A story of a suburban Christian school that raised more than $250,000 to support HIV/AIDS relief in Africa was featured in the August 2005 publication of Christianity Today. After being inspired on a student leader retreat, the students heard about the One Life Revolution project, which presented the opportunity to raise money for a schoolhouse in a Zambian village. The student leaders felt that the money should come from the students, not their parents, and began several fundraising efforts in hopes that the money would start pouring in. Months went by with very little progress. Finally the student leaders decided to pray every day and within weeks they exceeded their goal and were able to provide the schoolhouse and many more supplies. The Zambian village eventually became part of the life of the school and the students continue to raise money for other needs of the village.

Similar stories of teens taking action against social injustices have become increasingly common in recent years. The needs of local and global communities are indeed enormous. According to UNICEF, in 2006 approximately 39.5 million people worldwide were living with HIV. By 2010 it is projected that nearly 20 million will be orphaned by AIDS. There are other devastating issues as well, such as malaria and death during childbirth, that could be easily prevented in developing countries if the resources were made available. Take into consideration abuse, starvation and child trafficking and the injustices of the world become insurmountable.

Unfortunately there is a large amount of suffering happening in first world countries as well. In Los Angeles County alone there are an estimated 68,000 people who sleep on the street each night, fifteen percent of whom are children. According to the US Census Bureau, over sixteen percent of people living in Los Angeles County in 2004 were below the poverty line. Clearly there is a large problem on the social landscape that some would say teens are ready and willing to solve.

At the same time teens could be viewed as being a large part of the problem. Responsible for billions of dollars in spending power annually in the US, teens and tweens also exert an enormous amount in influencing the purchasing decisions of the family. Discretionary spending in seemingly superfluous categories like clothing and entertainment top the charts of these spending frenzies. Marketing companies have noticed the trend of youth-driven markets and in response have made tremendous efforts to build a relationship with youth as this can translate into a lifetime of success for consumer brands.

Yet somehow adolescents in the US seem to be able to maintain themselves as reliably large consumers and at the same time concerned members of the global community in the area of social responsibility. Many churches and youth ministries view this social concern as an opportunity to mobilize young people into quantifiable actions but are either ignorant, do not care enough or do not know how to theologically integrate a socially responsible component into their lives and ministries. This concept becomes even more complicated when seen through the filter of what is developmentally and theologically appropriate to ask of an adolescent in the area of social responsibility when they themselves are victims of flawed social systems.

This five part blog series will take a look into the issue of social justice as it applies to the response of the church and specifically youth ministry. Concisely, this is an attempt to theologically explore and discuss the recent rise in interest in issues related to social action and to suggest developmentally appropriate methods of integrating social responsibility into youth ministries and ultimately into the lives of students and families.