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Youth for Christ
Hi, hello and welcome to Youth Updates: a regular drop of information around what’s going on in youth culture. Exploring the digital world, trends, language, pop culture, issues, faith & spirituality and hot topics; each drop gives you a snapshot into 3 areas of youth culture designed to raise awareness and inspire you for your context. Listen to each podcast and never miss a beat by subscribing or to get a quick glimpse why not read the blog under each podcast. From us to you – we present Youth Updates!
And just like that, the 2024 season is about to end! But, before it does, why not check out our
In this drop of Youth Updates, we unpack our usual three topics alongside guest, Shaun Hornsby, who is the recently
Come one! Come all! It’s a new academic year – and with that, it’s time for a brand-new season of
It’s our last drop of Youth Updates before we take a break for the summer, so hunker on down as we unpack a hot topic, trend, issue and our bussin’ word of the month. Hot Topic: The Genny Lec This year the 4th July isn’t just an American holiday. It is, of course, the ‘genny lec’ (aka the general election). Whether or not young people are politically inclined, there’s a lot that people will be voting on this year that affects the lives and futures of young people across the nation. For those based in Scotland, people aged 16 or over can already vote and so, for those engaging in youth-work in Scotland, it’s a key time to help young people unpack what the general election means and looks like for them. Welsh young people can vote in local elections but not for the UK parliamentary elections which splices them between these two forms of voting. Meanwhile, in England, the vote is still for 18 years old and over. However, several parties (Green, Labour, Lib Dem, Plaid Cymru, SNP) are wanting to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote and it's part of their manifestos.There are also several nods towards items involving young people in various party manifesto's such as Labour’s hope for youth hubs in communities and Conservative’s plans to add mandatory national service, which would start as soon as September 2025. However, what is interesting is that only one in ten young people believe that politician’s prioritise their needs. (https://www.ukyouth.org/2024/03/only-one-in-10-young-people-believe-politicians-prioritise-their-needs-as-childrens-election-launched/). Trends: Mullets Are Back Mullets are making a comeback. The ‘business in the front, party in the back’ hairstyle is making a resurgence amongst young people – guys in particular - and is often seen with a matching moustache and perm to ensure the curls. The ‘do’ reminiscent of the 80s has been slowly creeping in to popular culture over the past couple of years and some people reckon it came as a result of barber-shop closures during the pandemic whereas others have seen an up-tick in the style since main characters sported them on Netflix’s hit show ‘Stranger Things’. But however it came about, have you noticed your young people sporting the mullet yet? Issue: Closed Youth Centres The writing has been on the walls for a few years now when it comes to youth provision across the country and we are now beginning to see the effects of mass closures of youth centres and cuts to services. Since 2010, two thirds of council funded youth centres have closed and the National Youth Agency says youth services have been cut by approximately 77%. For those still running, many are on a shoestring budget but with city centres receiving better funds than rural areas. The fact is that with all these closures over the past decade or so, there are thousands of young people who have never known a thriving youth-work scene. 24% of young respondents say they feel they do not have a safe place to go to where they feel they belong and there’s also evidence of the impact of closures across various aspects of culture. One such item is that crime participation amongst 10-15 year olds increased by 10% in London boroughs most affected by youth centre closures between 2010-2019 and young people in these areas are more likely to be suspended from school since the reduction in youth provision. We know that youth-work works, but the present reality is that there isn’t enough council-funded provision to meet the needs of those across the nation. Whilst this may sound negative and hopeless, it gives an opportunity for the church to rise to the challenge of meeting the needs of young people. Sources: * https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CDP-2024-0040/CDP-2024-0040.pdf * https://nya.org.uk/youth-centre-closures-linked-to-greater-risk-of-young-people-entering-criminal-justice-system/
Word Of The Month: Bussin Bussin = It is primarily used to describe delicious food but may also refer to other awesome things, such as outstanding fashion choices, cool whips or slick bars.e.g. ‘That sandwich was bussin’.
Welcome back for another Youth Updates!Trends: Deja Vu Teen clothing seems to be a slow carousel of the fashions from the 90s and 00s right now, and this summer’s fashion trends solidify this. Boys’ fashion appears to morph and change slower than girls' fashion, though the shift from skinny fit jeans to wide leg still holds true. Meanwhile, girls' fashion is certainly a throwback to years past right now with the resurgence of low-rise jeans, shorts and skirts, the return of baggy shorts (or jorts as they’re called), handkerchief tops and even, it seems, the beginning of a dress over jeans renaissance. For the millennials out there, a step into Urban Outfitters right now is like a time machine back to being a child or young person themselves, and it may seem a little ironic that a generation that often likes to poke at the fashions of millennials online is so keen to replicate what they wore at the same age! Issue: The Rise In Witchcraft If you recently feel like you’ve noticed witchcraft popping up more frequently, then you certainly aren’t alone. There’s been a notable up-tick and rise in witchcraft – particularly amongst young people and young adults. One article states ‘Witchcraft has become more prevalent with Millennials and Generation Z with its focus on using spells for the benefit of the self. A whole community of young witches can be found on sites such as Tumblr or TikTok (labelled WitchTok), allowing the spread of information such as important dates to acknowledge, tips on how to assemble your altar and the sharing of spells.’ ( The rise of Modern Witchcraft in a secular society (gaudie.co.uk)) Indeed, social media’s open platform means that there are many people creating content including guides to witchcraft, spells and even live tarot readings, and (due to the way social media algorithms work)these videos don’t have to be found but often just appear to users of the apps. Ironically, they often piggy-back on hashtags to do with faith or spirituality meaning Christian young people might actually be more likely to see them. However, it’s not just the online world where this rise is taking place. This year’s Eurovision had a controversial entry from Ireland which was full of pagan symbols and the singer even said in an interview that they’re a practicing witch. Furthermore, many town markets and even high street stores sell crystals, tarot cards and books on the subject making them extremely accessible and often, appealing. For a generation that are seeking spirituality and a solution to life’s problems, it’s certainly something to be aware of and to consider if the young people we know are equipped to respond wisely when faced with these things. Hot Topic: Gap Years It’s that time when older young people are thinking about what to do next as they step out of education either this year or next year. For many, they’ll choose University or enter the world of work but there has always been a steady stream of those choosing a gap year. In 2023, it was estimated that between 183,000 and 232,000 18-24 year olds took a gap year with around 30,000 students deferring a University course to take a gap year. With the cost-of-living crisis and economic struggles it would perhaps be assumed that less people would be taking a gap year than normal but there’s still a significant amount of young adults stepping into this space. However, what’s interesting is that around 83% of gap year takers will stay in Britain whilst 16% will work or volunteer abroad. Whereas historically a lot of gap years took place abroad, there are many more young people and young adults choosing to stay on home turf. This is something that has even been noticed in the Christian world with more young people choosing to do gap years at their home churches or UK charities compared to a decade or so ago when volunteering abroad was often the first choice. Word Of The Month: AteAte = Smashed it/Did really well at something (often used in conjunction with an outfit or successful performance)e.g. ‘Zendaya ate at the Met Gala’ (because her outfit was amazing) or ‘He ate that’ (after doing an amazing rap)
Join us as we chat about the tortured poet that’s breaking loads of records, what young people think their future will be like, how crafting is gaining popularity again and of course – our word (or abbreviation!) of the month! POP CULTURE: The Record-Breaking Tortured Poet One of the most anticipated albums of the year dropped on April 19th – Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poet’s Department’. It didn’t take long for this album to break some pretty big records either. In fact, within just 12 hours it became the most streamed title in a single day. Ever. The thirty-one song album has already outsold the rest of the UK Top 40 combined, has dominated the Spotify Global top 10 and has already garnered reviews, memes and critique online. In true Taylor style, it’s an album about relationships – but more specifically, a broken heart. Young people have taken to the internet in swarms with their reactions and response to her relatable lyrics and it’s clear this pop icon (and her huge cultural impact) are going nowhere. Even if young people don’t like Taylor Swift (and many don’t), they’ll know who she is and it’s hard to deny the influence she has on the pop music world, and the music young people listen to. ISSUES: Young People Imagine Their Future Published in March 2024, Barnardo’s ‘Changing childhoods, Changing lives’ research is a stark yet important look into the challenges facing children and young people today. The report spans various different topics, but as part of it they polled 1001 children aged 14-17 across Great Britain on what they imagined their future lives would be like aged 30. 55% of children responded saying they don’t think their generation will be as well off as their parents with nearly 1 in 5 (19%) saying they don’t think they’ll have enough money to live comfortably when they’re 30. One girl said “Everyone is struggling these days. Nobody has any money and bills are bad. My mum struggles to pay the bills and she’s a nurse with a master’s degree. I’m not that clever, so imagine my life will be harder than hers. We used to be able to go on holidays, but mum can’t afford it anymore.” Whether this is the reality of their adult years, no one can know for certain. However, this gives insight into the future young people are imagining for themselves and, in a country where around 1 in 4 children are living in relative poverty, it’s not surprising why. Source: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-03/Changing%20Childhoods%20Changing%20Lives%20Report_Digital.pdf TRENDS: The Rise Of Crafting Traditional crafts have been making a comeback and they don’t seem to be going anywhere – in fact, they seem to be gaining popularity. We’re talking about skills and hobbies like embroidery, sewing, clothes-making/customising, knitting, crochet and so on. Compared to teens of previous generations, this generation (in particular, teen girls) are taking up more crafting activities. There are a few theories people have as to why this is the case. Some of them tie into the fact that this generation of young people spend more time at home than other generations did, equating to an increase of ‘at home’ hobbies whereas others say it could be a rejection of screen time and a way to combat anxiety. Equally, the online world has fuelled the increase in crafting by making tutorials and inspiration easily accessible. From videos of cool custom clothing on TikTok to tutorials on YouTube, crocheted Christmas gifts on Reels or a suggestion to have a candle painting night with friends – young people are getting this content filtered through to them! Word Of The Month: GRWM GRWM = An abbreviation of ‘Get Ready With Me’ Most frequently used online in relation to videos where someone gets ready. This could be doing make-up before school or before a big event, for example. Often a story will be told alongside the GRWM. “Get ready with me for prom” “Get ready with me for a date with my girlfriend.”
Join us as we think about the drop in school attendance, where young people are finding their news, a genre shift by a musical icon that’s made waves and why our podcast isn’t spenny.ISSUES: We Don't Need No Education? Recent stats from the DfE have shown that a whopping 24% of secondary school students are missing at least 10% of school (having risen from 15% of students in 2019). That roughly equates to a quarter of students missing at least a day a fortnight. Whilst the government is trying to tackle this issue by raising fines from £60-80, the greater concern is around why young people aren’t attending school. The stats become starker again when considering that an estimated 122,000 children are missing at least half of school. A chunk of these numbers are young people going on term-time family holidays and sure, there’ll be those young people who bunk off school for fun. However, there are many young people who aren’t going to school for more concerning reasons. For example, due to illness, additional needs, caring for a family member or mental health issues such as school-related anxiety. For some young people, school feels insurmountable and they often get termed as ‘school refusers’ which may not accurately depict what’s going on with accuracy. It also hits home when realising that in Autumn 2023, 33% of children eligible for free school meals were persistently absent compared to 15.7% of those who weren’t eligible; and alongside this that those in receipt of SEN support were persistently absent at 29.9% showing a huge swing towards young people with additional needs or those from deprived backgrounds. ISSUES: Where D’ya Get Your News From? It may come as no surprise to many that young people officially get more of their news from social media than traditional news outlets such as newspapers and the news on TV. However, there is now research backing this up showing that more than 40% of 18- to 24-year-olds receive news from TikTok once a day and that also Instagram, Facebook and X (formally Twitter) were all used more than the BBC. All of this is despite respondents saying they trusted social media content less than the more traditional counterpoints. However, on these platforms news often comes to the user through the algorithms rather than having to be hunted out. POP CULTURE: Bey-hold The Country Queen In a surprise musical shift, Beyoncé has stepped into the genre of country music with her song ‘Texas Hold Em’. This single has launched her to the top of the UK singles chart for the first time in a number of years and has seen her become the first black woman to hit the top spot with a country song in the USA. ‘Texas Hold Em’ has already amassed thousands of videos on Reels and TikTok with people busting out dance moves whilst decked out in cowboy hats and cowboy boots and it looks like Beyoncé’s next album Rennaissance Act II will be a pretty big deal when it launches on March 29th. Word Of The Month: Spenny Spenny = expensive “Those shoes are spenny.”
