FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2007                                                            

TO: All Media Outlets
FROM: Yukon Convention Bureau

OPERATION SLEEPOVER = LARGEST YOUTH GATHERING IN YUKON!

WHITEHORSE, YUKON – The Yukon Convention Bureau (YCB), is pleased to announce “Operation Sleepover”, better known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC)’s Canadian Lutheran Youth Gathering (CLYG), will host its gathering in Whitehorse, Yukon in August 2008.

The 2008 CLYG was code-named “Operation Sleepover” to keep the potential location a surprise to participants until it was unveiled at the end of the last CLYG. Event planners for the gathering pursue a bid-process with several potential locations and make their final decision based on the ability of the location to accommodate space requirements, local support and enthusiasm towards hosting the gathering, and financial competitiveness. Yukon was selected last spring, however not formally announced until late summer.

Bringing together almost 1500 youth from across the country, the 2008 CLYG event will take over the Canada Games Centre for four days and engage participants in variety of events, acts of service, advocacy, and prayer that organizers hope will encourage participants to discover how God’s grace and faithfulness relate to their everyday lives.

Organized by the ELCIC, this national gathering takes place every two years and is aimed at youth ages 14-19; CLYG includes both Lutherans and Anglicans from across Canada.

"This event is really exciting one for Yukon to host." said Jenn Houtby, YCB’s Managing Director. “This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the north and the Yukon to the leaders of tomorrow.”

YCB projects that this event will generate over $1 million dollars in direct spending for the Territory. Winning this proposal is a direct result of the marketing efforts of YCB. This contact was established through the Convention Bureau’s tradeshow program.

Members of the 2008 CLYG Planning Committee will be Whitehorse, Yukon from April 27 – 29, 2007 to attend to arrangements regarding the gathering.

The ELCIC is Canada's largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 congregations.

The Yukon Convention Bureau is charged with marketing the Yukon as a favorable destination for meetings and events and is currently selling Yukon through 2010.

-30-