Urban Youth & Education

From obstacles with virtual learning to parents losing jobs, the coronavirus pandemic has made life difficult for many children in Boston. Despite the challenges, Christian leaders at ministries offering after-school and summer programs say they are witnessing God’s goodness and grace toward the children and their families.

Youth in Lower Roxbury interview seniors in their community as part of a 2019 Youth Participatory Action Research project called “Learning from the Past to Build a Stronger Future.” Find out what they learned, and the strategic community actions they’re taking this year.

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.

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.

How are people of faith to understand urban youth culture? How can the Church best interact with urban youth? Youth and Culture Professor Dean Borgman provides qualitative research resources for the urban youth practitioner to develop a framework and approach for more effective ministry.

Is Boston post-Christian? Social work student and Roxbury youth leader Cherchaela Spellen tells us her story of coming to God personally after moving to Boston.

How can busy youth workers and ministers stay on top of trends affecting youth? Dean Borgman offers some starting points.

[VIDEO] Trends in youth culture, along with conversation starters and resources for parents, youth workers, and trend spotters. Lecture by Prof. Dean Borgman at the Center for Urban Ministerial Education in Boston.

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.

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.

New in Lower Roxbury--Pastors and leaders serving the Lenox Street area met to consider a wider collaboration with the Melnea Cass Network, a group dedicated to "eliminating youth violence and poverty, one neighborhood at a time."

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.