Dive into our digital world special looking at the new game on the scene that you NEED to know about, how social media has spurred young people to take up an off-line hobby and what young people think about gaming! DIGITAL WORLD: Palworld Think Pokemon with guns and a hint of Minecraft meets Fortnite and you’ll have a decent grasp on what this extremely popular up-and-coming game is all about. Palworld is an open world survival game where you catch ‘pals’ whilst engaging in things like cooking, crafting and scavenging. Whilst only around a month old it has already hit over 19 million players, with a peak of 2 million playing on a single day! It also has an online multiplayer mode for up to 32 players meaning that young people can tap into it as something to play with their mates, and after all, gaming is still one of the most popular hobbies amongst young people. DIGITAL WORLD: Booktok Booktok is a niche on TikTok (Tiktok + books = Booktok) centred around reading and books. It’s an online community fuelling a non-digital activity and with over 28 million videos under hashtag and billions of views, it’s going strong. The demographic is mostly female and the books that take the spotlight are usually romance, fantasy or a combination of both (also called romantasy) and Booktok has exceptional influence– both on the reading habits of young people and on real life sales. In 2021 Booktok helped sell 20 million books and stores such as Waterstone’s now often have dedicated areas or posters signifying ‘as seen on Booktok’. Alongside this, certain books (Song of Achilles, It Ends With Us, Atlas Six etc.) have seen an uptick in sales years after they were published due to their virality online on Tiktok. At one time there were fears that the digital world would push out traditional hobbies, but the online sphere has actually helped young people find an online book community and to engage with reading (in a poll of 2000 young people, almost 59% said Booktok had helped them discover a passion for reading!). DIGITAL WORLD: What Young People Really Think About Gaming The children’s commissioner has recently released a report on young people/children’s views on gaming, which makes for fascinating reading and an incredible insight as to the opinions of under 18s about this online hobby. For example, one of the findings was that ‘around two thirds of children viewed video games as beneficial to children’s health and wellbeing’ which stands opposite the opinion of many adults. Interestingly, those polled said they thought virtual reality gaming was less good for health and wellbeing than single or multiplayer games – a bit of a blow for what is meant to have been the biggest gaming breakthrough in years. The report also outlines how many young people have aspirations to make gaming a career whether that be through streaming or working for companies like Nintendo and it’s discussed how gaming has opened up a new avenue for young people to aspire too – though young people acknowledged the disparity between those who can and can’t afford gaming consoles and equipment. To find out more about young people’s views on gaming from the report, head here: https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2024/01/Report-Digital-playgrounds-Childrens-views-on-gaming.pdfWord Of The Month: Red Flag/Green Flag/Beige Flag Several ‘flags’ are in circulation at the moment, which each being an indicator of something. It is most often used in relation to relationships/dating. Red Flag = something someone does that gives off warning signals such as lying, gaslighting etc. “It was a red flag when they said they would break up with someone if they put weight on.” Green Flag = a positive quality, something that signifies someone is a good person “He offered to take her pottery painting...such a green flag.” Beige Flag = Used to describe something that isn’t a deal breaker but isn’t a plus either – something neutral or boring or a little quirky. “My beige flag is that I don’t make my bed in the morning.”
Join us for our first Youth Updates of 2024 as we chat to our guest, Jon Needham (Director of Safeguarding and Mental Health for a large multi-academy trust and casual fan of Korean drama series) about Adverse Childhood Experiences and what we might need to know about them. For the full conversation, check out the podcast. Please note that this Youth Updates covers some heavy, and potentially triggering, topics. Beth: Today we are thinking about ACEs, I’ve heard people talk about ACEs in relation to youth-work but what does it mean, and what are they? Jon: So, ACEs stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, and it’s based on academic research that looked at the impact of childhood trauma, not only on the child/teenager now but it also examined if there was any impact on later life. In general, we take into account 10 ACEs; five are things that can be done to you and how you react, and five are things that happen externally and how you react. So, the first five are verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional neglect and physical neglect. Then the next five are mental illness (their own or living with someone dealing with it), domestic abuse, problematic alcohol/drug use, parental incarceration and parental separation (death/divorce). Those ten ACEs can have a continual impact on somebody’s life and psychologists say you can deal with one traumatic incident in your life where you can adapt to it and yes it affects you, but you can overcome it. They say the problem comes when you have four or more ACEs. The evidence shows us that these will affect reasoning and relationships for young people, but also will have a knock-on effect in later life, even in things such as medical health (diabetes, heart diseases, depression etc). It’s all to do with how your brain responds and neurodevelopment. Your amygdala is like a meerkat – it's on alert and expects trouble and when it perceives a threat, your body floods with adrenaline and you go into a fight, flight or freeze reaction. For example, let’s say a young person who witness domestic abuses at home is on their phone during a talk and gets shouted at – their meerkat/amygdala is triggered and they’re then ready to fight. Then there’s the hippocampus which is like an elephant and it remembers how you reacted last time you were in a situation and you go on auto-drive. For example, a young person hit someone the last time they were shouted at and it sorted the situation out. This is where young people get stuck between these two things. What really needs to happen is the prefrontal cortex (owl) part of the brain needs to be engaged which, thinks through things rationally. The owl gets you to change behaviours, but your prefrontal cortex doesn’t fully develop until 25 for a woman and 30 for a man. So in short, this is why ACEs affect you – because your amygdala (meerkat) is always on alert and in the stress zone and this affects you long-term. Hannah: This starts to raise why it’s important for us to know about as youth-workers, so why is it important that we recognise ACEs? Jon: So, the danger is that it all sounds a bit academic and clinical, but what you’ve got to think about (in youth group provision) is what it’s like for them in real life. If you think of some real-life statistics, you’ll see how ACEs affect things: 1 in 3 will have experienced cyber-bullying, 1 in 5 will have been exposed to domestic abuse, 1 in 10 will have experienced neglect, 1 in 14 will have been physically abused and 1 in 20 will have been sexually abused. What’s really worrying is that research shows us that 1 in 10 will have experienced four or more ACEs. If this is the real life that young people are living through and if this is their lived experience, then we need to think about this when we are planning sessions or delivering services and adapt accordingly. For example, do loud youth club environments where people are running around trigger those experiencing domestic abuse’s fight or flight? Beth: It all sounds quite serious... is it a ‘no hope’ situation? Is there any hope in this? Jon: This is where it’s really exciting as the academic and secular research came up with three conclusions. Firstly, there's no quick solution, you’ve got to be in it for the long haul relationally. Secondly, faith makes a difference (remember this is from secular academics) – forgiveness and being forgiven is the key. Faith makes a difference to ACEs. Thirdly, having a role model has an impact. As a youth-worker we aren’t just turning up once a week, but we are people that young people can look up to. We are people young people to aspire to be like (even if they won’t admit it!). Hannah: I love that there is hope in this as well. We’ve touched on what this looks like in a youth context, but how can our understanding of ACEs help us in youth-work provision specifically? Jon: I think there are four things we can do. The first thing is that you need to know and understand your youth group. You need to start asking questions and thinking about those ACEs and what the impact may be. We also need to understand the experiences that may trigger someone and also to think about group dynamics and how we put young people into groups (eg. Not putting young people who are going to trigger off one another in a group together). The second thing is thinking about how we approach situations ourselves. Domineering, shouting, isolating or belittling (even if it’s done as a joke) may trigger a response from young people that they can’t control. It’s down to us to control our behaviour. Thirdly, what we need to do is to get young people to engage their owl (prefrontal cortex). For example, saying things like ‘If that had happened to me, I would feel...’ and offering an alternative solution and helping someone to emotionally regulate. Ask them about ‘is that the best way to respond...what might happen if you do that?’ Finally, this doesn’t just affect young people so take time to understand how ACEs may be influencing co-workers/volunteers and help them emotionally regulate; especially when bearing in mind that the prefrontal cortex doesn’t develop until 25-30 years old and may affect how volunteers respond to situations too. For the full and expanded conversation, check out the podcast. Word Of The Month It’s Giving... = The vibe something is giving off. Eg. When someone comes in wearing a green jumper someone might say ‘It’s giving Shrek’ as it reminds them of Shrek.
It’s our final drop of the year! In this festively-timed Youth Updates we look at the trend that’s sweeping teen girls Christmas lists, how spirituality benefits mental wellbeing, our word of the month and how you should never call a young person out of the blue! TRENDS: The Drunk Elephant Making All The Christmas Lists This Year This year has seen a significant rise of skincare products on pre-teen and teen girl’s Christmas lists. Teens have been sharing GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos featuring their skincare all year long, but it has become particularly noticeable that lots of Christmas lists featuring a hefty amount of facial creams, serums and lotions made by brands such as Drunk Elephant, The Ordinary and Bubble. Whilst this seems like a fairly unremarkable thing, it’s worth bearing a few things in mind. Firstly, these lists are being made by those as young as 8 or 9. Secondly, a lot of skincare products are designed for older teen or adult skin and can actually damage rather than help young skin. Thirdly, it shows how much girls are picking up from influencers, social media and marketing about skincare and some of the products they are using are even designed to be anti-aging! All of this raises conversations around influence, social pressures, and anxieties over appearance this Christmas season. FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY: Spirituality Benefits Mental Wellbeing, Research Says Earlier this year, Gallup did a piece of research into the connection between faith and spirituality, and wellbeing. At a time when young people are struggling with mental health more than ever, this seems like an optimistic finding. (It’s important to note that the term ‘faith’ or ‘spirituality’ here is wider than just Christianity.) The report found that being involved with something spiritual resulted in positive well-being outcomes such as increased optimism, hope and self-esteem, and coping better with adversity. Equally, it found that there were lower levels of depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies and psychotic disorders alongside less substance abuse and less crime. So many of these outcomes are those that we pray and hope for when it comes to the young people we know and those in our community. This report gives us a tangible back-up to the knowledge we have that Jesus can make a difference. Find the research here: https://www.faithandmedia.com/research/gallup?utm_campaign=The%20Culture%20Translator&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=278154989&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_mPISwXsN9r1tsiVIj8jayoBvmehO51G0czNrdhOgWdL1TFI8M7tkaLwQ4vt43Gnhteo2uHYGQ5phjYjihCtWt5f_ncg&utm_content=278157048&utm_source=hs_email DIGITAL WORLD: Don’t Call Them Up In an age where phones are like an extension of young people themselves, it may surprise some to find that young people don’t like being called on the phone – especially if it’s un-announced. Many say that an unannounced call can even feel like someone is intruding on their life without permission. Young people’s preference is more for messaging on various apps, leaving a voice-note or if you have to call... text them first! Word Of The Month: ‘Gyatt’ - an expression of surprise, often used to remark on a large bottom or curvy woman Eg. ‘Gyatt!’ Word Of The Year: The official word of the year is ‘rizz’ which we covered in another drop. It’s shortened from ‘charisma’, meaning someone who is confident and has something about them. It is often used in relation to their ability to attract people romantically too. ‘Harry Styles has so much rizz.’
