Raising Hope: Four Paths to Courageous Living for Black Youth

Move from courage to hope to courageous hope in action. This book gives tried-and-true methods to effectively reach out to Black youth and motivate them to make healthier choices that promise positive outcomes. Written especially for pastors, teachers, leaders, and counselors, Wimberly and Farmer give new and powerful ways to become agents of hope who truly hear Black youth.

Wimberly and Farmer offer: 1) a narrative orientation that links real life with Christian faith supports and helps youth ask the right questions; 2) an artistic approach that provides a cathartic space where youth can express themselves through poetry, music, and visual arts; 3) a curricular approach that centers specifically on conflict resolution; and 4) exposure to new possibilities.

The book's premise is that there is an eternal hopefulness on which Christian faith stands and pathways that can activate this hopefulness. The intent is to invite young people into these pathways and show them how to find it for themselves in everyday life. The approach is built on Black people's historical belief in God's promises, the faithful nearness and activity of God, and God's empowerment of youth and all of us to embrace and activate the courage to hope that makes possible a vision of life's possibilities and the ability to act on it.

Anne E. Streaty Wimberly, Professor Emerita of Christian Education at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), is a renowned African American researcher, scholar, professor, advocate, and champion of black youth. A leading Christian educator rooted in The United Methodist Church, she has inspired students, colleagues, pastors, church leaders, and countless admirers to pursue education with a "zest to know." She currently serves as Executive Director of the Youth Hope-Builders Academy at ITC and is founder and coordinator of the Annual Youth and Family Convocation.

Sarah Frances Farmer is an associate research scholar and lecturer at Yale Divinity School and helps direct the Adolescent Faith and Flourishing Program at Yale Center for Faith and Culture.