Youth

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

"The more religious emerging adults are consistently doing better

on these (positive outcomes) than the least religious adults."

Christian Smith in Souls in Transition:

The Religious & Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults
(See "Final Thoughts" below on what this means)

NEWS . . . NEWS . . . NEWS

On February 24, the Pew Research Center released its findings of a huge study of the Millennial Generation, particularly the older members of this generation. It's a fascinating look at young adults born since 1981. The study covers everything about this generation's personality, including their spirituality. They are considerably less religious. Fewer affiliate with an organized religion. They attend church less often than their parents and grandparents and fewer say that religion is important. They are more inclined to describe themselves as "liberal" (66% of those who voted, voted for Barack Obama), more accepting of homosexuality, more inclined to accept evolution as the best explanation of human life, and less inclined to see Hollywood as threatening their moral values but no less convinced than their elders that there are absolute standards of right and wrong. Much of what is published closely parallels the findings of Souls In Transition. You can read and/or download the entire report from the Pew Center Website. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1501/%20millennials-new-survey-generational-personality-upbeat-open-new-ideas-technology-bound This is an excellent resource for those working with young adults and youth.

NEW at thESource

Almost every week something new is posted on thESource. You can check it out, online, at www.youthESource.com.

TEENS AND TRENDS

March 2010

TEEN DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE INCREASES . . . Teen pot and alcohol use is on the rise for the first time in a decade. The annual survey released by The Partnership for a Drug-Free America found that the number of high school students who said they drank alcohol in the last month rose 11% in 2009, with 39% of teens (or 6.5 million) reporting that they drink. And 25% of teens said they'd smoked pot in the last month, a figure that had increased from 19% the year before. Three key variables influence teen drug use trends: availability, approval or disapproval by one's peers, and a teen's perception of its harm. (New York Daily News, March 2, 2010 Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/03/02/2010-03-02_more_teens_are_smoking_weed_and_drinking_alcohol_study.html#ixzz0h7Kj4b4G

KEEPING TEENS SAFE ONLINE . . . Although three out of five teenagers say it's unsafe to post photos of themselves online, 62 percent do so anyway. Two out of five name the school that they go to and the city they live in on their social networking site (such as Facebook or MySpace). About one out of three teenagers also say they have either been bullied online or know someone who has (HarrisInteractive Trends & Tudes, July 2009).

WIDE RANGE OF SAT TEST SCORES . . . Your race, your gender, the types of classes you take, and your family income all affect what a teenager's SAT score will be. According to the College Board, which owns the SAT, Asians score an average of 1623, Whites 1581, Latinos 1364, Puerto Ricans 1345, and Blacks 1276 out of a possible 2400 score. Boys average a score of 1523 compared with girls who get around 1496. Teenagers who come from families that earn more than $200,000 a year average a 1702 score compared with the 1321 score of families that earn less than $20,000 a year. Honor students who take AP (Advanced Placement) courses tend to average a 1707 score (USA Today, August 26, 2009).

PARENTAL DRINKING AFFECTS TEENAGE DRINKING . . . Teenagers who have seen their parents drunk are twice as likely to get drunk in a typical month and three times more likely to use marijuana or smoke cigarettes, compared with teenagers who have never seen their parents intoxicated. About half of all 17-year-olds say they have seen one or both of their parents drunk. "Teen behavior is strongly associated with their parents' behavior and expectations," says Joseph A. Califano, Jr. CASA's chairman and founder. "Parents who expect their children to drink and use drugs will have children who drinks and use drugs" (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), "National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents,"August 26, 2009).

FINAL THOUGHTS . . . If you are serious about youth ministry, you really need to read Souls in Transition. It's more than you ever thought you needed to know about "emerging adults," the post-high school/early 20's population. One of the huge strengths of the book is that it is a longitudinal study of the same youth who participated in the National Study of Youth and Religion five years ago. So, how are they doing in their post-high school lives? And does religion make any difference? Does religion have any causal effect on young adults?

The answer is "Yes." Religion makes a difference. That being said, one needs to understand that in light of the survey, only 5% are considered "devoted" and 14.3% are considered "regular" believers. But (and check out this quote) "Emerging adult religion - whatever its depth, character and substance - correlates significantly with, and we think actually often acts as, a causal influence producing, what most consider to be more positive outcomes in life for emerging adults. Whether we focus on relationships with parents, giving and volunteering, participation in organized activities, substance abuse, risky behaviors, moral compassion, physical health, bodily self-image, mental and emotional well-being, locus of control, life satisfaction, life purpose, feeling gratitude, educational achievement, resistance to consumerism, pornography use, or potentially problematic sexual activity, the more religious emerging adults are consistently doing better on these measures than the least religious emerging adults." (p. 297)

Again and again, the evidence calls for the church to step forward and nurture and support its children, families, youth and young adults. Souls in Transition states it yet again - parents are the number one influence in the life of children and that translates into young adulthood. The second most powerful influencer is other significant adults in their churches. Even if we're not related, we have an impact on children, youth and young adults. What a vital and important entry point for revitalizing congregations, the number one goal of the LCMS.

-tkd