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2018 Resources for Urban Youth Workers on Cultural Trends

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

2018 Resources for Urban Youth Workers on Cultural Trends

by Rev. Dean Borgman, Professor of Youth Ministry

While nothing can substitute for personal relationships of understanding and trust with youth, we also need to get a grip on the bigger picture. We need to see beyond our kids, family, church, and community—to what’s going on in the society and culture. These resources provide a wide angle lens on what our kids step into when they leave the house.

BEST GENERAL RESOURCES

Watch the watchers. Way back in 1980, I found out that the people who know the most about youth in this country are not the youth ministry professors (of which I am one), but the marketers.

So I’ve been following the marketers and what they find out about young people. YPulse is one of the marketing sources I regularly visit. They regularly update information on trends in youth culture.

The Diversity Tipping Point, Experiencification, Adulting

Two scholars I’ve looked to for information especially in the last few years on trends in youth culture are MIT's Sherry Turkle and San Diego State University's Jean Twenge.

Alone Together - Why We Expect... Sherry Turkel.jpg

Jean Twenge uses four major youth studies that come out every year from the government and universities, so her research is based on a sampling of 11 million teenagers—ample data to back up her conclusions.

Finally, the Barna Group, a broadly reputable Christian organization, does generational research.

SPECIAL FOCUS

If we're talking about youth in 2018, we're already talking about Black Panther and activism against gun violence. But two other issues deserve our special focus this year. These are depression and cell phone use.

DEPRESSION

CELL PHONE USE

Half of Teens Think They're Addicted to Their Smartphones

Teens and Dangerous Levels of Cell Phone Use

Teen cellphone addiction: How bad has it gotten?

We Need to Talk About Kids and Smartphones

Parents' Guide to Teens and Cell Phones

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[Video] 2018 Trends in Youth Culture

[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.

[Video] 2018 Trends in Youth Culture

What are the most pressing issues shaping youth culture today? From gun violence activism to cell phone addiction, these national trends call forth the need not only for new answers but, in some cases, a new set of questions.

Prof. Dean Borgman gives an overview of current issues, along with conversation starters and resources in this class at Gordon-Conwell Seminary’s Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME).

For parents, pastors, youth ministers, youth workers, and all those interested in the development of the next generation.