If e-Sports doesn’t ring a bell, you wonder what Gen Z searches for most on Spotify or you're concerned over fake news on social media, then this Youth Updates is for you. Issues: Searching For Sad It's recently come out that Gen Z’s most searched word on Spotify is ‘sad’ - it seems they love a sad song by the likes of Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish and some of the mellow tunes of Taylor Swift. Sad music is often considered to be more relaxing and chilled out, due to its slower pace and more melodic nature, which might be one reason why Gen Z loves it so much. It’s also debated whether Gen Z’s traits of being empathic, emotionally in-tune and reflective, lend them to seeking out sad music to listen to. However, experts reckon we shouldn’t be too concerned about this trend as it could be a healthy way to deal with emotions. However, sitting alongside this is the fact that the Guardian wrote an article all about levels of happiness from a Girlguiding study. This study said that 9 in 10 seven to 21-year-olds feel worried or anxious and only 17% feel very happy. In the survey of 2,614 girls and young women, many described how negative feelings about body image, problems online and shrinking aspirations were eroding their wellbeing. Are this generation sadder than others? Or are they just more in tune with their feelings? Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/13/happiness-of-girls-and-young-women-at-lowest-level-since-2009-shows-uk-poll Digital World: E-Sports E-sports stands for ‘electronic sports’. It is essentially competitive video gaming, and there are many genuine competitions and contests across various games. The most common genres of games include battle royales, first person shooter games, online battle arenas and real time strategy games. There are fully fledged organisations behind the scenes of this and there’s even British e-sports (https://britishesports.org/) whose website reads ‘British e-sports aim to promote e-sports in the UK, increase its level of awareness, improve standards, and inspire future talent’. British e-sports are involved in competitions for those aged 12+ in games such as League of Legends and Rocket League and have even partnered to make a BTEC in e-sports. This isn’t just a competitive hobby though as there’s money to be made and won from the prizes of these competitions. In 2019 the winner of the Fortnite World Cup was a 16 year old who won a whopping $3million!!! Hot Topic: What’s In The (Fake) News?! Once upon a time, the common ways to hear news was through newspapers, articles, the radio and news on TV. However, young people are primarily getting their news through social media. Rather than seeking out news, news often finds its way to them via their social media feeds instead. This means that news can come to them from a whole bunch of sources – and not always trusted ones. Whilst classic news outlets do often have a social media presence, there are also hundreds of everyday people aiming to educate and inform and to give their opinions on topics – with some being helpful and truthful and others, less so. There are also those purposefully creating fake or misleading content. Alongside this, social media algorithms will latch onto what content young people interact with which can also create echo chambers of similar opinions, rather than balanced perspectives. Platforms have tried to implement ways to flag up misleading or inappropriate content but often they can’t take down this content faster than it’s going up. This can mean that content based on little fact can easily circulate, as well as violent or triggering images. Some news content like ‘a llama saves a dog in a flood’ aren’t hugely problematic if they’re fabricated a little bit. However, some of the most significant conflicts, events and news are being communicated about and discussed on social media platforms where it matters that sources are true and researched. (Listen to the podcast for an expanded conversation) Word Of The Month ‘menty b’ - A short way of saying ‘mental breakdown’, often used to make light of a situation or create humour from a time when someone was stressed or emotionally run down. “Here are five things to help you when having a menty b.” “My friend had a menty b when she realised the coffee had run out.”
Welcome this drop of Youth Updates all about criminal exploitation of young people. We invited two guest experts, from the youth charity Phase Trust, to chat with us regarding what the scope of this looks like right now. Phase Trust, founded nearly 25 years ago, works with children and young people across the West Midlands through five specific streams. These streams are personal development (primary age), personal development (secondary age), family, exploitation and harmful sexual behaviour. For more information head to: https://phasetrust.org.uk/ We are joined by Hannah Hughes, exploitation and community engagement lead, and Pete Allen, male exploitation lead. For the full conversation, listen to our podcast here or on Spotify/Apple Music. From your perspective, what are the biggest concerns you see when it comes to young people who are affected by criminal exploitation? Pete: For me the biggest concern is young people carrying knives. A lot of young people we work with will say they go out on the streets and do carry weapons. For me, it’s helping them understand the consequences of doing that and trying to change their opinions on that, whilst keeping them safe at the same time. Another one, which is massive, is social media. Young people are into music and within social media there are a lot of diss tracks they will aim at one another. (A diss track is a music track disrespecting someone and talking against the other person in a negative way; making them look silly. A bit like a boxing match, but with music where it can go back and forth. A fight, but using words and music.) It’s not just around the music [on social media], but what people post on Snapchat, Instagram etc. Social media is an amazing thing, but it can be a dangerous thing as well. These (knives and social media) are the two biggest concerns for me. Hannah: I 100% agree. One to add to that is drugs. We can’t really do our job without talking about drugs. When we look at exploitation, it’s rare that drugs or alcohol hasn’t been involved. Recently, a drug alert has been released across the country because there are contaminated drugs; the kind young people would take. They’re contaminated with stronger opioids where they can be between 50-500 times more potent than heroin. It's a pretty big thing and it’s rare (we don’t want people panicking), but it is there and something we need to be aware of. So many young people think drugs are no big deal and it’s been normalised. When we were younger, taking a pill or snorting cocaine was quite a big deal, whereas now it’s normalised behaviour to just pop a pill at a party. There’s a difference in how young people view drugs now compared to five or ten years ago. With the strength of drugs rising and young people not being aware of the impact, having conversations with young people and raising the ricks of overdoses becomes more vital. In terms of these things (knife crime, social media, drugs) - how commonly do you see these things in youth culture and amongst young people? Pete: It happens a lot more than you think, but if you don’t know what you’re looking for then you may not understand what’s going on. Hannah: We don’t want to freak people out. In normal youthwork, especially in churches it might just be one, two or a handful who are vulnerable or at risk of this stuff. In terms of drug use; it is on the rise and there’s an increase in carrying weapons too. We don’t want people thinking their whole youth ministries are going to turn overnight, but we are seeing increases in all these areas so young people, as a population, are going to have an increase in this too and you have to be aware some of this is happening and it could be with the young people you least expect. For those who regularly encounter young people, what would you recommend for them to be aware of and how to help with some of this stuff? Pete: Lots. For example, if they are appearing with brand new clothes they can’t explain how they got, they have multiple phones, changes in behaviour or demeanour or the way they talk (eg. Using more slang or ghetto talk). Hannah: It might be parents noticing things going missing in the house or young people wanting to sell their Xbox or trying to get money for things they’d normally see as quite precious. Also, young people going missing. It could be that they only go missing for an hour. It doesn't’ mean it’ll be all over Facebook as a missing child, but it could be just regularly missing periods of time – for example, from education. It doesn't have to be overnight; it could just be not seeing them for a couple of hours after school or they normally come to your youth group then suddenly they’re not. Pete: As well, just because we’ve said these things, it doesn’t mean that they are in a gang or involved in crime. Follow it up and gather information. Don't just assume. It's about gathering more intel. Hannah: Our biggest thing is relationship. You will notice changes if you have good relationships with young people in your schools or youth groups. If you’re building relationships with them then hopefully, they’ll come and talk to you about stuff they’re struggling with but also, you’ll be in a position to notice things changing. If someone thinks a young person is involved in criminal exploitation, what should they do? Hannah: Different areas have different processes. We are involved with our local authorities but, if there are immediate concerns, then it’s children’s services. We have a whole process where we do screening tools and forms have to be filled out. It would be whatever people’s safeguarding processes are but there’ll be loads of services out there locally which should be able to have that impact. Violence reduction partnerships (VRPs) are linked with the police but are home office funded. Every area should have a VRP, so people should be able to find out who their VRP is. They can offer training, provide drug and alcohol services and so on. It's finding out what’s in place for you in your area and seeing what training and services they offer. If you’re in a school, then follow their safeguarding procedure and they should know who to talk to. If you’re struggling to know where and who to go to, then your local school should be able to help. Word Of The Month This month we have not one but three words for you! 'shank’ - a knife ‘chef’ - a knife ‘fed’- a police officer For the full conversation, stories and further information on Phase Trust please check out the full podcast.
We are DELIGHTED to be kicking off season 3 of Youth Updates! This coming season will be jam packed full of insights into youth culture alongside a line up of great guests.In fact, we’ll be kicking off with our very first guest; Neil O’Boyle. He is married to Joy, has four children, owns two cocker spaniels and is the National Director of British Youth for Christ. We asked him what three key things he sees going on in youth culture right now. Below is a summary of what was said, but if you’d like to access the full conversation then please check out the podcast above or via Spotify/Apple Music. FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY: There’s Every Reason To Be Confident About Sharing Jesus Neil: It’s an interesting spiritual climate in the UK at the moment when we look at how secularism is playing out – from the school system through to what people are watching on TV. The impact is huge and the message we are getting is that God isn’t on the agenda, but what does that mean when it comes to young people? At British Youth for Christ, we did a piece of research which showed that 51% of young people have a belief in God or something else; those with active faith were considerably less. This means 49% don’t believe (or don’t know what they believe). This tells us about the spiritual climate and where young people are at. There’s another interesting stat too - that only 8% of young people view church positively. 92% have differing views, but only 8% can say something positive. This shows what they think of institutions and how they view what’s going on in society – it's an interesting time. As a parent, it’s interesting to see how this plays out, but where I'm most fascinated is in the work we do. We are about young people’s lives being changed by Jesus, so we want to put Jesus on the agenda, but how do young people respond when we do? Well, the interesting thing is that when we put God on the agenda, they are just as likely to respond to the gospel as any other generation before them - this is good news. Our research also shows that 1 in 3 young people actively want their friends to tell them about their faith and when they do, just over 50% of them view that positively. So, we have every reason to be confident about sharing Jesus. (Find the expanded conversation on the podcast.) Find the research here: https://yfc.co.uk/faithandspirituality/ ISSUES: Mental Health – Are We Putting Plasters On Open Wounds? Neil: There's a mental health challenge in the UK and stats say that there has been a 50% increase in mental health challenges in the past 3 years. So, what is going on, what are we doing to address it and how do we address it? It feels like we are just putting a plaster over an open wound and not landing how to address this in a way that makes a difference. As a practitioner, I think Luke 2:52 is really important: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” He lived with balance, and I recognise that mental health has all sorts of components that go beyond just how we live our lives, but I think it goes a long way if we can create boundaries for young people. Stats say that, on average, young people spend 9 hours and 38 minutes behind a screen each day. That's huge. Screens are neutral, but it’s about what young people are absorbing. Are we really thinking there isn’t a connection about screens and mental health? We'd be crazy to ignore that. What do boundaries look like and how do we effectively move into that space? We’ve got to get a grip here a bit and speak into what boundaries look like and how to underpin that with faith. The greatest value of all is that Jesus is the one who can make a difference. Those with significant mental health challenges will need medical help, support and counselling of course, but there's such a growth in mental health issues that it has got to be more than what we were facing 10, 20 or 30 years ago. (Find the expanded conversation on the podcast.) HOT TOPICS: 500,000 More Young People Entering Poverty Neil: If there’s 8 million young people in Britain, right now there are around 2.9 million living in poverty. There are various definitions, but the first level is that you are struggling to get your basic needs met. The Rowntree foundation estimates that in the next 6-9 months, another 500,000 young people will enter poverty. This is of real concern. Our local centres and youth work practitioners are telling us that their young people are coming to them hungry and more of our staff are going into schools to do breakfast clubs, drop-in clubs and cooking classes where they feed the young people, because they know it’s the only time that they’re guaranteed food. One of the challenges right now is recognising the connection between crime in deprived communities and the need to eat. Much of the low-level crime young people are committing is just to get money to buy food – where is the real crime there? We, as a society, shouldn’t be in a situation where young people don’t have enough money to buy food or just not have food in the house. This needs to change. As the church, we are doing a great job to address this need, but the need isn’t going away, and we have to get creative on how we meet basic needs, such as feeding people. (Find the expanded conversation on the podcast.) Word Of The Month‘sent into a coma’ - to shock someone For example, on social media videos have been going round saying things like ‘10 things in England that would send Americans into a coma’, ‘things I did as a kid that sent my mom into a coma’ ‘Things that would send a Victorian child into a coma’ and so on.
You don’t want to miss out on our final episode in season 2 of Youth Updates. Today we look at the humour of young people, the fresh wave of year 7s coming up into youth groups this Autumn, our word of the month and changes affecting those thinking about higher education. ISSUES: Because Joking About Things Makes Them Better, Right? If you take a look at the different generations over the years, each one has different ways of coping with life’s difficulties. Whether that’s to silently bear it, deal with things behind closed doors or digging their head in the sand.
However, young people have a different way of tackling serious, even traumatic, issues – whether they’re personal or on a worldwide scale. Although it is a part of face-to-face conversations, it also has roots in the digital world. Social platforms see people sharing stories, memes and jokes about anything and everything from violence, sexual assault and even dead siblings or parents.
For example, on TikTok there was a ‘then and now’ trend with the idea that you show a photo from several years ago and compare it to now. One girl showed a photo of her and her sister when she was younger and then her with her sister’s grave.
Equally, publicly tragic events are often quickly memed. Take the Titan sub implosion, for example. If you search for it on a number of social media platforms you’ll quickly find people making jokes about it.
