Urban Empowerment Project

General Information
Urban Youth Worker Risk and Resilience Research
Urban Emergent: An Oxymoron?
Articles on Urban Ministry Issues
Other Resources
Urban Issues in the News

The goal of the Urban Empowerment Project is to increase the capacity of youth workers to spread the gospel in urban settings by offering training in the personal and professional skills needed for effective long-term ministry. 

From 2003-2005, Fuller�s Center for Youth and Family Ministry identified the top needs of urban youth workers by interviewing 40 key leaders representing organizations like Young Life, Youth for Christ, Vision Youth, Urban Reclaim, the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative, Mission America, the Christian Community Development Association, and the Urban Youth Workers Institute.   Based on the findings of those interviews, Fuller faculty have partnered with leaders and ministries nationwide to develop research-based training on topics like:

• An understanding of the developmental assets most pivotal to urban kids and families and case studies of ministries that are doing excellent holistic ministry. 
• How to network resources in your city so that youth workers accomplish more working together than they ever could on their own.
• The principles of indigenous leadership development that are tested and really work in urban contexts.
• How to raise funds and financial support for your urban youth ministry.
• Solid counseling skills to help you respond to kids who have been traumatized and are hurting.
• How to evaluate your own ministry so you can keep improving and also show others your tangible results. 

Urban youth workers are welcome to access our urban tools in two primary ways.  The first is through articles and resources found here at our web site.  The second way to receive training is through enrolling in our new fully accredited Certificate in Urban Youth Ministry at Fuller Seminary. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE 24-UNIT CERTIFICATE IN URBAN YOUTH MINISTRY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

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Risk and Resilience in Urban Ministry:
Stress, Spirituality, and Support Research

As part of the Urban Empowerment Project and in partnership with Fuller�s Headington Program in International Trauma Research, CYFM conducted a study on stress and spirituality among urban youth workers in 2006. Until now there has been little research done to establish precisely what are the consequences of stress among urban workers and what urban ministry organizations can do to minimize the impact of stress on their staff. In order to address this need, the faculty and students of the Headington Program have partnered with the faculty of the Center for Youth and Family Ministry to create a survey instrument that will provide an accurate and relevant assessment of urban workers� experience of chronic and traumatic stress, their spiritual practices and beliefs, and the types of resources and support they access.

After collecting this data, the research team met with urban youth workers as well as urban youth ministry organization leaders to further interpret and apply the findings. To learn more about the insights and recommendations for urban workers emerging from this study, see Stress in the City: A New Study of Youth Workers, by Kara Powell, Cynthia Eriksson, and Jude Tiersma Watson.

Now available for download: Read the FULL REPORT from the Risk and Resilience Study HERE (466 KB PDF download)

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Urban Emergent: An Oxymoron?

Wondering about crossover between �Emerging Church� issues and �Emerging Urban Church� issues?  CYFM recently hosted a panel discussion on the interface of recent movements within both circles of conversation.  While dialog around this topic has remained mostly an undercurrent, moderator Jude Tiersma Watson, Associate Professor of Urban Mission, CYFM Executive Committee member, and team leader with InnerCHANGE L.A., hopes to continue to expand this conversation. We'd love to hear your own thoughts!  Listen to the Panel Here.

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Articles on Urban Ministry Issues

God of the Generations: Raising Up Leaders in the City Added: 2008-01-14
What is the city�s greatest hope? While God works through all sorts of leaders, perhaps the greatest hope for the city comes from those who grow up in the city and and choose to stay there as indigenous leaders. Urban practitioner and researcher Jude Tiersma Watson explores the model of urban leadership development as a way to raise up leaders in your�and their�context.

Toward Deeper Justice for All: The Urban Social Justice Report Added: 2007-06-25
What is social justice, and how do I know if I�m doing it—or doing it well—in youth ministry? To help you evaluate your own ministry, we�re reporting here on a collaborative effort by CYFM, World Vision, Community Solutions, Inc., and the Urban Youth Workers Institute to get at the difference between average justice work and deeper justice ministry. INCLUDES A FREE DOWNLOADABLE ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR YOUR MINISTRY.

Rest in the City Added: 2007-06-25
While it may seem an oxymoron, resting in the city is not only possible, but imperative for urban youth workers. Read on as Kim Williams explores the �prayer of rest� as a method for encountering God in the city, suburbs, or wherever you find yourself in ministry.

Stress in the City: A New Study of Youth Workers Added: 2007-05-03
Do you ever wonder about the personal impact of ministry stress? Do you ever suspect that the risks of your ministry might outweigh the ability you have to survive or be resilient in the midst of them? This report looks at the findings from a recent CYFM study of urban youth workers from around the country, with implications for youth workers in every environment.

