Youth Issues
This page will outline issues that are important to young people and will provide links to organizations and materials that deal with those issues.
Some of the issues are:
- Bullying
- Career Exploration
- College Preparation
- Dating Safely
- Faith
- Family
- Foster Care
- High School Issues
- Homelessness and Runaways
- Immigration
- Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender
- Special Needs
- Staying Healthy
- Suicide
- Teen Pregnancy
For example, the listing on Faith might contain:
Youth require answers to questions of faith, inspiration, belief and doubt. Here are some places to explore that may help you to find answers.
The Interfaith Youth Core
http://www.ifyc.org/about_core
The Interfaith Youth Core is a youth organization that advocates and promotes religious pluralism by bringing together diverse groups of young people. Young people of Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and many other religions including non-believers come together under a set of principals commonly shared by all. The Interfaith Youth Core builds relationships on values such as hospitality, good will and improving the planet. The Interfaith Youth Core also provides leadership training and resources to youth who participate in the movement. These youth are working together to promote religious understanding, and to create stronger communities through service and dialogue.
The Search Institute
The Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence
http://spiritualdevelopmentcenter.org/Display.asp?Page=Home
The Search Institute's Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence is a research group that has been working to create a framework for understanding spiritual development in young people, across cultures. The Institute conducts research and focus groups in order to learn more about the spiritual development of young people, and to advance mutual understanding. On the center's website youth can access the institute's research as well as podcasts, blogs and discussion boards on faith and discovery for young people.
Beliefnet
Beliefnet is a website that contains articles, discussion boards, blogs and downloadable items on topics such as Faith and Prayers, Inspiration, Health, Entertainment, Holistic Living, and Love and Family. Through Beliefnet, individuals may find a list of many world religions to explore, as well as group discussion boards for each faith. The site also posts other websites, blogs and downloads related to faith, inspiration and spirituality.
Religious Youth Service
http://www.religiousyouthservice.org/home.php
Religious Youth Service is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1986. RYS gives young religious and non-religious people the opportunity to live and work together on community service projects. RYS is an interfaith organization that brings young people ages 18 to 30 together to participate in week long projects all over the world. These projects focus on the goals of service and understanding. RYS attempts to do at least one project on each continent every year and has done projects in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceana. On this website you can research Religious Youth Service's archives of projects and well as upcoming projects. Though the website you can find information on applying for RYS projects and how to obtain sponsors and scholarships that may be needed.
The Religious Education Site
http://www.reonline.org.uk/index.php
The Religious Education Site is a resource based in the United Kingdom and was first launched in 2005. It is a portal site that provides information to anyone seeking answers and information about religion and faith. The site addresses a multitude of faiths and also addresses faith for various age groups, from infants to young adults. Each age group has its own set of information and interactive applications so that individuals may explore issues and topics relating to faiths of their interest. The site also links to other faith based, informational resources.
