Raising Hope: Four Paths to Courageous Living for Black Youth
Move to courageous hope in action.
This book gives tried-and-true methods to effectively reach out to Black youth and motivate them to make healthier choices that promise positive outcomes. The authors offer: 1) a narrative orientation that links real life with Christian faith supports and helps youth ask the right questions; 2) an artistic method that provides a cathartic space where youth can express themselves through poetry, music, and visual arts; 3) a curricular approach that centers specifically on conflict resolution; and 4) exposure to new possibilities.
Praise for Raising Hope
Raising Hope is exactly what we as parents, practitioners, and pastors need to form a language, pedagogical structures, and a historical context that allows us to construct tangible hope-bearing experiences for today and tomorrow. We will share this wonderful resource with others. —Robert H. Hughes, DMin, Executive Director, YouthUniverse, Atlanta, Georgia
—Nwaka M. Hughes, MBA, Board Member, Building Strong Futures, Inc.
Drs. Anne Wimberly and Sarah Farmer graciously and generously offer a pedagogy for Black youth that is birthed in hope and cultivated in courage. Story, art, peacemaking and exposure are pathways designed to transform the lives of Black youth. It is a must read for everyone who cares about the coming of age process for Black youth.
—Rev. Richelle B. White, PhD, Professor of Youth Ministry, Director of Youth Ministry Field Practicum, Kuyper College, Beltline, Nebraska
Raising Hope: Four Paths to Courageous Living for Black Youth is a remarkable guide to addressing the often difficult realities of Black youth. It is full of concrete methods to remind youth (and adults) that they have a future full of hope and promise. The rich stories draw us in, calling us to remember the role models who spoke into our lives and modeled hope filled living. They also remind us of the ever-pressing need to be those mirrors for youth. This book is a timely and necessary reminder of the work that churches and concerned adults must do in order to encourage Black youth to live fully and freely in a world that does not always value their lives. The combined wisdom and creativity of Dr. Wimberly and Dr. Farmer is a gift to all who love Black youth and who are striving to help youth see new possibilities for their lives.
—Almeda M. Wright, PhD, Assistant Professor of Religious Education, Yale Divinity School and author of The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans
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Anne E. Streaty Wimberly, Professor Emerita of Christian Education at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), currently serves as Executive Director of the Youth Hope-Builders Academy at ITC and is founder and coordinator of the Annual Youth and Family Convocation.
Sarah Frances Farmer is an associate research scholar and lecturer at Yale Divinity School and helps direct the Adolescent Faith and Flourishing Program at Yale Center for Faith and Culture.
