Advocating for an end to racial injustice is work that all of us should be committed to. For teenagers, it can feel scary not knowing who to talk to as they begin to articulate their beliefs, express their doubts, and challenge things that aren’t right.
Teenagers need examples of people listening to and learning from each other, so they can learn to do the same.
This is why I wanted to have a conversation with my friend Isaiah about how we can help our students in a more public way.
There are a bunch of us working together, listening to, and learning from each other in public and also behind the scenes. You can’t always see conversations when they happen and how they help everyone grow, but they are one of the most powerful and effective places to learn. This one we recorded to encourage you. Isaiah wrote down a few ideas, then we talked about them! You can do this too. We believe in you!
At the end of the day, us youth pastors want to tell teenagers this one thing:
Your life has the potential to change the world for the better, and we are here to help you do it.
Isaiah is an incredible leader and youth pastor in Lakeland, Florida (Yup, we’re 863 neighbors!) He and his wife plus beautiful children serve at Access Church. If you’d like the outline we used for our conversation, you can download it here!
“When young people talk, the world listens.” – Isaiah Board
Students, we are behind you 100%. This conversation is about 45 minutes long. We’d love for you to hang out for the whole thing but you can catch the recap with Isaiah in the final two minutes!