To some, this humorous approach to tragedy might seem awkward, callous or cold-hearted but to this generation it’s just another way to deal with the onslaught of bad news they hear on a daily basis (exacerbated by the influx of information digitally). Some studies show humour can help shift views from trauma being something terrifying to something more light-hearted and therefore easier to cope with.
However, it seems pertinent to think about how to also help young people to properly address issues and heal or take action, rather than just making light of them and to also engage in empathy in the tragedy of others. POP CULTURE: Next academic year’s year 7s are as old as the London Olympics... You heard that right. The group of young people coming up into year 7 are as old as the London Olympics (more or less).
Every year we love to think about what went on during the time when those about to join youth groups across the country were born. Next year’s year 7s were born in late 2011 through to summer 2012.
This means they were also born the same year that the Hunger Games was released cinemas, One Direction released their hit ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ and Carly Rae Jepson’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ hit the airwaves. Interestingly, there’s a new Hunger Games film coming out later this year, Harry Styles (formerly One Direction) is one of the biggest popstars right now and Carly Rae Jepsen was a smash hit at this year’s Glastonbury!
Alongside this, the iPad is older than all of these Gen Alpha guys coming up and they were born when Snapchat was launching. With Facebook and Instagram older than Snapchat, no wonder they think these apps are for their parents! ISSUES: To go or not to go (to Uni)...that is the question! In 2012 Universities began being able to charge up to around £9000 per year in tuition fees – a steep jump from what came before. This came as a shock at the time but is something that teens now expect when considering their moves as they step into adulthood.
However, new legislation means that those starting in 2023 or after will spend 10 years longer paying off their loan than their 2022 counterparts and will begin paying it back at a lower salary than them too. This, combined with the current economy and young people hearing ‘cost of living crisis’ all over the place and it’s leaving many weighing up whether University is right for them.
More than ever, young people are considering the career advantages, financial implications and life experiences more than some of the previous Gen X and Y folks before them. For many they may find that work or apprenticeships provide them with a great alternative but for some it’s a sobering issue that they’re really thinking over.
Note: Scotland Universities are still free for Scottish and EU students. Word Of The Month: ‘mid’ – to label something or someone as average or poor quality.
For example, if someone wants to share a video about some food places they don’t think are good, they might say, ‘these are the most mid food places’.
Don’t forget to join us again in September for season 3 of Youth Updates when we’ll also be chatting to various guests on some hot topics!
We are back once again with three drops of information relating to youth culture. We look at AI in the digital world, the online allure of arena tours, exam stress and of course, our effervescent word of the month! Digital World: AI – Clever, Fun or Scary? Artificial intelligence - or AI for short - is technology that enables a computer to think or act in a more 'human' way. It does this by taking in information from its surroundings, and deciding its response based on what it learns or senses, and it certainly seems to be becoming a bigger part of our lives as technology advances.
Previously, the term ‘AI’ has conjured up thoughts of Sci-fi movies with overly-clever robots who want to take over the world or mega computers who hatch a sneaky scheme.
However, AI is playing out in various ways that young people are regularly engaging with and are aware of. One such example is Chat GPT, which is able to create copy or text based on inputted information. In fact, there are several students who have boasted online about handing in homework or essays written with the aid of Chat GPT.
There’s also a multitude of videos on YouTube, Reels and TikTok where AI is used for fun and interesting purposes. For example, TikTok has a selection of AI filters where users can play around with how it makes them look. Many videos also show totally AI generated images of famous characters from books or TV shows - although you can usually tell they’re made by AI due to the ‘tell’ that is some slightly weird looking hands... Pop Culture: Viral Blue Ivy And Other Stars It seems that the time has come in the year when many are attending the huge arena tours led by megastars such as Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. These arena shows are huge productions that naturally lead to the sharing of key moments in online spaces, spreading the hype further.
For example, Blue Ivy (Beyonce’s 11-year-old daughter) dances onstage next to her mother during one of the songs that is performed. A moment which has been continuously recorded and shared and now people are even replicating the dance themselves causing it to go viral even further.
Harry Styles and Taylor Swift attendees are sharing their outfits for the shows, the moments they get coveted tickets, surprising loved ones with the concert or sharing their seat location, whether amazing or hilariously bad (aka round the back of the actual stage). There have also been plenty of proposals taking place during Taylor Swifts tour, too! Issues: Increase In Counselling Sessions It’s no surprise that exam season can be stressful for the thousands of students in the UK taking them each year. However, NSPCC has recently reported a 10% increase in delivering counselling sessions about exam stress since the pandemic.
In the article (linked below) NSPCC quoted a 16-year-old girl as saying:
“The pressure from school and my parents over exams is pushing me over the edge. I’m so stressed I’m crying at every little thing and haven’t been sleeping. I wish someone would ask if I need help, I’m not ok.”
Exam stress seems to increasingly rear its head and we know ourselves of many young people who skip youth group or bring revision notes along, because they find it hard to get out of the ‘exam mindset’. However, it’s not just GCSE and A-Level students feeling the pressure as there’s an increase in year 6 students who are finding SATs stressful – particularly those who live in areas where SATs, or similar year 6 exams can impact the secondary education they receive and which school they go to. Word Of The Month: ‘sleep on’ - to sleep on something is to ignore, dismiss or be unaware or something’s value or how good it is.
For example, you might say ‘everyone’s sleeping on Harry Styles’ new song’
Hello and welcome! This time we are doing things a little differently and we asked three different folks from the Youth for Christ office what their answer to the following question below would be (don’t worry...word of the month is still here!) “If you could go back in time to when you were a young person and tell yourself something, what would it be?” Rebecca When I was a teen I was heavily bullied. I felt things strongly and self-harmed to express the pain and hurt I was feeling... so if I could go back I'd give her a big hug and stroke her hair and I’d tell her ‘you are doing great, you are none of the things you’re being been called, you’re loved by God and loved by your family’. But I’d encourage her to find coping methods that are healthy like crafting, creating, writing and running. I’d give her the love and comfort she needed, but also be like ‘come on and help yourself - you can do this!’. Helping young people process tough times is still something that is pertinent today. Self-harm and negative coping patterns are still extremely common. However, when we work with young people, we are in a unique position to help them see other ways of coping and how Jesus may play a part in this too. Nate To know the difference between friendly banter and bullying. I was heavily bullied as a kid, and I never really understood the difference. I always thought it was friendly banter but looking back I’ve realised it wasn’t friendly banter... it was bullying and I should’ve done something about it. In UK culture, banter is intertwined in friendships and we often take the mick out of our friends but so often these things can get bashed up and the lines between banter and bullying are blurred. It’s important for young people to think about the differences when people talk to them but also the words they use with others too. Laura I remember when I was around 15, I struggled a lot with comparison and that feeling of not being accepted, so I would regularly compare myself to people in my class and in my school and just constantly wanted to be like someone else. Perhaps that loud person in the class or popular girl in school or the smart person sat next to me. I did lots of things I actually didn't want to do just so that people would notice me and I was afraid to be the real me really. But by trying so hard to be someone else, I was losing my own identity in who I was. So, thinking back then I wish there was someone who told me “just be you and embrace who you are and try and rejoice in it because there’s only one you in the world.” Encountering Jesus made a huge difference in my life and the way I saw myself, and I know I'm made for a purpose. There's so much more you could do if you accept who you are and rejoice in it. Identity is still such a relevant issue today for young people today as it’s something we all process as we grow up. We have such a key role in helping young people navigate this and have an opportunity to encourage them. Word Of The Month: ‘era’ = a period of time defined by an activity, vibe or event. Thought to be partially inspired by Taylor Swift’s ‘eras’ tour where she includes all the eras of her music. ‘I’m in my nature era, I’m going for a walk in the park everyday’ ‘Last year I was in my fitness era’
Season 2 Episode 7: Tate, Faith, Reels & Side Eye. Welcome! It’s time to settle in for the latest drop of info into youth culture! DIGITAL WORLD: Defining Social Media Terms Some folks spend more time on social media than others but we wanted to help clarify what a few things are for those folks who wouldn’t call themselves ‘social media savvy’. Reels: Short form videos found on Instagram that users can create, edit and upload. Tiktoks are the same thing on their own same-named platform and YouTube have their own equivalent called YouTube shorts. Stories: Photo and video content that vanish after a period of time (usually 24 hours). These exist across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Snaps: The name for photos or videos on the app Snapchat that are automatically deleted once they’ve been viewed. DMs: 'Direct Message’ Messages sent between two people on social media platforms such as Instagram or Twitter. Airdrop: A way of sharing videos, photos and files between Apple products. ISSUES: The Andrew Tate Influence The impact of Andrew Tate’s online presence is still in conversation months after his height on the scene. Tate is a 36 year old who made a huge splash on social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. He would talk about success and amassing wealth and showed off his lavish lifestyle of cars, cigars, watches and lots and lots of money. However, he was also a self-proclaimed misogynist and once said "I'm a realist and when you're a realist, you're sexist. There's no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist." In the same interview he said there is “no such thing as an independent female”. Currently under house arrest on suspicion of trafficking, Tate’s public opinion has shifted. However, it is important to note that the majority of his audience have been young, teen boys. There have been reports of some of his views being spouted in public settings and we have sometimes seen this in youth-work settings ourselves. What young people watch online has power and influence – have your youth been watching Andrew Tate? FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY: REFLECTIONS AFTER A YOUTH EVENT Having recently come back from an event that saw 700 young people aged 11-16 gathered together from across the country, we saw young people who are incredibly hungry to encounter God and to share Him with their friends. This is a young generation who want those experiences with God and having done that are incredibly excited to spread this with those they know. There was also an opportunity for young people to write down any questions they had about faith and we saw all kinds of questions including those around suffering, LGBTQ+, heaven and hell, how to read the Bible, science and faith and more. There were a few times when young people wondered perhaps why God seemingly spoke to others and not them and several related to personal stories and it raises perhaps about asking ‘why’ young people ask what they do rather than simply answering the logical or theological part of their question. Word Of The Month ‘Side Eye’ A verbalising of the facial expression of giving a side eye – usually to convey judgement, doubt, criticism etc. Eg ‘my friend walked down the street in her pyjamas. Side eye.’ or, if someone is dipping pizza into ketchup and they think it's gross they might just say ‘side eye’.
Join us as we welcome a special guest, Rebecca, to chat about being a young adult in church and that key transition from youth to 'grown up' church. Alongside this, read about the 'Prime' drink craze, Tiktok's new safety features and our word of the month! FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY: YOUNG ADULTS IN CHURCH We interviewed Rebecca Glover, author of a published Grove booklet entitled ‘How To Engage Emerging Adults In Church’, on the intricacies of young adults in church and that transition from youth to young-adulthood. In your experience and from your research, what's it like to be a young adult in church? Are there even any young adults in church? Rebecca: There are definitely young adults in church but they are a minority amongst the pews and they can often feel out of place. There are usually lots of ministries and groups for other areas of the church such as toddler groups, youth groups, lunch clubs for the elderly and so on. It can be really hard to find your place when you leave youth-work and become a young adult in church. What are some of the key themes that came up in exploring this topic? Rebecca: There were four main themes that came up. 1. Attraction – There's this whole conversation about whether it’s okay for a church to be attractional and to be attracted to a church, but if it’s Jesus-centred then that should be fine. Attraction is around things like visuals, song-choices, authentic preaches and so on. 2. Community – It's the idea that you belong before you believe and having a sense of community. 3. Critical Mass – This is having a mass of young adults that attract young adults. This one is hard because how do you attract young adults without having young adults? You could get involved in things like freshers events or by getting involved on social media etc. 4. Intentionality – Be intentional about young adult ministry. For example, having dedicated young adult pastors or investment from pastors/youth pastors who take on responsibility with this group. Remember not just to include references to movies from the 80s and little things like that, too.
