This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.
COVID-19 & Churches: Youth Ministry
Last updated May 13, 2020
COVID-19 & Churches: Youth Ministry
The Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary
Youth Ministry in a Pandemic offers content and links that provide guidance, ideas, research, and insight for those who minister with young people in an unprecedented cultural moment. The eight content areas are Theological Reflection, Mental Health Support, Digital Gatherings, Spiritual Formation, Leading while Learning, Worship & Liturgy, the New Normal- moving into the next phase, and “the Covid Summer.”
Paul and Angela Gorrel
Guide to Taking Youth Ministry Online offers detailed information and discussion starters on contemporary concerns of youth which have been heightened by the COVID-19 crisis. These concerns include disappointment, anxiety, loneliness, fear of rejection, pain, jealousy, shame, fear of failure, and anger. The guide also covers the Fruit of the Spirit. It explains how to survey one’s youth group on access to tech devices and tech skills with various tools and platforms. Other topics include small groups, ideas to get youth talking, prayer, Scripture reading, art, using technology to create community and resources on using the various social media platforms. Angela Gorrell is the author of Always On: Faith in a New Media Landscape.
Youthscape Resources
Coronavirus: A youth ministry liveblog. This website from England is a regularly-updated hub dedicated to helping youth leaders respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Youthscape offers Together Apart a short series of curriculum resources enabling you to explore life and faith with young people. It is designed specifically for use in the context of an online youth work session. Free download.
Search Institute
If you take a look at the Search Institute Relationships Check, you may be able to see where your relationships with important young people in your life are particularly strong and where they can grow. If you answer the questions, you’ll receive actionable approaches and activities to strengthen relationships with young people in your life.
Free youth ministry ideas & downloadable resources in the time of COVID-19
Fuller Youth Institute
Doing Youth Ministry During a Pandemic - Steve Argue
Navigating New Territory: Moving Ministry Online - Lisa Hanle
Naming Loss and Gratitude with Young People in these Uncertain Days - Brad Griffin
Urban Youth Workers Institute
6 Creative Ways to Engage Youth During Social Distancing - Susan Delano
Includes rap video “Corona Clap” by Dee-1.
National Network of Youth Ministries
Several useful blog posts for this time of crisis
Group
10 youth devotionals on the “Jesus Centered Life;” five virtual games bundles; free resources for children’s ministry.
Youth Ministry 360
COVID-19 Youth Ministry Resources
A variety of practical resources & articles for youth workers
The Value of Making Youth Voices Heard [VIDEO]
![The Value of Making Youth Voices Heard [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57ff1c7ae58c62d6f84ba841/1540908939188-LRJKMBIWZXOOO5V5A9UP/Screenshot+2018-10-30+10.08.13.png)
The BEC was privileged to work with some amazing youth leaders last school year, training them to be community researchers in the Lenox/Camden area by using the tool of participatory action research. We were also blessed to collaborate with Vibrant Boston, St. Stephen's Youth Programs, Crosstown Church International, and Boston College School of Social Work to make this program a success. See the video for a short intro.
Local Youth Insights: Community Youth Survey Lower Roxbury
Youth are a resource to their community. The DELTA Youth (Diverse Excellent Leaders Taking Action) are a group of nine youth participating in the South End/Lower Roxbury based Making Youth Voices Heard initiative, a collaboration for community learning among youth, social work students, youth-focused non-profit programs, and community members.
2018 Resources for Urban Youth Workers on Cultural Trends
[Video] 2018 Trends in Youth Culture
![[Video] 2018 Trends in Youth Culture](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57ff1c7ae58c62d6f84ba841/1523474943655-9Q698S527EGBAHR9PLTX/action-adults-celebration-433452.jpg)
Making Youth Voices Heard: Teens Work Against Gun Violence in Lower Roxbury
Teens in Lower Roxbury have felt the threat and impact of gun violence much of their lives. The youth of the Making Youth Voices Heard program want to do something about it. They're engaged in a youth participatory action research project to explore the causes and outcomes of gun violence in the Lenox-Camden neighborhood, as well as links to poverty, education, drug use, and employment.
Boston Climate Dialogues: 3 Fall Events
Join us for three Boston climate talks at EGC this fall! Guest speakers include Mia Mansfield, Mariama White-Hammond, Gabriela Boscia, and Melinda Vega. Come learn with us as we become more informed and ready to support local leaders doing important climate resilience work in our neighborhoods and city.
Hope for Lenox Street: Pastors' Breakfast with the Melnea Cass Network
About the Melnea Cass Network
MCN believes that youth can thrive and overcome the systemic problems of their environment if they have a network of social support that addresses physical, vocational, social and spiritual needs. The MCN is working to convene local leaders for shared learning and collaborative action towards that common purpose. MCN's mission is "ending youth poverty and violence one neighborhood at a time."
Urban Youth Mentoring
he presence of a caring adult in the life of a youth is one of the key factors in influencing a child’s behavior. In addition to parenting, mentoring youth in an urban context provides a highly strategic social-spiritual opportunity to shape future generations and address broader societal issues, including youth violence. In this issue from 2008, EGC Senior Researcher Rudy Mitchell summarizes his research on mentoring youth in an urban context. See also the concluding list of links and resources.