Is There a Heaven for Tupac? Insights Into an Urban Prophet Added: 2007-05-03
Hero or villain? Saint or thug? Though he died more than ten years ago, the legendary Tupac Shakur continues to have a surprisingly pervasive influence on youth culture. Tupac expert Dan Hodge offers a look at the influences that shaped Tupac and his music, and the legacy he left to the Hip Hop community and beyond.

Bring 'Em Out: Evangelizing and Pastoring the Hip Hop Generation Added: 2007-05-03
This article is an excerpt from a chapter in the new book The Gospel Remix: Reaching the Hip Hop Generation, by Fuller Seminary's Ralph Watkins. Pastor-Professor-DJ Watkins explores ministry implications for reaching out to hip hoppers by facing hard questions church leaders are asking about hip hop culture, and applies these insights to cross-cultural outreach to kids in general.

Your Kids: Half Full or Half Empty? Added: 2007-03-07
When you look at the students around you, what do you tend to see�their potential or their hindrances? Their advances or their setbacks? This second report from our Urban Youth Workers in America (UYWA) study takes a closer look at the �full-ness� and �empty-ness� of both urban kids and non-urban kids.

Unearthing the Whole Truth about Holistic Ministry Added: 2007-01-15
Most of us have no trouble focusing our ministries on the spiritual needs of students — it's what we do best. But how carefully do we look at the "whole kid" in our approach to youth ministry? These findings from CYFM's Urban Youth Workers in America research dig up some powerful truths about the reality of holistic ministry.

FAQs & The Low Down Dirty on Hip Hop Culture Fo Yo Ministry: Part II Added: 2006-10-16
In part 2 of this series, Dan again tackles some of the questions he most often receives as an expert on Hip Hop culture, and the questions you may be receiving as a youth worker trying to navigate the waters of Hip Hop's impact on students you know. Pull up a seat and join the dialog, and let us know what questions you would add to this list!

FAQs & The Low Down Dirty on Hip Hop Culture Fo Yo Ministry: Part I Added: 2006-08-15
OK, really: What exactly is Hip Hop Culture, anyway? Researcher Dan Hodge offers a user-friendly FAQ approach to Hip Hop in the first of a two-part series. Whether you think you �get it� or you know you don�t, take a look to see if you�ve ever asked the questions on this list!!

A New Perspective on At-Risk Youth:  Positive Youth Development and Violence Prevention Research Added: 2006-06-13
When you see youth facing certain challenges, do you begin labeling them "at-risk"? Or do you focus on the potential assets and resources available to them? Maria Bj�rdal recently interviewed two Fuller faculty researchers about Positive Youth Development and its influence in their study of violence prevention.

CRASH: When it All Comes Colliding Together Added: 2006-12-04
Few issues push our buttons as a culture more than race relations. While the Church may often pretend the conflict does not exist, in reality we have a responsibility to engage and respond to the difficult dynamics of race in the U.S. The movie Crash takes a unique look into these dynamics, and Dan and Jude help us navigate the movie and its implications for ministry in this article.

The Place & Space of the Hood: Space and the Reality of Identity in the New Millennium Added: 2006-02-15
Backwoods or central city, your students identify with some kind of community as �their� space. Have you ever considered the levels of meaning attached to those identifications? This article takes a look into the roles of �place & space,� specifically in urban contexts.

We Have Forgotten that We Belong to Each Other Added: 2005-12-13
Who are the youth you consider developmentally �at risk� in your church or neighborhood? In contrast to the individualism that has guided most work with kids who are labeled this way, Jude Tiersma Watson offers an approach based on ecological development theory and a theological principle of belonging. These insights affect the way we view ministry with ANY kind of student.

An Empirical Analysis of Acting White: A Study You Can�t Afford to Ignore Added: 2005-12-13
In our last issue Dan explored the �Why white kids love hip hop� phenomenon. This article takes a different angle on a race-related issue: Why do Black and Hispanic students who do well in school seem to lose friends? Reviewing recent social science research from Harvard, Dan gives us some interesting thoughts for reflection on race and education.

Wankstas & Wiggas: Dealing with the New Generation of White Hip Hop Culture Added: 2005-10-17
Why is it that so many white suburban youth are so into hip hop culture? Dan Hodge explores author Bakari Kitwana�s insights into Black popular culture and its powerful influence on non-Black adolescents in his new book, Why White Kids Love Hip Hop.

The Big 4-0: Learning More about Developmental Assets for Our Students Added: 2005-08-22
Do kids need more than Jesus to thrive? Dan Hodge provides an introduction to the 40 Developmental Assets and how they can benefit (and revolutionize) both your ministry and your community.

