Youth Community Development
“Where there is no vision, the people perish . . . “ (Prov 29:18)
Youth Community Development is:
Empowering students to transform their communities and overcome societal barriers through faith in Christ, mentorship, education, growth opportunities and experience, and resources.
Goals:
- Unification of the faith based community
- Partnership with local school districts, governments, and the business community to meet the felt, spiritual, and emotional needs of students
- Challenges students to dream beyond minimum wage
- Challenges students to dream beyond their personal lives releasing them to change the world.
- Strong youth pastors = Strong youth leaders = transformed communities
Population
Students between the ages of 10-19
Key Question:
How can the faith based community help reduce truancy?
Invest
Get Connected
Get Involved!
Events listed meet the partnership requirements:
- Connected directly with a school / civic organzation ~ or ~ have 3 or more ministry partners
- Potential mentorship outcome
- Organzationally neutral promoting growth across the community
- Focuses on students
Partnership Opportunities
Project: Develop a poetry event at West Ridge Mall allowing student to poetically express themselves. This is an art initiative.
Goal: Serve students on the East Side of Topeka.
Note: Students often share their deepest concerns and challenges through artistic expression.
More information coming soon.
Project: Men of Distiction
Goal: Highland Park High School will be starting up a boys/young men’s group at the school called “Men of Distinction” in which we will be teaching social skills, rites of passage, social skills, insider “man skills”, how to tie a tie, things like that!
Needs: Mature adult men who have a strong faith and commitment to relational ministry. Some training may be required.
Special thanks to Dynamic Computer Solutions for donating homework computers for the Wall of Fame Initiative
Topeka Is:
- 56% free & Reduced Lunch (families living at or below the poverty line)
- 14% families are concerned where their next meal is coming from
- 7.8% teen pregnancy rate
- 47.1% of births to unmarried women / 36.9% national average
- 23.1% Depression / 17.8% national average
- Suicide Rate per 100k – 20.2% / 15.9% national average
- STD’s report 2018 – 499 / 394 national average
Source: Shawnee Country Public Health Town Hall Sept. 27th 2018
Pastoral Connection
We can not expect to transform our community if we are not unitied in Christ.
Our common goal is simple:
Work to make our community a better place to live and advance the gospel
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Community Partnership
- Asking what our community needs
- Studying barriers students experience limiting their ability to suceed and understand the gospel
- Colaborativly developing possibly solutions
- Being willing to try, fail, and try again
Phil 2:3-4
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Colaborative Space
If a colaborative space would allow the community to more effectively work with students, we will continue to pursue it.
- Community network offices
- Comfortable 3rd space for students
- Unconventional education and tutoring
- Space student feel comfortable working through felt needs
- Youth Business Incubator
- Resource allowing schools to move activites off campus to increase impact
Wall of Fame
Goals: (1) Students complete and turn in homework (2) Reduce truancy
Program: Students will have an opportunity to print their grade report and attendance records.
– Students with no late or missing assignments and who have completed the next day’s work will receive a FREE BUBBLE TEA + raffle ticket
– Students who have not missed any classes regardless of reason will receive additional raffle ticket
– Fri. or Sat. each week we will do a raffle ticket drawing in the café for a gift card to a local business
Homework Helper Requirements
- Attend training day equipping helpers to use Power School
- Have a desire to assist students in completion of homework with dignity
- Have a high level of integrate and strong character