Youth & Children

With study, care and patience, a church makes a long-term commitment to help one family at a time

Partnered with other faith communities in their city, a small Virginia congregation has spent decades investing in families for the long haul.

By Edie Gross Journalist

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‘Love Made Me an Inventor: The Story of Maggy Barankitse’

A professor of ethics recounts the story and impact of humanitarian Maggy Barankitse in a new book.

By David Toole

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An organization working with immigrants cultivates joy and hope while offering support services

Casa Chirilagua serves as a hub for programming, outreach and connection in northern Virginia.

By Marissa Martinez Journalist

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Being a teenager can be particularly hard right now, but hope lingers on

As they head into summer, teenagers may find that world events mean a less restorative season than usual. Adults can help by being attentive and truly listening to them.

By Khristi Lauren Adams Author

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Trusting youth to lead

As some churches scramble for a quick solution to waning youth programs, a Lexington, Kentucky, church has found success in building over time and empowering their young people as leaders.

By Kory Wilcoxson Pastor and journalist

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Restorative justice practices teach high school students to share stories and resolve conflict

A nonprofit hosts conversation circles in schools as part of its commitment to healing trauma and preventing violence in Chicago’s Bronzeville community.

By Alison Bowen Journalist

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Advice for Epiphany: ‘Keep your eyes on the baby!’

Watching a 2-year-old reminds a loving grandmother of the way Epiphany grounds us, revealing a baby — the Christ child.

By Gretchen E. Ziegenhals Spiritual director and retreat leader

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Helping children of the incarcerated during Black August

Food insecurity among children who have a parent in jail or prison is an often-overlooked consequence of the U.S. prison-industrial complex. This month’s commemoration of the struggle for Black liberation is an opportunity to highlight that, writes a food justice activist.

By Yvette R. Blair-Lavallais Writer, pastor, public theologian and food justice activist

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Luis Cortés: Esperanza builds an ‘opportunity community’ for Latinos in Philadelphia

Institution building is key to developing a new generation of leaders, says the founder and CEO of one of the nation’s largest Hispanic-serving faith-based nonprofits.

From Chicago basement to international stage, the power of collaboration fueled a Latino-led nonprofit working with youth

In its early days, a startup nonprofit working to make the Bible more accessible to young people in urban areas found a crucial community partner. The result of their collaboration is a lesson for us all, writes a director of programs and grants for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

By Elizabeth Tamez Méndez Director of Programs and Grants, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

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A beacon of hope shines for LGBTQ+ youth in Florida

Through The Lighthouse, some Florida churches are offering a nonreligious ministry of presence that focuses on God’s love for all, opening doors for both young people and other institutions.

By Catherine Montgomery Founder and executive director, The Lighthouse