Defining youth

Interesting conversation tonight with Jec in the Philippines. We only met a couple of days ago through some work I'm doing for Edinburgh 2010. Jec is a 25 year old leader of Christian youth networks out there and we were talking (virtually you understand) about how the young people he knows can engage with a rather academic conversation about mission - to which I think they could add a lot.

However part of the conversation was about who are "youth". In Europe most people over 18 (16?) would be unhappy to be excluded from "adult" and spoken about as "the youth" whereas in India you can still be in the youth fellowship at 40! In fact in India, if I understand correctly, it has a lot to do with marital status - unmarried = youth; married = adult. Jec's interesting idea was that it all has to do with dependency. "As long as I am finacially dependent on my family I will be a youth" he said. As someone in his late 50s who is about to become more dependent on friends and family than I have been in the past that was encouraging news - I am about to become a youth once more! Roll on childhood!

When Youthwork means youth work

Great news from Church Army Africa - a Faith2Share movement - this week. More Kenyan youth now find themselves with employment and hope following the establishment of dozens of new micro-enterprises around the country.

Church youth work is always a challenge - who will do it? - what shall we do? - what do young people want anyway? - what relevance does faith have for the socially engaged teenager or the depressed 20 something? Young people in Kenya represent 75% of the population and many of them face a host of social and economic challenges including unemployment, crime, corruption, tribalism and HIV/AIDS, not to mention their youthful struggle with identity. Working with CMS Africa, Church Army Africa recently started a Youth for Work programme which recognises that when you are young in Kenya gospel = work, a opportunity to contribute to society, to be valued, to have dignity and to know yourself as a daughter or son of the creative God. Sounds like a great mission venture to me. Well done Church Army Africa.