Helping Teenagers Engage in Reconciliation

We had the privilege of partnering with Tasha Morrison, founder of Be The Bridge, and the Covenant Companion of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) in a powerful conversation around helping teens engage in racial reconciliation in their communities. This is a difficult topic, with centuries of influential on our culture and the way in which we see the world. The ECC thought leaders and youth workers who helped us navigate all the aspects of the topic were Efrain Alicea, Steve Wong, Jeremy Elseth, Stan Friedman, and our own Ginny Olson.

RE-WATCH THE HANGOUT:

Continue the Conversation:

The tools and resources below are to help you continue today’s conversation with your ministry teams, adult leaders, and students. We’ve made all of our YS Explores videos and seminars that were a part of a focus on multiculturalism in the Church at the National Youth Workers Convention available to you for FREE. Just click the links below to start the download, and you can hear thought leaders from all across the spectrum of ministry share their experiences and how they practically took steps toward racial reconciliation.

• A BIBLICAL CASE FOR MULTICULTURALISM – TONY CAMPOLO
• BUILDING BRIDGES TO RACIAL RECONCILIATION- LATASHA MORRISON
• CODE SWITCHING – KAREN MCKINNEY
• LOVING AND LEARNING FROM FAILURE – KATHY KHANG
• MULTIPLICITY- YOUTH MINISTRY IN A SOCIOECONOMICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITY- TREY GRANT
• SHOW ME THE POWER- JAMES WHITE
• THEOLOGY PANEL- BEING OPEN TO “THE OTHER”- DEB HIRSCH, BRANDON WINSTEAD
• THEOLOGY SEMINAR- BONHOEFFER, AMERICAN RACISM AND YOUTH MINISTRY- ANDY ROOT, REGGIE WILLIAMS
• YS EXPLORES-YOUTH MINISTRY IN A MULTICULTURAL WORLD (VIDEO)

Racial Reconciliation Experience at NYWC

This year, we’re offering a unique pilot experience as an intentional cross-racial track threading throughout the National Youth Workers Convention. Youth leaders who have a desire to help the church and their students engage in racial reconciliation efforts are encouraged to apply for this pilot interactive experience.

This Experience includes:

• A NYWC Intensive Seminar on Thursday November 17 where participants will learn not only about race and justice issues, but also explore their own role as reconcilers for their students, churches, and communities.
• A city excursion to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati.
• 1-2 hour guided group discussions each day during NYWC.
• A final celebration gathering on Sunday morning.

To Apply:

If you’re interested in participating in this pilot experience, or have questions about the experience, send an email to Jacob.Eckeberger@youthspecialties.com. Although not all who apply will be accepted, those who are accepted will have their NYWC registration paid, including the cost of the intensive and the city excursion.

 SHARE YOUR VOICE

We are constantly working to include helpful voices and perspectives from across the spectrum of youth ministry, especially those willing to engage in difficult topics like this. Here are two ways you can be involved:

• Comment below with your thoughts and resources to share.
• EMAIL ME directly to write a blog post about your experiences.