The Urban Youth Worker Strike Zone: The UYWI Focus Group Report Added: 2005-12-01
It�s the bottom of the ninth ending. Two outs, the score is tied, and there�s a runner on third base. Urban youth workers looking for training resources know just how that batter feels. Do the resources they have give them the pitch they need to lead them to victory?

Between God & Gangsta Rap: Towards A Ministry to and for Hip-Hop Culture Added: 2005-01-13
�Now you�ve gone and done it! You went and crossed that fine line. God and gangsta rap? The very idea is preposterous!� This is what many people were likely thinking when Michael Eric Dyson premiered his controversial book Between God and Gangsta Rap in 1996. But what do theology and hip-hop culture really have in common?

Dolla Dolla Bill Y�all: Economic Perceptions from the Hip-Hop Community Added: 2005-01-13
�Man, I wish I could have a ride like dat,� exclaimed one young person. While his friend says, �Yeah, �cuz if I had a ride like dat, shoot, all tha honeys would love me!� No matter what �hood� you live in, if hip-hop is involved, money will always be a factor.

What U Got 4 - Me? Issues that Urban Leaders Want You to Know About Added: 2005-12-01
If you�re currently doing urban youth ministry, or are simply curious about how it works, read about what urban youth leaders who attended UYWI�s recent conference had to say.

Trauma & Tha Drama in Tha Hood: Understanding the Issues Behind Trauma and Distress Added: 2004-10-05
The type of drama and violence that is seen on a daily basis in the ghetto leaves a residue on the emotions and physical being of a person. Many would suggest that people move to safer neighborhoods. But what if you can�t leave?

So Fresh and So Clean: Hip Hop�s Voice on Personal Image and Your Ministry Added: 2005-01-13
Could you see Jesus wearing a silver necklace with his initials (J.C.) embedded with diamonds around his neck? Or could you see Paul wearing FUBU, Roca Wear, or even Phat Pharm? Are these styles pride and vanity in the eyes of God, or do they help us fit into the culture so we can reach more people?

Tu-Pac�s Insights for Youth Workers: �Don�t get it twisted!� Added: 2004-10-05
As a youth worker, what do you do with the passion, despair, talent, rage, anger, hostility, love, spiritual connectivity and enthusiasm that encompasses the life of Tu-Pac Shakur?

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Other Resources

UrbNet: The Official Urban Youth Workers Network

Urban Youth Workers Institute

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Urban Issues in the News

Urban Youth alum Gose, Hicks eye Draft (MLB.com)Urban Youth alum Gose, Hicks eye Draft

Namibia: SPYL to Formulate Youth Empowerment Strategy (AllAfrica.com)An economic transformation convention to ponder critical issues regarding youth economic empowerment (YEE) is scheduled to take place tomorrow in the capital.

Violent youth crime up, but overall juvenile crime plummets (Times & Transcript)Youth homicides hit a record high in 2006, but the overall rate of youth crime was down a whopping 25 per cent from its 1991 peak, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

Ex-Madera County supervisor wants job back (The Fresno Bee)MADERA -- With a shopping center and a youth center being built in an older, urban part of Madera County, two men running to represent the area on the Board of Supervisors say it looks like the start of a turnaround.

Aid packages for Pacific need to focus on youth (NZPA via Yahoo!Xtra News)Aid packages for the Pacific Islands needed a focus on the area's youth, an advocate told the parliamentary foreign affairs, defence and trade select committee today.

New York City's Working Playground Becomes Urban Arts Partnership. Acclaimed Not-for-Profit Organization Changes Name ... (PRWeb) Working Playground, founded in 1991 as a not-for-profit cultural organization based on the belief that art is essential to human development, education and culture, has changed its name to the Urban Arts Partnership to reflect growth and diversity. The UAP creates and provides arts education and integration programs to underserved schools and communities throughout New York City. Urban Arts ...

New York City's Working Playground Becomes Urban Arts Partnership. Acclaimed Not-for-Profit Organization Changes Name ... (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) Working Playground, founded in 1991 as a not-for-profit cultural organization based on the belief that art is essential to human development, education and culture, has changed its name to the Urban Arts Partnership to reflect growth and diversity.

New county initiative seeks jobs for teens, ex-offenders (The Capital Times)Jobs for young people and former offenders are the goals of two new initiatives from Dane County. County Executive Kathleen Falk announced Monday the youth employment initiative will help middle and high school students 14 to 18 years old learn job skills and assist with job placement and mentoring services. The initiative was recommended in 2007 by the Joint Gang Task Force. "This new effort ...

CLASSICAL BEAT | ‘City' is first Muller work in our city (The Kansas City Star)Choreographer Jennifer Muller has shown a wide range of interests in her nearly 100 choreographic pieces, but “City” is representative of an especially salient strain in her work: urban, hectic, quasi-narrative.

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