What can churches be doing to attract and engage young adults? Rebecca: I think it’s about being intentional and making small changes like tweaking the language used. For example, talking about ‘tomorrow when you go to college’ as well as ‘when you go to work’. It’s about knowing your locality, engaging in freshers events and other things. It really is up to you how big or small you go, but there are lots of small, simple but impactful ways to start. Anything else you want to share? Rebecca: I think it can be easy to be fearful of young adult ministry; to feel like it’s a huge thing and you’re not sure what to do. It’s better to start somewhere small and have a go, than ignore this sizeable group altogether. For the fully fleshed out conversation, listen to the podcast. And to purchase the Grove booklet, head here: https://grovebooks.co.uk/products/y-68-how-to-engage-emerging-adults-in-church DIGITAL WORLD: 60 MINUTE LIMIT FOR UNDER 18S ON TIK TOK It might be surprising to those who work with young people that Tik Tok, the short form video app, has a good number of safety features in place with under 18s in mind...and they’re planning on adding a new one to the line-up – 60 minute time limits. As it stands, current features include 13-15 year olds having their accounts set to private by default, direct messaging only being available to those aged 16 or older and the ability of hosting live videos only being open to 18 years plus. On top of this, they have now announced that “In the coming weeks, every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit.” . In regards to how this will work, TikTok has said “If the 60-minute limit is reached, teens will be prompted to enter a passcode in order to continue watching, requiring them to make an active decision to extend that time.” Of course, this isn’t entirely foolproof but it’s a step in the right direction. Alongside this, Tiktok are adding more family pairing features so that parents/guardians can be more aware of what their teens are watching. This includes the ability to set screen time limits, seeing how long is spent on the app and choosing to mute notifications to their young person’s phone. The use of social media is an ever-present topic regarding young people and it’s good to see that platforms are stepping up in their responsibilities, but it does make us ask the questions of whether we are still enabling our young people to make wise choices themselves. TRENDS: THE PRIME CRAZE Prime has caused a frenzy amongst young people. It’s a new(ish) drink that is repeatedly selling out in shops all over the UK and young people are going crazy for it and hunting it down! The drink was created by two popular YouTubers, KSI and Logan Paul. There are two main varieties; Prime hydration which comes in a bottle and Prime energy which comes in a can. The drink has been selling out, not just in shops, but also online on the brand’s website and many people have even been re-selling bottles at higher prices due to the insane demand – one shop in Wakefield sold a bottle for £20. The website even has sections where you can find the nearest shop that sells it and a ‘verify your Prime’ section to make sure you have the real thing. It’s certainly an on-trend craze in many areas of youth culture in the UK right now – have your young people bought into it yet? Sources: * https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zx4346f * www.drinkprime.com
Word Of The Month ‘Rizz’ A slang term for someone’s ability to attract a romantic partner. Believed to be shortened from the word ‘charisma’. Eg ‘ Kieron’s got serious rizz.’ ‘Harry Styles’ rizz is impeccable’
As another month rolls around, so does another drop of Youth Updates. This time we are thinking about the cost of living, what award shows say about pop culture, bullying and our continual favourite – the word of the month. HOT TOPIC: Cost Of Living You’d have to be hidden away in a remote place to not have heard of, or been affected by, the rising cost of living in the UK. Whilst a lot of the discussions around this (for example, gas bills, inflation, poor pay, striking and rising food costs) have been predominant in adult conversation – it’s certainly trickling down in awareness to our young people. The BBC released an article saying how there has been a significant up-tick in 16-24 year olds getting jobs as the crisis crunches down, whilst other reports say that 1 in 5 7-16 year olds have experienced a reduction in household finances. Alongside that, 1 in 3 parents/carers have reported struggling with school costs and 1 in 4 secondary students saying they’re worried about affording the tech they need for school. Whilst rising prices do affect various demographics differently, it’s clear that recent studies suggest under 18s are becoming more aware of the impact of such an economic situation. Sources: * https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64629438 * https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1134596/State_of_the_nation_2022_-_children_and_young_people_s_wellbeing.pdf
POP CULTURE: Awards It’s awards season. And whilst this may be significant for celebrities, these shows are rarely watched by the current generation of young people. However, this doesn’t mean they’re oblivious to what goes on. In fact, many parts of awards shows (the iconic, excellent or controversial ones) inevitably shimmy on over to social media, entering the discourse of our teens. There have been a few notable occasions this has happened so far: The first is Sam Smith and Kim Petra’s performance at the Grammy’s which received dozens of complaints accusing it of being evil and glorifying satan. The duo (who also won an award for best duo/group performance) performed their song ‘Unholy’ about a man having an affair. The pair, alongside their backing dancers, wete dressed in red, with Sam Smith wearing devil horns. It’s by no means the first time this sort of religious imagery has been used and, undoubtedly, won’t be the last. Furthermore, the stir of this performance comes off the back of underlying conversations around the ‘risque’ nature of Sam Smith’s video for ‘I’m not here to make friends’ and the fact that Sam’s marketing team has recently gone into overdrive on social media, pushing them onto young people’s radars. Secondly, we have the ever popular ‘man of the moment’ Harry Styles, who has picked up a few accolades. During an acceptance speech Harry garnered some backlash around his comments that ‘this doesn’t happen to people like me’, when in fact many white males have won the award. However, it has since been assumed he was instead talking about his method of reaching fame – from being of no connection to anyone else who is famous, rising up through a normal estate in Manchester and gaining fame via X Factor. Harry may have faced some backlash and risen in the chatter online, but he remains a firm favourite of many young people. ISSUES: Bullying Bullying isn’t a new trend – it’s something we have all experienced or witnessed ourselves at some point and is something we are aware that young people are facing regularly. However, it’s interesting to put some numbers to that knowledge. Government reports for the academic year 2021-2022 have shown that around 25% of primary and around 20% of secondary aged children have reported being bullied in those 12 months. Meanwhile those with additional needs and those eligible for free school meals were more likely to experience bullying. Add to this that 1 in 8 11-16 year olds say they’ve been bullied online and it can’t be denied that bullying is still fairly commonplace in the culture of young people. Those we interact with will likely have been bullied or the bully and it’s helpful for us to guide both ends of the spectrum will love and guidance. Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1134596/State_of_the_nation_2022_-_children_and_young_people_s_wellbeing.pdf Word Of The Month ‘the ick’ A way of saying something is a bit gross/off-putting to you. Sometimes used to describe people, so in a sentence you might say, ‘we went on a date and they put their bare feet on the table – it gave me the ick’.
In this Youth Updates we welcomed along Lian from We Are Tearfund who chatted to us about the topics of racial injustice, the refugee crisis and being a leader in justice. This blog is an abridged version of the interview and doesn’t include the young people’s voices on each topic, so do listen to the podcast to hear the full content! Lian is part of We Are Tearfund; a community of young people and young adults who believe that we are part of the solution, through Jesus, to see extreme poverty eradicated and to stand against injustice all over the world. Topic: Racial Injustice What’s a story in the Bible that you see speaks into today’s issue of racial injustice? Lian: The story of the Samaritan woman at the well. First of all, she was a woman which in those days meant she was seen as marginalised and on the fringes. Jesus was such an advocate, and we see that Jesus meets her at the well, where she has a need and where other people aren’t there at the same time. She's aware of her disadvantage and Jesus breaks boundaries by stepping into that space and seeing her for who she is. In society, especially youth culture, people are mistreated for the way they look, their background, their gender, their race etc. And in this story, we see Jesus completely embrace differences. When we see people being mistreated this is the stuff that breaks Jesus’ heart. We are called as Christians to step out into those spaces where the marginalised are. What do we learn from Jesus specifically in this story and how can we put it into action? Lian: Jesus is intentional in breaking and crossing boundaries. One of the things I love about young people is that they aren’t bound by boundaries; they are willing to challenge the norm. We want to encourage that. Culture might tell us to do one thing, but the kingdom of God tells us to do another thing. Jesus was intentional – he went to the well, but young people can go to school, church or whatever environment they’re in and cross those boundaries and advocate for people. There’s lots of ways to advocate such as petitions. It’s not always the most obvious ways. Things like George Floyd were very public, but in school it’s about asking ‘are there things you see as unjust, unfair? Did you pray? Did you do anything? Do you urge your youth group to pray? To be an ally?’ Social media is a great place – there are accounts like 'everydayracism' which are quite informative about what racism is like in this day and age. Topic: Refugee Crisis So the refugee crisis, what is the problem? Can you give us some stats? Lian: In 2021 there were 89.3 million displaced people in the world and figures are rising as we go into 2023. Just over 40% of those are under the age of 18. It’s clear to us this isn’t God’s plan for people to be fleeing. It's important to note that whilst we have seen a lot of talk of refugees in Europe, most are from places like South Sudan, Myanmar and Afghanistan. Also, lots have been going to neighbouring countries who have similar issues. How do we get youth and young people engaged with the refugee crisis? Lian: Two ways. The first is the more spiritual aspect and examples in the Bible. Jesus seeks refuge multiple times but we don’t often call him a refugee though. How we treat refugees is a representation of what is in our hearts. There’s lots of praying and research to be doing and listening to the Lord. Secondly, more practical things like petitions and staying abreast of what’s going on. It’s about encouraging youth groups to stay aware of what’s going on in the news. You don't want to be insular but advocating for our global neighbours. It’s also biblical, in Matthew Jesus talks about how you treat the least of these is how you treated me. Refugees arent the least of these- they are just like us. We need to take time to think how we can be influential and impactful. So, how does the climate crisis link to other justice issues? Lian: Issues of injustice are interconnected. People affected by climate change the most, contribute to it the least and are often the ones who have to flee because of the effects of climate change affecting them the first and the worst. There are more droughts and extreme rain, and with extreme weather crops can’t grow so then people aren’t able to feed their families and communities – it has a knock-on effect. The climate crisis impacts the refugee crisis and it’s fascinating how they all connect. Tearfund and Youthscape did research called ‘Burning down the house’ (https://wearetearfund.org/burning-down-the-house/). In this, 9/10 young people were worried about climate change, but only 1/10 thought their church was doing enough on the topic. It’s why we are challenging people to do stuff, because young people care about the climate. So how can someone take action? What can we do? At Tearfund, we are doing an exciting fundraiser called ‘Dare to Journey’ to help raise awareness of the refugee crisis by travelling the same distance refugees have. En route people can give you a series of dares to make it more challenging/more meaningful. It’s an incredible way to join in and raise awareness. More info here: https://wearetearfund.org/dare-to-journey/ Topic: Being a leader in justice So at We Are Tearfund, you invest in the future leaders who can speak and challenge injustice. What does being a leader in justice mean? Lian: We believe they’re not future leaders – they already are leaders. Not leaders of tomorrow as they are already leading... we just want to be on that journey with them. Before any of us were in the space of leadership justice, people were doing this from back in the day in the Bible. It’s about letting justice be part of your everyday. It’s not just a good thing but a God thing. What I say and do have to match up – I don't do justice part-time or do it just because I work for Tearfund. I'm a Christian and I’m called to respond to justice. Leading in justice is being intentional and focussed and it being part of who you are and called to be. How does this relate to your own leadership journey? Lian: I don't think I ever thought I was a leader growing up but I was passionate about stuff and being passionate about stuff and acting on that makes you a leader. When I was at church, my parents were pastors and were out every Sunday night. I made a petition so one Sunday night per month could be off for family time. I was about 11 years old and 12 people signed a petition. I went to the pastor and said, “there's a group of us who want more family time, here’s our petition”. To this day, the church still doesn’t meet on the 4th Sunday evening in a month and it’s dedicated to family time. If that can have an impact as a child, young people can really make a difference – it’s about being passionate and acting on it. Do you have any opportunities for young people to become leaders? Lian: We have a 6-week leadership course online called ‘emerging influencers’ which happens a few times a year (https://wearetearfund.org/emerging-influencers/), for those passionate about justice – they get sessions, mentoring, time hearing from experts and time in small groups to help them impact their world and community. We invest and equip in young leaders. Word of the month: That slaps = when someone relates to something or is saying something is really good. Eg. “That song slaps.” “Garlic dip with pizza slaps”
This episode we’ve shaken things up a little and in a one-off special have invited two young people onto the podcast to answer a bunch of questions about the world of young people! We kicked off our time together introducing Peter (15) and Ethan (16) asking them about the best part of Christmas dinner. Peter declared that pigs in blankets as the best part, whilst Ethan likes everything in a Christmas dinner. The following questions and responses are summarised from the conversation, so if you’d like to hear the full content, do listen to this month’s podcast! What 2 words would you use to describe your current experience on social media? Ethan: Very helpful. (Everyone’s on it in today’s world, it’s easy to contact people and helps me to be productive but can be used in some addictive ways too.) Peter: Useful & Enjoyable (There’s access to information now that you couldn’t get in the past, but also if I’m having a bad day there are lots of things online to cheer me up.) Often it’s said that your generation is obsessed with the digital world – what do you think about that? Ethan: I think it’s true. It’s hard not to be obsessed when everyone around you is on it. If you don’t go on it you’d be alone, but if you go on it then all your friends at school will be there too. You can watch videos, play games... do everything there. Without it, there’s not lots to do at home by yourself because everyone is online. Peter: The feeling of missing out on what your friends are doing isn’t a great feeling. I don't like the wording that we are addicted but it's probably true – when you see a young person they’re often on their phone. Ethan: Now it’s their (young people’s) whole world and it’s hard to stay away from it. What’s your favourite social media? Peter: YouTube – there’s a lot of content creators where I love what they create. I prefer it to TikTok as I likes to watch one thing all linked together rather than lots of little things. Ethan: YouTube too – there are creators I can relate to. Also, Instagram because it’s a place to share the photos I take and I can link up with people the other side of the world. What’s the first thing you do when you get home from school/college? How do you spend that time? Ethan: First half an hour is chill, then I work on things from college then chill again after. Peter: Grab a snack and watch YouTube. What’s the hardest thing about school at the moment? Peter: Leading up to important exams. Even when there’s lots of time before exams, school expects you to do lots of revision, but it's hard to keep motivated for so long. Ethan: Becoming an adult – it’s pushed on us. It’s stressful when they put a lot of stuff on us and say ‘you have to do this for the future’ or ‘you have to do that’. We then imparted that most adults are making things up as they go along which they said was a bit stress-relieving. What’s the hardest thing about being a Christian at school? Ethan: The influence of other people – the way they act around their friends. I’m open with it (faith), but find it hard to say I’m a Christian to people without being worried if I’m scaring them off. It’s about providing a space where if they ask questions then you answer, it shows their interest without you having to force it on them. I’m comfortable with sharing, my worry is people not understanding and pushing me to the side. Peter: I agree with that and that people treat me differently. There are quite a few people of other religions, or none, so trying to teach them of some of the different aspects of Christianity can be difficult and they might disagree. Ethan: It’s hard when you don’t always have all the answers, and you don’t want to seem like the dumb one. Peter: Yeah, it might seem like you don’t know enough about your religion, but you can’t know everything. If there’s one thing you wish youth-workers or grown-ups would know/understand about young people, what is it? Ethan: I don’t think there’s anything that they’re missing but we are just figuring out where we want to be. Encouragement is a helpful part of that process of growing. Peter: I think it depends on how old the person is - depending how much older they might not understand the effects social media have on young people. Word Of The Month Vibes = Atmosphere or emotional state that makes you feel happy/sad and is felt by others. Eg. ‘This place has good vibes.’ ‘It’s a vibe’ SubscribeIf you have enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe using the buttons below.
