Tag: advocacy

  • Worth the fight

    News that George Zimmerman’s killing of Trayvon Martin would not be reviewed by a grand jury rattled me yesterday. I get it. In a case with almost no physical evidence and no witnesses, it’s impossible for a district attorney to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt. If Zimmerman sticks to his story we will never know what really happened.

    The Trayvon Martin case made me think about my own neighborhood. My home office window looks out onto my block. Each day I look out my window and see Trayvon Martin walk by on his way to the store. Sure, the Trayvon’s in my neighborhood might be on bikes sometimes, or of a different race than the real Trayvon. Some Trayvon’s are even girls. Most of them are just going from their house to a friends house. A few smoke weed in the easement behind my house. And maybe some of them are up to worse things than that? But I’m guessing the teenagers in my neighborhood are probably a lot like the teenagers in your neighborhood, who are also just like the teenagers in Trayvon Martin’s neighborhood.

    I wonder who advocates for the teenagers in my neighborhood? I wonder who looks out for them? Who do they go to when they get into a fight with their mom and storm out of the house? Who do they talk to about stuff they can’t talk to their parents about? Who do they ask the really hard, life-altering questions? I wonder who stands up to George Zimmerman, telling him to go home and find another hobby like a softball team? I wonder if I’d go outside and get between Zimmerman and Martin? I wonder if I’d be there to tell George to put his gun down and go home? Or would I just be looking through my blinds while it all went bad?

    Pushing aside the distraction of the Trayvon Martin case, which happened thousands of miles from me, I wonder if I’m prepared to fight for the teenagers in my neighborhood?

    More importantly I wonder what’s wrong with me if I’m not? Youth minister? Pfft. Who am I to bypass ministry to the teenagers on my block for the sake of ministering to the teenagers who show up at my church?

    Question for my youth ministry friends: Do you see yourself as an advocate for teenagers in your community?

    Photo credit: Justin Nether, via Baltimore Sun

  • What have you done for me lately?

    A year ago the earth shook and the world changed.

    Billions were given.

    Tens of thousands have gone to help.

    Yet not much has changed.

    • The poor suffered.
    • The rich got richer.
    • More people died needlessly.
    • The UN has effectively lied, spending money studying and asking questions while accomplishing little.
    • And America sleeps in their comfy beds tonight feeling like they did something because they texted a donation to the Red Cross.

    We’re left now with more questions than answers.

    1. If the international aid organizations aren’t going to do something, who is?
    2. People are stealing aid given while government pockets are filled with bribes, who will prosecute perpetrators when the government is the worst offender?
    3. How can we help this country get back on its feet while at the same time lessening dependencies on the outside world?
    4. When will the colonial view on international missions be put away and replaced with working alongside of Haitians to build housing for people in tent cities, advocates standing for justice, and training of teachers, city planners, and tradespeople begin?
    5. Where is the army of Sean Penn-like camp managers?
    6. Who will hold accountable those who make empty promises?

    The answer to all of these questions is you. The cameras will shine on Haiti today. And you will feel sorry for what is going on.

    Don’t.

    Our Haitian brothers and sisters don’t ask for your pity today.

    But they are asking for you to help them in ways that answer the questions I’ve posed above.

    Know that the media elite will leave tomorrow; having satisfied their ratings and your curiosity, they will board private jets tomorrow and go back to New York, while children still sleep on muddy cardboard beds.

    1.5 million people are asking the question, “Who is helping us?”

    The answer is you.

    Turn off the TV and do something.

  • When adults tell the truth

    I’m glad I took the time this morning to watch this video. A couple of my friends shared it, and I didn’t know what it’d be about, but I want to encourage readers of my blog to make the 12 minutes to hear Joel Burns story.

    Bullying really is a big deal in the lives of teenagers. And, as Joel documents, it’s especially difficult for LGBT teenagers.

    It really doesn’t matter what you think about “the issue.“ At the end of the day, if you are anything like me, I know that my calling to youth ministry is tied to a desire to advocate for teenagers of all varieties. And, at the heart of Joel’s talk, there is a simple and powerful truth which has helped prevent suicide for generations…. “This too shall pass. Life gets better.”

    This video was a good reminder to me. There is great power in the words of caring adults in moments of vulnerability. When we dare to tell the truth in love, now matter how painful it is to share or to hear, we help students.