Eastern University | School for Social Change

Center for Urban Youth Development

Resources for Youth & Youth Workers

(Listing does not signify blanket endorsement of content or views contained therein)

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Training and Assistance
Books and Authors
Websites
Film & TV
Community Organizations

Training and Assistance

CUYD (The Center for Urban Youth Development)

CUYD provides low and no cost training and resources for urban youth and youth workers. This ranges from certificate programs to workshops to conferences. If you would like to request a facilitator for your organization send a letter of request to cuyd@eastern.edu.

UYWI (Urban Youth Workers Institute): www.uywi.org

UYWI exists to strengthen a new generation of global urban leaders for transformational ministry. Its vision is to build transformational relationships with 20,000 urban leaders by 2010.

Transformational relationships are defined as a combination of participation in training and development events combined with ongoing, regular two-way communication designed to build ministry capacity. The vision of this initiative is to develop the next generation of urban and multi-ethnic leaders for the urban world. Our goal is to strengthen 20,000 urban leaders who will in turn reach and disciple 1,000,000 urban youth by 2010.

UYWI is multi-ethnic, holistic, relevant, Christ-centered, collaborative, relational.

Youth Specialties

For over 30 years Youth Specialties has worked alongside Christian youth workers of just about every denomination and youth-serving organization. Each year, Youth Specialties serves more than 100,000 youth workers worldwide through training, Seminars and Conventions, resources, and here on the Internet.

Books and Authors

Anderson, Elijah. Code of the Street: Decency, Violence and the Moral Life of the Inner City. New York, NY; W.W. Norton and Company, 1999.

Asante Jr., M.K. It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post Hip-Hop Generation. New York NY: St. Martins Press, 2008.

Austin, Joe and Michael Nevin Willard, eds. Generations of Youth: Youth Cultures and History in Twentieth-Century America. New York, NY; New York University Press, 1998.
Booth, Alan and Ann C. Crouter, eds. Does It Take a Village? Community Effects on Children, Adolescents, and Families. Mahwah, NJ; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2001.
Brown, B. Bradford, Reed W. Larson, T.S. Saraswathi, eds. The World’s Youth: Adolescence in Eight Regions of the Globe. Cambridge, UK; Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Century, Douglas. Street Kingdom: Five Years Inside the Franklin Avenue Posse. New York, NY; Warner Books, Inc. 1999.
Dunn, Richard R. Shaping the Spiritual Lives of Students: A Guide for Youth Workers, Pastors, Teachers and Campus Ministers. Downers Grove, IL; InterVarsity Press, 2001.
Dyson, Michael Eric. Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur. New York, NY; Basic Civitas Books; Perseus Books Group, 2001.
Edelman, Peter, Harry J. Holzer, & Paul Hoffner, Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Black Men, Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press, 2006.
Freedom Writers, Zlata Filipovic. The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. New York, NY; Broadway Books, 1999.
George, Sam. “Emerging Youth Cultures in the Era of Globalization: TechnoCulture and TerrorCulture” in Richard Tiplady, One World or Many: The Impact of Globalisation. Pasadena, CA; Wm. Carey Library, 2004.
Hine, Thomas. The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager. New York, NY; Harper Perennial, 2000.
Keeter, Scott and Taylor, Paul. The Millennials. Pew Research Center Publications. December 11, 2009. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1437/millennials-profile
Lerner, Richard. Adolescence: Development, Diversity, Context, and Application. Upper Saddle River, NJ; Prentice Hall, 2001.

Levitt, Steven D. and Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh. “An Economic Analysis of a Drug-Selling Gang’s Finances” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Robert J. Barro, Edward L. Glaeser and Lawrence F. Katz, Editors. MIT Press, Vol. 115, Issue 3, August 2000, Cambridge, MA; pp. 755-789. http://www.streetgangs.com/academic/gangfinance.pdf
Lopiano-Misdom, Janine and Joanne DeLuca. Street Trends: How Today’s Alternative Youth Cultures Are Creating Tomorrow’s Mainstream Markets. New York, NY; Harper Business: Harper Collins Publishers, 1998.
Mincy, Ronald B., ed. Black Males Left Behind, Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press, 2006.
Neild, Ruth C. and Robert Balfanz. Unfulfilled Promise: The Dimensions and Characteristics of Philadelphia's Dropout Crisis, 2000-05. Baltimore, MD; Johns Hopkins' Center for Social Organization of Schools, 2006. http://www.csos.jhu.edu/new/Neild_Balfanz_06.pdf
Perkins, Eugene. Home Is A Dirty Street: The Social Oppression of Black Children. Chicago, IL; Third World Press, 1991.
Perkins, William Eric, ed. Droppin' Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture Critical Perspectives on the Past. Philadelphia, PA; Temple University Press, 1995.
Prothrow-Smith, M.D., Deborah and Michaele Wiseman. Deadly Consequences: How Violence Is Destroying Our Teenage Population and a Plan to Begin Solving the Problem. New York, NY; Harper Perennial: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991.
Rathbone, Cristina. On the Outside Looking In: A Year in an Inner-City High School. New York, NY; The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1998.
Schutlze, Quentin J. and Roy M. Anker, eds. Dancing in the Dark: Youth, Popular Culture and the Electronic Media. Grand Rapids, MI; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990.
Simon, David and Edward Burns. The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-CityNeighborhood. New York, NY; Broadway Books: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1997.
Smith, Efrem and Phil Jackson. The Hip-Hop Church: Connecting with the Movement Shaping Our Culture. Downers Grove, IL; InterVarsity Press, 2005.
Solis, Julie. “The Status of Latino Children and Youth: Challenges and Prospects,” in Ruth E. Zambrana, ed., Understanding Latino Families: Scholarship, Policy, and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 1995.
Stavans, Ilan. The Hispanic Condition: The Power of a People (2nd edition). New York, NY; Rayo (Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), 2001.
Tapscott, Donald. Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation. New York, NY; McGraw-Hill, 1998.
Thornton, Sarah. Club Cultures: Music, Media and Subcultural Capital. Hanover, NH; Wesleyan University, 1996.
Tienda, Marta and William Julius Wilson, eds. Youth in Cities: A Cross-National Perspective. Cambridge, UK; Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Watkins, Ralph C., Jason A. Barr. Jr., Jamal-Harrison Bryant, William H. Curtis, Otis Moss III. The Gospel Remix: Reaching the Hip Hop Generation. Valley Forge, PA; Judson Press, 2007.
Youth Communication, Kay, Philip, ed. Things Get Hectic: Teens Write About the Violence That Surrounds Them. New York, NY; Touchstone (Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.), 1998.