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We are delighted that you’re with us for the journey on season 2 of Youth Updates. If you missed episode/blog 1 then you might want to check that out here too! However, we’ve got our usual drop of 3 topics plus our word for the month, so settle in! HOT TOPIC: Ye or nay? Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) has been put under a spotlight recently, given some controversial and hurtful statements he publicly made on social media. These comments were extremely anti-semitic in nature and have garnered backlash from all over the internet for his discriminatory remarks. Given his fame and celebrity status it, unfortunately, inspired other hate groups to use it as an opportunity to fuel further hate rhetoric.
His comments have been taken extremely seriously and there have been huge repercussions. For example, he has lost his brand deal with Adidas (through whom he had a hugely popular shoe range), has had a documentary shelved, had a waxwork removed from Madame Tussauds and was escorted off the premises of Sketchers HQ when trying to pitch moving his shoe range to them instead.
This is just the latest in a string of extreme statements made by Ye – many of which young people are aware of as they do the rounds regularly online. However, he is not a well man and openly acknowledges this too. Another key element in all of this is the faith elements that have been woven throughout his work. For example, his gospel albums, his Sunday service choir and including the name of Jesus in conversations (sometimes in relation to hurtful comments too). When helping young people navigate what they see in both faith and celebrity culture and the impact of Ye’s statements, it’s key we help them deal with it wisely. POP CULTURE: Midnights and Taylor Fever Taylor Swift, the pop songstress, has done it again. She recently released her album Midnights which has swept through the pop music world. As it stands, when you head to the UK chart OR the global chart on Spotify, the top 14 songs are all from her new album (except one song by Sam Smith). If you haven’t heard the album, perhaps go and check it out!
Taylor goes all in on story-telling and relatable vulnerability, perhaps making this record so popular. The top song ‘Anti-Hero’ feature the lyrics ‘it’s me, hi, I'm the problem, it’s me’ and relays Swift’s fears of being the problem and her self-awareness that maybe, sometimes, she was.
Interestingly, even Taylor can’t full evade the online criticism and recently she had to remove a scene from the video of Anti-Hero after it was called out for being ‘fatphobic’. It relayed a clip of her stepping on some scales that displayed the word ‘fat’. However, many said she shouldn’t have had to remove this as she was commenting on her own personal experiences regarding body image. In fact, in an NBC poll 89% of people said they felt Taylor was not being fatphobic.
In the online space, there is power behind people’s words and actions. What do the young people you know, think about all of this? HOT TOPIC: Qatar 2022 The world cup is coming. Qatar 2022 kicks off on the 20th November and finishes on the 18th December. The world cup is a highlight for footie fans everywhere but Qatar has been marred with controversy. At first it was about the fact it would be a winter world cup and debates over the impact of the climate.
Since then, it has moved on to the suggested 6500+ deaths of migrants working on buildings and infrastructure which have sprung up since Qatar was awarded the world cup. New stadiums, roads, airports and metros have all sprung up and the worker rights have come under intense scrutiny. There have also been never-ending concerns about the laws of the land and what that means for football players and match goers too.
For young football fans, will this still be pure fun and a time to get together around supporting their country? Or will it be impacted by the controversy of Qatar made clear through social media and footballer’s interviews? Word Of The Month It’s not technically a word this month...it’s the thumbs up emoji!
Instead of being a way to quickly agree or show enthusiasm it can now often be seen as passive aggressive or sarcastic. If you use it, some young people might think you are being off with them, being sarcastic or that you are annoyed.
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Huzzah! We are back for season 2 of Youth Updates and we are delighted that you are joining us! Over the next few months, we’ll be hearing from some different voices and guests as well as discussing our usual three topics per drop. And of course, word of the month is back too! POP CULTURE: A Fresh Batch of Year 7s This year’s slew of year 7’s that entered secondary schools across the country are on the cusp of two generations. Some say that they are the tail end of Gen Z and some say they are the first of Gen Alpha to enter youth work, with varied thinking on whether Gen Alpha’s are officially born in 2010, 2012 or generally the early 2010’s. Either way Generation Alpha is on its way and it’ll be interesting to see what characteristics set them apart from Gen Z.
To put it into context, current Year 7’s were born in the same time period as the final Harry Potter film, Adele’s infamous ‘Someone like you’, Kate and William's Royal Wedding and Steve Jobs’ death. HOT TOPICS: Hello Halloween. We are firmly in Autumn territory with October well underway and have entered what some now refer to as ‘spooky season’ where Halloween is fast approaching. Halloween’s origins go back to 500 BC when the pagan celebration of Samhain where it was also believed that the veil between the world of the spiritual and the physical was thin.
Many of the trends we see young people follow track back to this original time of year. For example, the celts would wear masks because they believed it helped to avoid being recognised by ghosts and carved faces into pumpkins to ward off evil spirits. These things that were once fuelled by fear are now used to celebrate it.
Most young people simply see Halloween as a time to hang out with their friends, have fun and not be excluded from something going on in the wider culture. Plus, many may have engaged with Halloween since childhood, thus holding nostalgic memories too. Whilst dressing up as film characters, eating sweets and hanging out with friends aren’t inherently bad things in themselves, it’s important that young people are aware that other things such as Ouija boards, tarot cards and films about possessions or celebrating evil historical figures may not be the best way for them to have fun this year. ISSUES: Vaping The use of e-cigarettes and vaping is on the rise, and with the health implications still not fully discovered there are many people concerned about this. 10 years ago there were around 800,000 users, which has now risen to 4/3 million with 39% of adolescents saying they’ve tried e-cigarettes.
Like many things, such as traditional smoking or drinking, many young people get involved in a social capacity or as a coping mechanism and, whilst technically illegal to sell to under 18s, there are many teens using them.
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/voices-are-fears-about-the-impact-of-vaping-on-young-people-justified/ar-AA11tQZi Word of the month Slay = ‘to do something spectacularly well, especially when it comes to fashion, artistic performance or self-confidence'
Eg. ‘She slayed.’ ‘You are slaying today’ or simply, ‘SLAAAAAAAAY!’
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It is officially one year since Youth Updates was launched, so it only seems right to do a throwback and see how trends have moved on. We’re also chatting about ‘that’ moment at the Oscars, our treasured word of the month and the importance of peer evangelism in youth culture.
TRENDS: 1 Year On! In our first ever Youth Updates, we chatted about three things. We looked at how skinny jeans, side partings and laughing emojis were no longer trendy (which has held up...the shops are full of wide-leg jeans now!). However, we also looked at Instagram’s up-and-coming platform for under 13s and emerging from the pandemic...
We spoke about the expected launch of Instagram Kids for under 13s last year. However, in September employees for Meta (formerly Facebook, which owns Instagram) said that they had paused the creation of this platform due to concerns and backlash they’d had. This was particularly after research was leaked showing that Instagram made girls’ body image worse (amongst other things).
Our final point of discussion was around emerging from the pandemic...which in hindsight feels a little pre-emptive. We were indeed emerging from the final lockdown, but we all know COVID is very much still around. At the time, stats showed that young people were struggling with loneliness and isolation in regards to their mental health and we are still seeing the implications of this now.
Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-58707753
HOT TOPICS: ‘That’ Moment At The Oscars The news of what happened between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars has been widely circulated but in case you were unaware...Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. The joke was about her hair (she has alopecia) and, in response, Will Smith got out of his seat, hit Chris Rock and then returned to his seat and continued to shout and swear at him.
There’s been a lot of discourse online around the incident with people having varying views on who was in the wrong and who was in the right and what was a justified action. It provides a great conversation starter with young people about how to handle conflict and how to respect others.
FAITH & SPIRITUALITY: Peer Evangelism In previous Youth for Christ research young people stated that family, teachers and friends were their top faith influences and indeed those who know the world of young people best are young people.
When asking if they knew any Christians 63% of young people said yes, and of those, they said 44% spoke about their beliefs and faith in Jesus to them. Furthermore, 51% said that what their friend shared influenced their thoughts on God. This means that statistically each time a young person shares their faith with two friends, one of them is influenced. We know stats don’t work out quite like this in practicality, but it’s certainly an encouragement to Christian young people that their words make a real impact.
Word of the month: Bestie = Abbreviation of bestie. Not always used for actual best friends.
For example, “Hey Besties!”
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HOT TOPIC: The Russia Ukraine conflict It would be remiss not to talk about what is currently going on in Ukraine and Russia and how this is affecting young people worldwide. What has felt different about this conflict compared to ones before, is the nature of how it is so visible through the now widespread availability of social media.
Information, news, and updates are being shared across different social media platforms daily, some of it true, some it misinformation. There are also young people either living in Ukraine or from Ukraine and living elsewhere, posting their experiences directly to the world through social media such as TikTok. The nature of how quickly we are getting updates and information directly from the conflict zones is something that feels quite new and unlike anything young people have experienced before.
We spoke to some of the young people from our mid-week youth group and there was a spectrum of how young people are feeling about seeing the situation unfold. Some young people said they’re ‘not concerned for us but for them (Ukrainian people)’, others had only just found out about what was going on through TikTok, and others said it was ‘devastating, they’ve not done anything to deserve it’.
It's clear there is a level of fear amongst young people of this becoming a worldwide conflict and some of the social media narratives around this event is very heavy and could be stirring up fear amongst young people around the globe. With the pandemic and then this conflict, it’s clear young people have lived under uncertainty for quite some time.
