Fear.

Division.

Isolation.

Despair.

These aren’t just words.

They aren’t just adult concerns.

These are deeply felt and harshly experienced realities our young people navigate every day.

From the deeply personal wounds of bullying to the existential terror of federal troops in our streets and at our doors, young people – children, youth, young adults, and families – are finding themselves on the outside of systems and communities that are increasingly threatening and dangerous; they are fending for their families and their own lives in very real ways.

Children, youth, and family leaders yearn to create spaces where all God’s beloved children find safety and welcome, sanctuary and respite.

We strive to create places of real belonging.

And not only for those already comfortable on the inside: We want to branch out beyond belonging to bring into the center those systematically and traditionally forced to the margins so that together, we can build a more beautiful community in which all God’s beloveds flourish.

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How can we develop more emotionally- and systemically-aware leaders, mentors, and youth, capable of more full – and joyful – welcome for children and youth whose identities place them on the margins – and increasingly in danger?

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In the face of Christian Nationalism and other radicalizing ideologies, how do we create communities in which vulnerability, compassion, and gracious conversation are norms that shape open, compassionate, gracious children, youth, and families?