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ym360 Trends and Culture Update (Jan 12)

At ym360, we’re committed to equipping youth workers. While most of our energy is dedicated to doing this in the areas of Bible Study Resources and Training, we believe it’s valuable for youth workers and parents to stay in the loop on what is happening in youth culture and culture in general. (Read why we think it’s important here.)

A couple times a month, we’ll do a post like this one, where we link to relevant articles and studies that give you a better glimpse into the world teenagers are living in. [Note: By nature, some of the articles and subject matter we deal with in Trends & Culture often conflicts with our beliefs and ethics as Christ-followers. Our purpose in linking to this type of material is to simply give you the option of knowing the culture your students are surrounded by. Use discretion to determine which links to click on.]

We’d love to know that we’re not just equipping you, but those you serve, as well. Consider using this article to equip your community in the following ways:

• Email this link to your adult volunteers
• Repost it on your blog or church website
• Email the link to all your parents to help equip them to better understand their teen’s world
• SHARE IT with your youth ministry networks. This is a great way to help your peeps!

Without further ado, here are some relevant links we think you should know about.

Some Social Media & Tech News

• !%^#$@^*!!! New website, Charity Swear Box, tracks swear words you use on your Tweets, attaches a $ amount to each word, and allows you the ability to donates the money to charity.
• Interesting chart showing the TV Shows with the most social media buzz this week.
• This short post from FYI asks an interesting question about social media as it pertains to teenagers: Is it a portal or a pitfall?
• Really cool infographic showing students’ desire for schools to integrate social media in learning.

Youth Culture & Entertainment

• Interesting article on the study habits of students.
• This report shows that today’s teens are politically engaged even though they can’t vote.
• Miley Cyrus is starring in a new movie, LOL, that, just to be honest . . . looks absolutely terrible. It’s being called a “Skins-light” romantic comedy, an allusion to the controversial MTV show that depicted tons of teenage drug use, casual sex, and pretty much everything else. Question is: Will your students go watch this?
• Recap of the People’s Choice Awards via MTV
• As always, I link to the Billboard Hot 100 so you have the opportunity to watch/listen to the music that some of your students are listening to. But, as always, watch at your own discretion.

A Glance At Recent Research

• New study shows that the population of needy college students “has exploded.” Essentially, there are tons of college students whom the federal government expects to get ZERO financial help from their families. These are your students in a few years!
• Fascinating study links teenage obesity with the bond between mother and child. Stronger bond = less risk of obesity as a teen.
• In another obesity related research piece, a new study finds that dieting doesn’t seem to be the answer to beating teenage obesity.
• Study shows that blogging may help “socially awkward” teenagers (honestly, what % of teenagers isn’t socially awkward?) better deal with their emotions.
• New study shows that teens realize the need to shift to more “adult” forms of communication such as voice calling (as opposed to mostly texting) and email, as they get older.
• New study shows less than a quarter of sexually activate teenagers ever get tested for AIDS.
• I’m going to link this article with a caveat: this is a pretty edgy issue reported on by an edgy magazine/site. However, I thought their take on this issue was very good and worth reading. This article is a response to the completely inflammatory reporting that has been done around a dubious study pointing to the rise of coerced group sex as the newest trend among teens. The study is not representative of what teens are doing across the country. And the reporting that has been done around it is nothing but fear-mongering. I get frustrated when I see this type of sensationalism, because I think it detracts from the real issues students are dealing with. So, I post this in an effort to help set the record straight about this non-issue.

That’s it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one the week of January 23rd.

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Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 13 years, leading small groups and developing Bible study resources for several organizations. Andy is a volunteer youth leader with his church’s youth group, leading a small group and speaking and teaching whenever he gets the chance. Andy is a teacher at heart and loves to challenge teenagers and youth workers alike through his writing and speaking.