Research into Resources
Our kids face obstacles every day — difficulties with friends, stress at school, issues with boyfriends or girlfriends.
But many of the students we work with also face larger obstacles-poverty, violence at school or in their neighborhood, parents getting divorced,…
Bill Cosby once tried to explain to a nine-year-old boy named Peter what Jesus meant in the Sermon on the Mount by turning the other cheek. “If somebody hits you, you don’t hit him back,” Cosby said.
A visibly confused…
There are few more paralyzing situations in youth ministry than facing families trapped in the cycle of abuse. If you’ve ever wondered, “What can I do to help?”, this article offers deeper understanding and helpful starting points.
For many of the youth we know, cutting and other forms of self-harm have become commonplace coping mechanisms for their pain. Learn more about the reasons behind — and helpful responses to — self-injury among adolescents.
As the societal pendulum swings very swiftly toward greater openness to the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community, we are faced with the reality that it’s a growing struggle among more and more of the kids in our youth groups — and implement some tools to help us respond. Irene Cho shares insights from Andrew Marin’s research and new book, Love is an Orientation.
In our pursuit of rest and balance in ministry, exploring our struggles and addictions is not an option. In Month 4 of the Sabbath Rest in a 24/7 City series, we look toward ways to recognize and find healing for our addictive patterns.
“Dear Child of God, I am sorry to say that suffering is not optional. It seems to be part and parcel of the human condition, but suffering can either embitter or ennoble. Our suffering can become a spirituality of transformation…
While we often call kids with abundant financial resources “privileged”, there can be a dark underside to growing up with affluence. Recent research on adolescents from wealthy homes uncovers some disturbing trends among these kids. If you work with students and families who have significant means, this article offers several ways to engage affluent culture and help families guard against its dangers.
No matter where you do youth ministry, you know kids whose parents fight, and kids whose parents fight a lot. While youth workers can’t fix all of the problems in kids’ lives, we do have a responsibility to become more aware of ways that issues like high-conflict marriages impact the daily lives of our students. This article shares insights from research and starting points for ways we can respond.
Are kids getting more or less violent? Given the amount of media attention attracted by episodes of youth violence, it’s hard to get a handle on what research might be saying or what ministry interventions might be working to lower violence. With the help of the Fuller Youth Initiative research team, this article takes an in-depth look at the key questions youth workers and parents have about youth violence, and a few encouraging responses from youth workers who are making a difference.