DIGITAL WORLD: What is Twitch? It’s a platform, it’s an app, you may have heard of Twitch before, or you may not have. It’s been around in its original form since 2011, but it was renamed Twitch in 2014, which is what we know it as now. Twitch is a platform often used for video streaming, particularly for streaming live gaming. It is often viewed as a split-screen video, where the person shows the game they are playing live, and then the viewers can also see the gamer's face to see their reactions also. It is estimated there are around 2 million viewers per day using Twitch, you can also see, at any particular moment, live stats of how many people are watching at that time.
It's used for entertainment and is also a way of keeping up with the most popular games, without the huge price tag attached to having the latest gaming console and games. You can also chat along with other viewers as you watch, so it’s not just video content to consume, but it has a community element as well.
ISSUES: University of Cambridge research One in three young people says their mental health and wellbeing improved during COVID-19 lockdown measures.
This is from a piece of research conducted by the University of Cambridge and may come as a surprise to many people. Now we’ve moved out of lockdown and restrictions in the UK, we’re starting to look at how this time has affected young people. Lockdown was incredibly tough for so many people, but for some young people, the stability of spending more time at home and doing schoolwork online provided a safe space for mental health and wellbeing to improve.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220222135415.htm
WORD OF THE MONTH Basic = something or someone who is considered unoriginal, often used in relation to things or people who are mainstream and more commonly popular.
E.g. Someone who follows the crowd – ‘they’re so basic’.
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It’s time for our latest drop of Youth Updates where we chat about how drill fits into youth culture (and no, we aren’t talking about power tools...), the power of Disney and the stats around young people being more content in their singleness. Plus, our classic word of the month...
POP CULTURE: This is not a drill. We invited Jon Sewell, Youth for Christ’s head of Mission (with a lot of expertise in music!) to answer some questions about drill music and we are delighted he accepted! * What is drill music?
Drill is a new variation of rap music that has come out of London. It is called so, because of the beat and the way they spit their lyrics. * In what way is this part of youth culture?
The current stats say that 3 million young people are going on YouTube and watching freestyle/rap videos, with drill being the fastest growing style of rap in the UK. Because of this, Youth for Christ has created a new drill stream on the YouTube channel ‘Intro Outro’.
The aim is to get drill artists performing on the channel with the following video being an interview where they share where the lyrics are from, how they became a Christian and why God’s important to them. * For youth-workers and those living alongside young people, how can they get involved?
By using the Underground videos, it’s in a medium and language young people will get. You can show it to your group and then the following week use the follow up testimony. It’s a relevant way of engaging with young people and will hopefully start God conversations.
In terms of being aware of rap and drill culture, it has been adopted by gangs in Britian and is often a way to communicate a lifestyle that we wouldn’t want for our young people. Things like violence, idolatry and so on. * Why is it important for Christians to be in this space?
The Bible talks about being in the world and not of it. So, there is a need to be in it and aware of it to speak into it.
(For the full conversation, listen to the podcast!)
Find the first drill video from Underground on Intro Outro here: https://youtu.be/uDMyLTXBfZo
TRENDS: We don’t talk about... Bruno. ‘We don’t talk about Bruno’ from Disney’s latest animated release, ‘Encanto’, has stormed its way to the top Number 1 spot in the UK charts – the first ever Disney song to do so. In comparison, ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen only made it to number 11!
Written by Lin Manuel Miranda (who also wrote music for Moana and created Hamilton), the music of Encanto has seen unprecedented success. In particular, ‘We don’t talk about Bruno’. Unsurprisingly, it has been a hit with families and kids, but it has also done the rounds on Tik Tok leading to thousands of videos and new trends. Other songs have also stepped up to the TikTok table including ‘Surface Pressure’.
Some young people have lapped up the new Disney content and others groan from having heard their younger siblings play it one too many times, but the chances are that they’ve heard of the music. Encanto has also enraptured folks with its wide diversity and representation of body types and characters meaning many people have been able to relate – whether it be the sister who carries too much family pressure or the one who feels like an outcast or the one who feels they need to be perfect all the time.
Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/60094867
ISSUES: Happy in Singleness this Valentines? Research suggests that, unlike generations before them, that Gen Z don’t feel pressure to be in a relationship in quite the same way as those who have come before them. Youthsight’s stats state that over a third of 16-24 year olds describe themselves as ‘happily single’ and when asked why, more than half said they wanted to prioritise their own needs.
This research was carried out with those on the mid-older end of the Gen Z spectrum and casts the patterns and habits set before younger teens. Similarly, it has recently been revealed that, for the first time since records began, that there are more woman turning 30 without kids than with them.
It is an interesting change of patterns and expectations that this generation is seeing in those older than them. Young people do certainly seem less ‘relationship’ or ‘future marriage’ focussed, but some could argue that they aren’t less interested in romance or sex but that how this looks in their lives is presented a little differently.
For example, we know that porn and sexting are prevalent in young people and that it’s still a topic many young people want to talk about in relation to faith. So, where the focus is, in terms of these core topics, may be shifting.
Sources: * https://www.youthsight.com/blog/gen-z-dating-story-pre-and-post-pandemic-trends * https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/01/27/half-women-turn-30-without-children-later-motherhood-becomes/
WORD OF THE MONTH ‘Triggered’ = The original definition is ‘experiencing a strong emotional reaction of fear, shock, anger or worry. Especially because you are made to remember something bad that has happened in the past’, heavily used in relation to past trauma or PTSD but used by young people thus:
A) Often used when a negative situation is relatable
For example, person 1 “My teacher shouted at me in front of everyone and it wasn’t even my fault.” Person 2 “I feel triggered.”
B) Often used when someone gets offended or their feelings are hurt, often used in memes
For example, “Becky was triggered because Dave told her to get off the Xbox and make him a sandwich.”
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We’re so glad to see you for our first Youth Updates of 2022! This drop, we look at 2021 Google trends, an online conversation about fishing and the landscape of youth-work – plus our word of the month (of course!), TRENDS: 2021 GOOGLE TRENDS Each year, Google releases a trend report for the past 12 months, which gives an insight into both wider culture and how youth culture affects and shifts mainstream trends. Here are a few of our favourite things we pulled out of it: * The world searched ‘y2k’ more in 2021 than ever before (showing how the Gen Z revival of fashion and aesthetics, from the turn of the millennium, has gained huge traction!) * The world searched for ‘sea shanties’ more in 2021 than in the rest of Google’s history, which sprung out of the wave of shanties and popularity of ‘Wellerman’ on TikTok * Another TikTok inspired trend was that the 6th most popular question was ‘where does vanilla flavouring come from?’ - this did the rounds on the social media platform when it was revealed that artificial vanilla flavouring comes from a chemical found in the glands of a beaver’s bottom...gross... * Olivia Rodrigo, a huge Gen Z star, appears twice in the top lyrics * Squid Game was, unsurprisingly, the top searched TV show of 2021 * The Euros were the top searched term in the UK for 2021 – full stop. * The 5th most searched for definition was ‘woke’ - meaning someone who is in tune with social justice issues. The term is sometimes used by those attempting to dismiss, belittle or mock younger generations who fight for social causes or who stand on the liberal end of politics.
Source: https://trends.google.co.uk/trends/yis/2021/GB/ FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY: ARE YOUNG PEOPLE RETURNING TO CHURCH? It’s been a tricky season when it comes to youth-work, and we are beginning to hear updates on where youth ministry is at. Many have been wondering just how many young people are coming back to church and whether the patterns we see in our own youth groups and churches are the norm.
Recently, the EA released a report that showed that 24% of the churches they asked who did youth ministry pre-pandemic, have now stopped. Alongside this, research done by Youthscape, shows that youth groups are on average 53% smaller than they were pre-pandemic. If your attendance is down – you are not alone.
Furthermore, there are wider church patterns that people are now going to church less regularly. The number of people going weekly is down, having shifted towards fortnightly or monthly attendance instead. This has been noted in youth-work too – with many young people attending less frequently.
Sources: * https://www.eauk.org/assets/files/downloads/Changing-Church-Autumn-2021-Research-Report.pdf * youthscape.co.uk/research/the-story/the-story-18
POP CULTURE/ISSUES: A SPECIFIC KIND OF FISHING We’re not talking about fishing with a hook, line and sinker. We’re talking about blackfishing and asianfishing. Blackfishing is a word for when someone is seen to be pretending to be black/mixed-race or leaning towards presenting with the features and aesthetics of black people and their culture. Asianfishing is the Asian equivalent.
It’s something that has been in discussion in the online space, amongst commentary around several influencers but has entered celebrity culture too. Jesy Nelson (ex-member of Little Mix) has been a particular focus of this conversation for a while, peaking when her song ‘Boyz’ came out in October. Many accused her of blackfishing due to her tan, lip filler, curly hair and the clothes and gestures she chose to use.
Similarly, Ariana Grande has come under fire for blackfishing due to her dark tan, but just before Christmas she came out with a new paler look, alongside a new way of doing her eyeliner that caused many to see her as asianfishing – with some nicknaming her ‘Arigato Grande’.
Young people’s calling out of others online when they see them do something wrong isn’t new, and calling people out on black or asian-fishing is part of a wider conversation around cultural appropriation, the value of diversity and respecting other people’s races and cultures.
WORD OF THE MONTH ‘Lowkey’ = used to mean something the speaker feels quite strongly about.
Eg. “I lowkey want to eat a whole cake right now” - I really want to eat a cake right now
“I lowkey love Zendaya” - I actually love Zendaya
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This time, we are changing things up a little and giving over a WHOLE Youth Updates to the topic of sexting. Never fear though – our word of the month is still making an appearance!
We are delighted to have been able to interview Jon Needham, who works as National Director of Safeguarding for a large education and social change charity. He’s currently in the 3rd year of a PhD looking at the motivations for sexting in teenagers and the external factors that influence behaviours, alongside being a father of 3, volunteer youth-worker for 33 years and an avid fan of Korean Dramas!
This interview gives a really practical foundation from which to consider this topic and the below is an abridged version of the interview – do listen to the podcast for the full shebang! ISSUES: SEXTING How is sexting defined and what’s its prevalence in the UK? Is it a big deal?!
The word sexting is a combination of the words sex and texting. Initially, it just meant indecent photos but has now expanded to include written text messages, voice notes, e-mails, links to porn or self-made films, hand-drawn images, collaged images (eg. someone's head on someone else's body) and so forth.
Is it a big issue? In short – yes. The government commissioned a meta-analysis of different research papers in 2021 which said that 22% of teens were involved in sexting in the UK. On the other hand, research carried out by Jon in 2018/19 showed 43% of teen boys were involved in sexting in both an active and passive sense; and initial analysis shows it has gone up to 57% since then. So yes, it’s a prevalent issue in the UK.
How can sexting be perceived by young people and professionals?
From a youth-worker/schools/professionals point of view, it is often seen as a risky or deviant behaviour, which then often implies risk. However, from a teen perspective, it is probably not seen as being from a risk-taking stance but as a normal teenage behaviour and as part of normal development (and that ‘everybody is doing it’).
There is a paradigm of risk and normalcy.
Furthermore, in schools/classes the message conveyed is usually ‘it’s illegal and you can be arrested if you do it’, but then there are people in the classroom thinking “I've done it, I’ve not been arrested and so I’m not going to listen anymore”.
Are there risks associated with sexting?
If your standpoint and view is that sexting is a social deviance, then you’ll naturally associate it with risk. Certainly, where sexting is coerced or done with the intent to harm or to share images without consent then there is risk and harm there, and it is a criminal offense.
On the other standpoint, if it's considered that two teens are in love, then ‘where’s the harm in that?’. In fact, some viewpoints see sexting as ‘safe sex’ as it’s often done in a bedroom and means less pregnancies, STI’s etc.
Also, some research says there may be links between sexting and poor parenting, or an association with delinquency. However, it’s the case of the chicken and egg – which comes first?
There is also little evidence that sexting will have an impact on someone’s long term career. Often, regarding sexting, people believe that it could affect being able to get a job in the future, but this is not necessarily the case when sexting has been between two consenting teens.
What is the legal position and stance taken by the Police?
Images of under 18s are illegal. Full stop, no discussion. It is often referred to as child porn, but child porn is a wrong term, as children can’t consent to porn – the actual classification is images of child abuse.
