Note: The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is grateful to the Rev. Ed Cardoza, Eva Dalzell, Beth Graham LICSW, Brian Litzenberger PhD, Emily Sugg, the Rev.. Christopher Whiteman, and other members and friends of the Adolescent Mental Health Network for their help in creating this guide and its related resource lists. This guide…
In light of the ongoing pandemic, and in anticipation of a continued mental health crisis as we move into winter, the Adolescent Mental Health Network has put together a list of hotlines and other emergency resources for mental health crises. As most hotlines work best when you’re calling for yourself, rather than on someone else’s…
Below are generic templates for you to use. Feel free to use and adjust any of them for your own youth events and groups! If you have specific questions about safety with youth, please be in touch with Mark! Covenant and Release Form >> Driving Permission >>
Sacred Ground is a film- and reading-based dialogue series on race and faith. Participants will walk together through America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in the threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. It’s an invitation for small groups to gather to learn, share, and prepare to become Beloved…
Every week during the academic year, our colleagues at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America publish a lesson plan based on the weekly lectionary readings and connecting the themes of those lessons with the events and issues our young people are dealing with each and every day. Some weeks the connection is to a specific…
The Episcopal Church has made commitments to inclusivity and affirmation of its LGBTQ+ members, but there is much still to be done to actively live out that promise. This information sheet is designed to be a resource for youth workers seeking to build a radically welcoming community and to work in alliance with LGBTQ+ young…
A growing body of research supports what any of us working with young people already know–that our young people are experiencing increasing amounts of stress. More importantly, a growing body of evidence supports that increased time on smartphones is part of the problem. Well, smartphones are not going away, but as you consider how to shape your…
![10 Ways Well-Meaning White Teachers Bring Racism Into Our Schools [and Churches!]](https://i0.wp.com/formation.diomass.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/BlurredNatureMotherQuoteWidePresentation.webp?fit=250%2C141&ssl=1)
Originally written for classroom teachers, this important article addresses an issue that is just as important for youth workers, youth ministers, Christian educators, and others working with young people in church. The author, Jamie Utt, says in his introduction, “most White teachers mean well and have no intention of being racist. Yet as people who…
Being a vestry member means leading in a community of faith. It means committing yourself to stewardship. It means speaking and acting from your own experience for the benefit of others. The Office of Youth Ministry recently surveyed diocesan youthworkers about the experience of young people serving on local parish vestry boards. We heard stories…