OVERVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• If you have not used the Internet much, sit down with someone who knows the kind of things of interest to you. Take some basic notes and ask questions if you have later problems.
• The main way to become familiar with the Internet is to use it. Most Browsers (Netscape and Explorer) have a Search button. Click it, accept or select a search engine, and type in the organization, famous name, or type of information for which you are looking. Do not type in "kids," "boys," or "girls" or you will probably be offered some porno sites.
• I use Google  as a favorite search engine.
• Most of the information you will find can be downloaded onto your hard disk or printed. Have plenty of paper available, and it is good to recycle one-sided sheets for this purpose. The last page of many things printed is often useless information and tag lines, so be sure to turn them over and use them again.
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Dean Borgman cCYS

 

• One Look
• Britannica
• Encyclopedia
• Reference Desk
• Ask Jeeves
• Electric Library
• World Cat

 

Books

 

Here’s how you can get information in the form of reviews for books you don’t have time to read but need to know something about:

• Amazon
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• Barnes & Noble

 

General Information from a Christian Perspective

• Gospel Com Professor Quentin Schultz and author of The Internet for Christians produces an on-line newsletter and Internet Director for beginners.
• Belief Net Attempts from a broad perspective to give help in matters of religion and Christian belief.
• Mars Hill Forum This ministry began by distributing monthly tapes. In an intellectual way it seeks to understand and challenge postmodern culture. Highly recommended.

 

Research on Youth

• Center for Youth We appreciate your using this site and look for your feedback and support financially and information you may contribute. See how to write for EYS.
• Child Stats U.S. statistics on children is put out on an inter-agency website
• Childrens' Defense Further statistics on children, especially urban, poor and black, may be found at the Children’s Defense Fund.
• AACAP You will find an alphabetical list of youth problems with professional summary of each issue from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
• Health Important drug and alcohol information, with resources, is available from the U.S. National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.
• Barna The Barna Group give you of the most effective, free research on US teenagers.
• Search Institute is a very reputable research group. They encourage communities and religious groups to cooperate in reducing the risks young people face with a positive approach. Their research has found 40 assets or resources young people need to grow up healthy.
• UCLA Research

• conducts an annual survey or US college freshmen.

 

Christian Media Critique and Support

• The Center for Parent and Youth Understanding is highly recommended in critiquing current pop culture. Here you will find their monthly magazine and articles from the past.
• Christian Answers Reviews of many media. Their movies reviews also publish agreeing and dissenting responses from teenagers and adults. Recommended.
• Childcare Action Project Alert posts conservative evaluations and warnings.
• Christian Media News contains support for religious artists.
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• Hollywood Jesus  is an interesting and attractive site.

 

Drugs

• Drug Abuse This is a treasure of quick information.

 

Media Critique

• Jean Kilbourne, author of Deadly Persuasion

•  provides lots of information and resources to combat the negative images and inflence of today’s commercials.

 

Mental Health

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• NAMI You will have to subscribe but there is valuable information here.

 

Movies

• Mrs. Showbiz
• Movie Reviews
• TV Plex  Audio reviews of movies from Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper.
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• Screen It Christian critiques of music and media.

 

Music

 

University students now download instead of buy CDs, but that’s not really legal. There is legal free listening at the first site and lyrics, etc. at the second.

• MP3
• Seek a Lyric
• Lyrics Search
• True Tunes at K Site for alternative Christian music scene.

Newspapers

 

You can find youth issues around the country (and sometimes globally) by going to a particular newspaper’s web site.

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• Reference Desk and select newspapers.

 

Sports Ministries

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• Sports Spectrum The web site of a Christian sports magazine. You will find current and archived articles of interest along with featured testimonies of athletes and statistics.

 

Urban Youth and Youth Ministry

• AGRM A joint venture of Urban Youth Ministries and Kingdomworks. You will be pleased with the resources, list of organizations, and coming training conferences you will find here. It also provides links to other related sites.
• YUBM This site attempts to meet and counter the negative aspects of urban hip-hop culture focusing on maturing, mentoring, and ministering to potential leaders especially in the urban black community.

 

General Information

 

HELPFUL SITES

 

• When you find a helpful site, bookmark it. You will find the Bookmark or Favorites tab on your home page. Select it and click "Add bookmark." Next time you can just go to your bookmarks and click that name.

 

GETTING STARTED

 

The Internet is a great source of information and a valuable tool for research. Youth workers should make good use of it. Besides the dangers of pornographic, hate, and dark sites of all kinds, much of the Internet is advertisement or glossy promotion of programs (some good; some not so good). But the Web can still be a valuable professional resource. Below are some tips and actual sites that can be of tremendous help in working with crises of many types or educating yourself to be of greater value to young people.

 

(Download Internet Research overview as a PDF)

 

Borgman, D. (2001). How to do Research Using the Internet. S. Hamilton, MA: Center for Youth Studies.