shortage (city law).  This leaves us with ALWAYS calling on the members of the church in order to fund not only our major activities (youth rally and summer camps) but also minor things (cost of gas for in-town trips).  After being asked to shell out money for other activities the church does, it seems there's never anything left for our teens.  Has anyone out there figured out how to get around obstacles like these?  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!