Weekly Insights
What church leaders to know about young people and the things they wish they learned in school.
Quick hit:
Young people rank understanding good mental health and personal finance practices as the top subjects they want to learn but haven’t in school.
Why it matters:
As young people grapple with mental health difficulties and an increasingly burdensome debt load, schools and educational institutions are not filling the gap to provide the kind of real-life skills training and healthy practices that they say they need. This means that many young people are left to face these compounded crises alone or with the support of friends and family, if they’re lucky.
What can we do?
The church can and should fill this gap. Many churches have qualified professionals who could work with church leaders to integrate basic life skills and practical discussions into youth and young adult groups. Congregations are also encouraged to coordinate their efforts with other churches and non-profit organizations in their region.
Try it:
Gather questions or concerns about the subjects of money and mental health from young adults in your community. Meet with trusted, local financial and mental health professionals to share the questions and identify resources to be shared throughout the year. Consider offering classes, mentoring, drop-in online office hours, and publishing curated resources.