When it comes to the stance by police, it comes down to motivation. If it is two teens who are ‘in love’, they’ll judge it's not in the best interest to prosecute and they will most likely get ‘outcome 21’ - something only police can give out that essentially means ‘you’ve done something wrong but won’t be prosecuted, there’s no punishment and no recorded crime’.
However, if you've done it with criminal intent (eg. coerced someone or shared an image without consent or are an adult getting child images) then it is a criminal offence and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
It comes down to looking at the motivation behind an image.
As youth workers how should we deal with this topic? In our youth work sessions or in response to a disclosure, for example?
When asking young people what they want to learn, they’ll often say they’re sick of learning old information that they’ve heard a hundred times - they want stuff that’s relevant and new. We need to be addressing sexting; not just romantic relationships in general but taking it a step further. Especially if it is prevalent, it needs mentioning in the work that we do.
We need to not shy away just because we feel uncomfortable. We can’t expect young people to come talk to us about something if we never mention it, but the more open we are about things then the more likely they will come to us saying ‘I have a problem, can I talk about it?’.
Secondly if we do have a disclosure, we need to consider ourselves privileged as a young person has identified us as someone they can trust, share something deep with, and feel they can talk to us about it.
We need to consider the motivation behind the sexting issue and whether the parents should be involved. Also, there are organisations like internet watch and ChildLine who can actively remove images off the internet.
Note: For more detail, listen to the podcast! This content provides a great, practical foundation when considering how we can approach this topic in relation to faith and in our groups and contexts. Word of the month: ‘bop’
A really good song.
‘Mariah Carey’s song ‘all I want for Christmas is you’ is such a bop’
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This November we are looking at the Netflix phenomena that is Squid Game as well as the songs, movies and events that took place when 11- and 16-year-olds were born. Furthermore, we’re looking at some leaked research about Instagram and of course, our word of the month! HOT TOPIC: The Rise Of Squid Game Squid Game, a Korean Netflix show, has taken the world by storm. Chances are that you’ve heard about it and how it’s about 456 people who participate in gory and violent games in the hopes to win some money. Within its first month it garnered over 110 million views –the most ever for a streaming programme- and in early October it was the top of the ‘Top 10’ list in 94 countries.
Beyond being an enigmatic and virally watched programme, Squid Game’s popularity has inevitably influenced popular culture. Variety reported sales of the particular Vans shoes the players wear has gone up by 7800 percent, whilst Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite all have nods to, or minigames about, Squid Game.
The wider influence seems somewhat inevitable in the digitally connected world that we live in (even to the point where Universities are setting up their own – thankfully less deadly – version of the games). However, it has been reported that children have been acting out scenes on the playground and schools have even had to e-mail parents asking them not to let their children watch it. Praised for its cinematography, nods to art, soundtrack, plotlines and great acting, it is also known for its depictions of violence and depth – which surprisingly only rate it at a 15. POP CULTURE: The Year They Were Born... We all love to reference and include things that young people love when we interact with them. However, we thought we’d do a little research into what were the cultural events and moments the year that 16 year olds and 11 year olds were born. We wonder which will surprise you (some of them feel like they only just happened!)
Born in 2005 (16 year olds) * Films released: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the first Narnia film, Star Wars Episode 3, Madagascar and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory * Songs: James Blunt – You're Beautiful, the Crazy Frog, Since You’ve Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson * Events: Hurricane Katrina, London bombings, The UK version of The Apprentice premiered, Dr Who returns to the BBC after 16 years
Born in 2010 (11 year olds) * Films released: Toy Story 3, Inception, Despicable Me, Tangled, Twilight: Eclipse, Iron Man 2, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows – Part One * Songs: Tiktok by Kesha, California Girls & Teenage Dream by Katy Perry * Events: Haiti Earthquake, the One Direction boys auditioned on the X Factor, Apple released the first iPad, Angry birds was the most popular game app
DIGITAL WORLD: Leaked Reports From Facebook As those who are with young people on a regular basis, it’s probably no surprise to hear the line of thought that social media can have a negative impact. What probably is surprising, however, is that Facebook (who also owns and runs Instagram) did research that backed up such opinions. The reports about Instagram have been leaked from internal presentations, and collated from focus groups, online surveys and diary studies in 2019 and 2020 the presentations said things: “We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls,”
“Thirty-two per cent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,”
“Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression. This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.”
Despite the internal findings, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief exec., believes social media is more likely to have positive mental effects. However, it is interesting nonetheless to see what the platforms themselves have found out about their own creations.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/sep/14/facebook-aware-instagram-harmful-effect-teenage-girls-leak-reveals
Word of the month: 'Lives Rent-Free'
Something living rent free in your head means you can’t stop thinking about it. Depending on what the thing is, you’re either happy or unhappy about the fact you can’t stop thinking about it.
For example “That TikTok video lives rent free in my head.”
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This October, we are looking at climate anxiety, a little lad who loves berries and cream, Halloween and our word of the month! ISSUES: Climate Anxiety A study of 10,000 16-25 year olds has revealed their thoughts and beliefs around the future and climate, with 45% of them saying that climate-related anxiety is affecting their daily lives. The study included young people from 10 different countries, including the United Kingdom.
In fact, 51% of UK young people agreed with the statement ‘ humanity is doomed’ and 72% of our young people agreed that the future is frightening. When it comes to taking action where the planet is concerned, only 28% of British young people trust the government; which is interesting when much of the discourse around necessary action hinges on governmental input and initiation. It’s also interesting considering that COP26, the UN climate change conference is happening soon in Scotland.
Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/88npnp/fifty-six-percent-of-young-people-think-humanity-is-doomed?utm_source=VICE_Twitter&utm_medium=social+
(You might also find it interesting to read the following Tearfund & Youthscape research: https://wearetearfund.org/burning-down-the-house/ )
TRENDS/DIGITAL WORLD: Berries and Cream! Perhaps the words ‘I’m a little lad who loves berries and cream!’ are familiar to you...or maybe they’re as strange to you as this trend! A fun, light-hearted and silly trend has emerged on TikTok in the form of short song about berries and cream performed by a character called ‘little lad’ that originated in a 2007 starburst ad.
Tiktok has reprised it from the ashes, with (at the time of writing) over 1.2 billion views under #berriesandcream and videos include song mash-ups, people replicating the ‘little lad’ dance or showing off how their outfits or hair look like him! We encourage you to go check out the trend or to search for the ‘little lad dance’ on Youtube!
HOT TOPIC: Halloween As October rolls around again, so does Halloween. The shops are stacked with sweets, theme parks have special nights and fancy-dress suggestions are shared on social media. For many young people in our communities, Halloween is a time of childhood memories of trick or treating and a time to spook themselves and their friends out with pranks and horror films.
This ever-divisive holiday has gained traction over the years and is certainly a part of young people’s conversations and worlds, racking up over 41 billion views on Halloween related videos on TikTok. But perhaps what it signals most is the desire and intrigue behind the unanswerable and mysterious parts of life, along with its big questions.
In 2020, Youth for Christ’s Z-A research showed that 51% of young people believe in some form of supernatural being or power with a further 17% saying they didn’t know if they did. And, when asked directly if they’d be interested in knowing more about God and spirituality, 36% said that they would. Whilst trying to navigate guiding young people through Halloween and how to handle it, it may provide some good opportunities for some deep and meaningful conversations.
Word of the Month: ‘ghost’ (verb) - ghosting, ghost, ghosted
To cut ties or communication with someone – often in reference to dating. This can look like not replying to messages, answering FaceTime calls etc. And is usually done to give the hint that they’re not interested anymore.
‘We were messaging loads and I thought he liked me back but then he ghosted me.’
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Hello and welcome back to our sixth instalment of Youth Updates! POP CULTURE: Kanye’s Donda Kanye West's latest album ‘Donda’ has stirred up a lot of attention and conversation. The record, named after his mother, hit number 1 in 152 countries on Apple music (at the time of writing) and broke the record for 2021’s most-streamed album and artist in a day.
The new music comes alongside multiple launch parties that displayed a replica of his childhood home, setting himself on fire and Kim arriving in a wedding dress. Playing more like performance art then a regular album, Kanye once again references the Christian faith in songs such as God breathed, Jonah and Jesus Lord.
He isn’t the only music artist to reference faith in their work of late, but it’s important to note that we should help young people not to confuse an artist’s faith and inspiration as a replacement for the teachings of Jesus. However, his topical lyrics on forgiveness and God can help initiate and unpack important conversations. FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY: The Influence Of Family Young people have spent a lot of time with their families during the past year, but did you know that young people state that their family is often their biggest influence on their faith?
Youth for Christ research has found many links between young people and familial influence. For example, 82% of young people stated the motivation to make their families proud, coming above becoming successful. Likewise, when asked the top three things that make you feel good about yourself 92% stated family. However, when directly asked who influences how you think about God and spirituality, a whopping 55% said family (which was the top answer!).
Family plays an incredibly important role in the lives of young people, which for youth-workers and churches asks us to think about how we connect with the wider family of a young person and the connections we make and providing ways to explore faith through family.
Find the research here: https://yfc.co.uk/rethinkingculture/ and https://yfc.co.uk/faithandspirituality/ ISSUES: An increasing risk of county lines in rural areas? A recent BBC article discussed the links between declining youth-work provision in rural areas and an increased risk of involvement in country lines. As per the description of the Children’s Society ‘County lines is a form of criminal exploitation in which criminals groom and manipulate children into drug dealing. The 'lines' refer to mobile phones that are used to control a young person who is delivering drugs, often to towns outside their home county.’
The National Youth Agency has seen an ‘increasing trend’ in rural and country young people being targeted when it comes to county lines. The amount per head spent on provision for 11 to 19 year olds in rural England is half the level of a decade ago and 25% less than in Urban Areas, at £47 a head. The link between the two comes in when you consider that trusted adults are a key part in protecting those at risk.
BBC Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-58312284
Children’s Society: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/child-criminal-exploitation-and-county-lines/what-is-county-lines Word of the Month: ‘dead’ - This can be used in a couple of ways. 1. used to express how funny something is.‘I’m dead’, ‘Dead’ or the skull emoji 2. used to describe something that is flat/bad/rubbish.‘That party was dead.’ Sometimes called a ‘dead ting’.
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Hello and welcome to our fifth Youth Update! We’re talking about how Gen Alpha are coming, the Olympics, micropreneurship and our word of the month!
HOT TOPIC: Gen Alpha are coming! Move out the way Gen Z, Generation Alpha are coming! Born between the years of 2010-2024, the first wave of Generation Alpha are entering into secondary school and 11+ youth groups this September.
Growing up immersed in smart technology and living through a global pandemic, much about this generation’s characteristics wait to be seen but to get a snapshot why not take a look at this nifty infographic (https://mccrindle.com.au/wp-content/uploads/infographics/Generation-Alpha-Infographic-2021.pdf) or condenast’s predictions for marketing to this generation? (https://cnda.condenast.co.uk/wired/UnderstandingGenerationAlpha.pdf) POP CULTURE: Olympics We’ve seen some exceptional gold medal wins for Team GB this year, but alongside this have come some amazing memes (see Tom Daley’s knitting and the artistic swimming entrances!). This year has also seen Great Britain’s youngest ever Olympian in the form of bronze-winning Sky Brown (aged 13) who snapped up her medal in skateboarding!
But perhaps one of the most memorable moments this year has been Simone Biles’ decision to take a step back from the competition to look after herself regarding her mental health. It’s a loud and clear message to the upcoming generation that even the biggest of moments in life can be put on hold when mental health takes precedence.
TRENDS: Micropreneurship Like entrepreneurship but on a smaller scale. It’s no secret that Gen Z don’t love hierarchical authority, take initiative and love a bit of a side hustle. In fact, Forbes did a survey that showed that 54% of young people and young adults aspire to be entrepreneurs, be their own boss and start their own company.
We can see this on the micro when perusing Instagram and TikTok and see how young people are taking up online jobs, making jewellery, selling resin art and painting commissions as well as selling clothes on apps like Depop and Vinted. With the internet at their fingertips, starting a small business from the comfort of their homes has never been easier.
Word of the Month: ‘Stan’ = to be supportive or a fan of something. For example, ‘I stan harry styles’ means I am a fan of harry styles.
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