Faith based institutions and youth participation in community development : issues and opportunities

Abstract

There is growing interest among schools, other public agencies, and secular non-profit organizations to involve young people in current community planning efforts. Missing from discourse, however are the roles churches and other faith-based institutions can play in involving youth. Across the nation, churches and church-affiliated community organizations provide adults opportunities to revitalize their communities. In this thesis, two types of challenges that hinder these organizations from providing similar opportunities to urban youth will be examined. One such challenge focuses on internal obstacles within faith-based organizations that dissuade new models of participation. The second challenge focuses on several relational obstacles that contribute to a disconnection between leadership of faith-based organizations and contemporary urban youth culture. In spite of these challenges, this thesis suggest that some churches and church-affiliated community organizations serving low-income communities are well positioned to include urban youth bring in their community planning efforts. This thesis will explore the merits of that claim. The goals of this thesis are (1) to identify the various institutional and relational challenges that impede collaborations between faith-based institutions and urban youth in community development; and (2) to draw the attention of youth serving- and other church-affiliated community organizations to innovative and progressive approaches for youth participation.