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The Heroic Revolution: A New Agenda for Youthwork

by Rev. Nelson E. Copeland, Jr. (published by the James C. Winston Publishing Company, Inc., 1995)

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Summary:

As an urban youth worker, do you ever feel like many of the books on youth ministry you read don’t address the problems you face in the city?  Do they often seem written to address life in the suburbs rather than the harsh realities of urban life?  If so, then this book is for you.

Pulling from his own personal experience as an urban youth worker as well as his extensive reading in the literature of the field, Nelson Copeland presents a model for urban youth work from a Christian perspective that shows sensitivity to the challenges faced by urban youth workers.

Chapters include such topics as:

• Building Cultural Selfhood
• Youth Gangs and Leadership
• The Urban Youth Intellectual
• Producing a Practical Work Ethic in Urban Youth
• Disciplinary Integrity

Throughout the book, Copeland gives concrete examples from his own experience to make his points. He also includes several useful appendices such as Six Steps to Nonviolent Social Change, Six Principles of Nonviolence, and Ethnic Colleges and Universities.

Why does FASTEN recommend this resource?

Copeland addresses the unique challenge presented by youth work in an urban context and discusses the specific needs of urban youth (particularly minorities) that set them apart from suburban youth. He does a particularly good job at examining the threat and the opportunity posed by gangs.

by Human Relations Media (Learning Waves, 1999)

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Summary:

Most prevention programs are geared towards middle school/junior high students.  The Clued In Sample Pack includes a teacher’s resource book and four student workbooks aimed at youth in grades 3-6.  The workbooks let the students pretend they are detectives working to uncover “drugs’ darkest secret.”  Each workbook is laid out like a dossier and there are several introductory pages about each specific substance.  The majority of the workbook contains learning activities and opportunities to decode hidden messages.  The four substances that the workbooks cover are:

• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Inhalants
• Marijuana

Why does FASTEN recommend this resource?

Children are exposed to drugs and substance abuse at earlier and earlier ages.  The interactive mystery-style format of the workbooks holds the attention of youth in grades 3-6 and provides a fun way to introduce the idea of substance abuse prevention in an educational setting.