Websites

Hip-hop, Rap and Street-related Websites

http://www.b-boys.com
B-Boys.com: a community site for discussing hip-hop news, articles, politics and anything else about hip hop and rap music culture.
http://www.b-gyrl.com
features articles, interviews, mp3s, downloads, reviews, links, dj mixes and b-gYrL radio.
http://www.daveyd.com
Hip Hop Daily News: Davey D is a Hip Hop historian, journalist, deejay and community activist.
http://www.hiphop-network.com
The Hip-Hop Network: The main goal of The Network is to represent the four main elements of hip-hop equally and everyday life in the hip-hop community. We are not a "rap" web-site. We are a hip-hop web-site. The founders of The Network have been apart of the hip-hop scene/culture since 1982 and were not satisfied with how hip-hop is being represented in the media as a whole.
http://www.hiphoparchive.org
The Hip-Hop Portal: The Hiphop Archive's mission is to facilitate and encourage the pursuit of knowledge, art, culture and responsible leadership through Hiphop.
http://www.hiphop-directory.com
Hip Hop Worldwide. Comprehensive hip hop links directory and search engine.
http://www.itvs.org/outreach/hiphop
The Independent Television Service (ITVS) programming reflects voices and visions of underrepresented communities and addresses the needs of underserved audiences, particularly minorities and children.
http://www.ohhla.com
The "original hip-hop lyrics archive"
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop
Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A self-described "hip-hop head" takes an in-depth look at masculinity and manhood in rap and hip-hop, where create genius collides with misogyny, violence and homophobia, exposing the complex intersections of culture and commerce.
http://www.rapdict.org
The Rap Dictionary is the oldest and ultimate resource for looking up hip-hop slang.
http://www.sohh.com
Your XXL Source on all Hip-Hop, SOHH.com is 'the best overall hip-hop site' according to Rolling Stone magazine.
http://www.spankmag.com
Youth culture defined by youth. The longest running youth e.magazine.
http://www.streetgangs.com
Alex Alonso has been researching gangs in Los Angeles, the United States and abroad for over 10 years and has developed a unique perspective on gangs through his ethnographic/geographic approaches.
http://www.thesource.com
The online version of the popular Hip-hop music magazine that provides news coverage of urban music, African American issues, youth culture and politics.
http://www.urbandictionary.com
Urban Dictionary is a slang dictionary with your definitions. Define your world.

