Building Lives—Transforming Communities
A Vision for a New Generation
There’s no denying it. America (and the world) is losing its youth and also many of the non-profit ministries that are at the heart of serving them.
When it comes to the challenges facing this generation, the statistics are staggering. Each year, over 800,000 young people from the ages of 12 to 24 attempt suicide1. 12 million students use some form of narcotic. Nearly 3.5 million teenagers admit to a “serious” drinking problem. Over 2,000 teenage girls become pregnant every day, (that’s 900,000 a year), and some of these pregnancies occur among teens as young as 12-13 years of age. Nearly 10 million young people 14-24 of age contract a sexually transmitted disease every year; one out of every four girls carries a sexually transmitted disease.
For the first time in American history, our nation ranks near the bottom among the industrialized nations of the world in educational performance. Crime among juveniles is at an all-time high and the core issue being managed by Human Resource personnel in businesses globally is building an equipped work force with a strong work ethic and core values.
In the midst of technological advancements and great affluence, the youth of today are bored, lonely, emotionally detached, and searching. In a study conducted by the National Center on Addictions and Substance Abuse at Columbia University it was concluded that more than half of the nation’s 12-17 year olds (52%) are at risk of substance abuse because of high stress, frequent boredom, too much spending money, or some combination of all these characteristics compared to teens that are in the workforce. The great majority of young people have little required of them and spend more time alone in front of a television watching or playing video games than relating to others.
Their search for answers, community, and significance has led many to the Bible and the church. In an article by D. Michael Lindsay that appeared in The Christian Century (October 4, 2003) more statistics clarified the new challenge facing our generation in reclaiming the next generation. He writes: “The spiritual hunger among teens is remarkable . . . 65% of teenagers today say that they have been involved in youth group at some point, less than half remain involved.” At the same time, “82% say they want to learn more about faith, 71% report they want a place to talk about what’s important to them, and nearly two of three (65%) became involved in their faith through the invitation of a friend.”
1 Rick and Mick Ministries
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