Holy Week, 2010

A blessed Holy Week to you and those you serve! A salute to all youth programs who are ministering to their communities in many ways this week and last, especially through the many Stations of the Cross performances.

CYX Sneak Peak: Best Practices: Each year, we offer adult leaders the chance to enrich their ministries by bringing in a workshop facilitator or two to present material just for them, so while teens are in sessions, adults are being formed too. This year, the special presenter will be…YOU! Using the popular Pastoral Council Ministry Fair model, adult leaders from all participating CYX groups will be encouraged to set up an exhibit of a program or service that they are proud of, and all adult leaders will have a chance to learn from one another’s best ideas, ask about the details, etc.

CYX info coming:  I am nearing completion of the number crunching and hope to have registration and promotional material available to you electronically by mid-April. CYX 2010 is July 24-25. Preliminary information is available at catholicyouthx.com . At this time, the best per-person estimate I can give is around $100 per person, which will include lunch Saturday through lunch Sunday and one night’s lodging.

Ad exec: teens appear more 'adult' in their outlook:  from William Higham, Adweek: Standard age-related (product) targeting can't be relied on any more, thanks to a new social trend: flip-flop generations. Many adolescents today are acting in ways we might expect middle-age Americans to do, while older consumers are maintaining their "adolescent" interests, outlooks and behaviors into middle age. Adolescence is traditionally viewed as a time of hedonism, risk taking, iconoclasm and a refusal to "settle down." But the times are changing. For today's teenagers, it's less about breaking down barriers than retreating behind them. Anxiety levels are rising among the young, thanks perhaps to a mix of political events and "paranoid parenting." Recent surveys suggest as many as one in five teens now suffers from clinical depression. This is driving a trend for more conservative behaviors. According to government figures, recent youth rates for illicit drugs have "declined significantly," falling 25% in the last six years. Drinking and smoking rates are also down. Today's conserva-teens are also more concerned about their financial future -- an attitude accelerated by recent economic events. As for their values, there is a growing emphasis on morality and family. Three-quarters of those in a Microsoft survey identified family as the most important thing in their lives -- a far cry from the generation gap of the 1960s and '70s. In another poll more than half list "living by high moral standards" as their top life expectation, almost half believe it best to remain a virgin as long as possible, and 83% expect to get married. (Web/email read full story here)

Great read: Pew report Millennial: A Portrait of Generation Next: A free 149-page report is now available from Pew Research Center about Millenials (born appr. Late 70’s-late 90’s). Get the PDF at pewsocialtrends.org. Characteristics of Millenials, from Weber State’s Signpost: A huge note the PEW study hit on was young Americans’ attitudes toward government. That note said young Americans trust the government to do its job and support bigger government as a way to make life better in this country. But pro-government doesn’t mean pro-Democrat; it just means expanded government, in whatever direction that might be. The study repeated the five characteristics that define millennials: confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change. The Y Generation is more ethnically diverse, considerably less religious, less likely to be married, and have had a higher percentage graduate from high school and enrolled in college. The whole optimism attitude might sound like a Pepsi ad, but apparently it’s true; life seems to be more diverse and more educated than past generations at the same age. 80% said their cell phone is on throughout the night, ready to receive texts or calls at any and all times. But only 37% of 18-to-29-year-olds is currently employed, making this generation the most unemployed at their age in over 30 years.

Can’t get enough of this teen culture stuff? I only have so much space to pass along news about the sociology of teens, teen culture, etc. This stuff fascinates me, and as a person who works in the trenches with those strange creatures, you deserve to be as well-equipped as possible! The one guy who is more obsessed with teen culture, trends, surveys, etc. than anyone else I know is Walt Mueller, founder of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (cpyu.org). Get a gazillion stories, blogs, surveys, etc. by following Walt at twitter.com/CPYU .