Youth Ministry-Related Websites
- Center for Parent/Youth Understanding: http://www.cpyu.org
  The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding is a nonprofit organization committed to building strong families by serving to bridge the cultural-generational gap between parents and teenagers. At a time when an already confusing youth culture is changing quickly, CPYU helps parents, youth workers, educators, and others understand teenagers and their culture so that they will be better equipped to help children and teens navigate the challenging world of adolescence.
- Center for Youth Ministry Studies: http://www.northpark.edu/cyms
  The Center for Youth Ministry Studies is a unique partnership of North Park University, North Park Theological Seminary, and the Department of Christian Formation of the Evangelical Covenant Church. The Center's purpose is to develop and equip men and women who minister to youth, and their families, churches, and communities. Part of the vision of the Center is to offer a multi-faceted educational approach, where students can choose an undergraduate degree, a seminary specialization, or a certificate designed for lay leaders.
- Center for Youth Studies: http://www.centerforyouth.org
  The Center for Youth Studies (CYS) seeks to provide relevant informational resources and promote local and global collaboration towards a comprehensive systems approach to ministry with youth.
- Group Magazine: http://www.groupmag.com
  The domain itself says it all: this is the go-to place on the Web for youth-ministering ideas and solutions. Youthministry.com is GROUP Magazine's Web portal for youth leaders. Our goal is to connect you with people, organizations, ideas, and resources from every corner of the youth ministry universe. If we don't have what you need, we'll get it for you.
- Institute for Youth Ministry, Princeton Theo. Seminary: http://www.ptsem.edu/iym
  Princeton Theological Seminary established the Institute for Youth Ministry in 1995 as an international center offering specialized training in youth ministry for church leaders. Committed to integrating theory and practice, The Institute for Youth Ministry collaborates with seminaries, church leaders, congregations, communities, and adolescents to promote the strategic importance and practice of ministry with young people from early adolescence through college age. Although the work of the Institute is international and ecumenical in its scope, it maintains a particular interest in youth ministry in mainline denominations.
- National Study of Youth and Religion: http://www.youthandreligion.org
  The National Study of Youth and Religion is a research project directed by Christian Smith, Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame and Lisa Pearce, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The project is designed to enhance our understanding of the religious lives of American youth from adolescence into young adulthood, using telephone survey and in-depth interview methods.
- Urban Youth Workers Institute: http://www.uywi.org
  Urban Youth Workers Institute exists to strengthen a new generation of global urban leaders for transformational ministry. We seek to provide Internet-based information, updated and expanded seminars available through the website, booklists, weekly devotional materials, newsletters, and articles from young authors who are emerging from local and national training events.
- Youth Specialties: http://www.youthspecialties.com
  For over 30 years Youth Specialties has worked alongside Christian youth workers of just about every denomination and youth-serving organization. We're here to help you, whether you're brand new to youth ministry or a veteran, whether you're a volunteer or a career youth pastor. Each year we serve more than 100,000 youth workers worldwide through our training Seminars and Conventions, resources, and here on the Internet.
Youth Issues-Related Websites and Portals
- Black Youth Project: http://blackyouthproject.uchicago.ed
  Black Youth Project is a research project exploring the attitudes, actions and decision-making of African American youth by highlighting their lives, ideas and voices.
- Center for Generational Trends: http://www.gentrends.com
  The Center for Generational Studies conducts research on how the generations can better relate to one another in the American workplace and marketplace. From that research, The Center has produced presentations and published resources that provide practical solutions to improve productivity and the understanding of consumer behavior. Making these improvements result in an increase to your company’s bottom line and organizational effectiveness! We invite you to spend a few minutes exploring this site.
- Harvard School for Public Health (Diversity Data): http://diversitydata.sph.harvard.edu
  Diversitydata.org allows visitors to explore how metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. perform on a diverse range of social measures that comprise a well-rounded life experience. These data call attention to the equality of opportunity and diversity of experiences for different racial and ethnic groups in America.
- Kaiser Family Foundation Ent. & Media Studies: http://www.kff.org/entmedia/index.cfm
  The Kaiser Family Foundation’s provides complete access to the Foundation’s reports, surveys, issue briefs, charts, and fact sheets containing in-depth analysis and the public’s views on timely and critical issues such as the growing number of uninsured, Medicare, Medicaid, rising health care costs, global HIV/AIDS, racial disparities, and women’s health policy. Reports and analyses by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured are also featured.
- Monitoring the Future (Study of American Youth): http://monitoringthefuture.org
  Monitoring the Future is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults. Each year, a total of approximately 50,000 8th, 10th and 12th grade students are surveyed (12th graders since 1975, and 8th and 10th graders since 1991). In addition, annual follow-up questionnaires are mailed to a sample of each graduating class for a number of years after their initial participation.
- National Institute on Media and the Family: http://www.mediafamily.org
  Since 1996, the National Institute on Media and the Family has worked tirelessly to help parents and communities “watch what our kids watch.” The National Institute on Media and the Family is the world's leading and most respected research-based organization on the positive and harmful effects of media on children and youth. The National Institute on Media and the Family is an independent, nonpartisan, nonsectarian, and nonprofit organization that is based on research, education, and advocacy.
- Parents. The Anti-Drug: http://www.theantidrug.com
  TheAntiDrug.com was created by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to equip parents and other adult caregivers with the tools they need to raise drug-free kids. Working with the nation's leading experts in the fields of parenting and substance abuse prevention, TheAntiDrug.com serves as a drug prevention information center, and a supportive community for parents to interact and learn from each other.
- U.N. World Youth Report 2005: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/wyr05.htm
  Our programme is the focal point on youth within the United Nations. It aims to build an awareness of the global situation of young people, as well as promote their rights and aspirations. The UN Programme on Youth also works towards greater participation of young people in decision-making as a means of achieving peace and development.
- Youth Today: http://www.youthtoday.org
  Youth Today is the only independent, nationally distributed newspaper that is read by more than 70,000 professionals in the youth service field. Some of the issues covered include: Youth development; Juvenile justice; Gang and violence prevention; Adolescent health; Teen pregnancy, sex, and parenting; After-shool programs and mentoring; Job training and school-to-work; Best practices.