Most knowledge about adolescent development is based on adolescents living in the United States or Europe. "The Thoughts of Youth" reports a study in which over 6000 adolescents from 20 regions of the world, including the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, described an ideal woman or ideal man. Adolescents' images of the ideal person reflect their personal values about gender roles, their expectations and plans for the future, and their cultural values. "The Thoughts of Youth" presents the teenagers’ perspectives - their descriptions, drawings, and interpretations of their peers’ responses. Issues of importance to adolescent development are addressed, including morality and altruism, physical appearance and attractiveness, self and identity, intelligence and schooling, work, fun and leisure, family relationships, and romance. In contrast to the stereotype that adolescents are preoccupied with appearance and popularity, adolescents in this study endorsed kindness, honesty, helpfulness, and a positive attitude toward children. This book documents both the universal attitudes of adolescents and the ways that teenagers’ views differ by gender, culture, and economic condition.

"A biography focusing on the poet John Ashbery's early life"--

What is youth ministry actually for? And does it have a future? Andrew Root, a leading scholar in youth ministry and practical theology, went on a one-year journey to answer these questions. In this book, Root weaves together an innovative first-person fictional narrative to diagnose the challenges facing the church today and to offer a new vision for youth ministry in the 21st century. Informed by interviews that Root conducted with parents, this book explores how parents' perspectives of what constitutes a good life are affecting youth ministry. In today's culture, youth ministry can't compete with sports, test prep, and the myriad other activities in which young people participate. Through a unique parable-style story, Root offers a new way to think about the purpose of youth ministry: not happiness, but joy. Joy is a sense of experiencing the good. For youth ministry to be about joy, it must move beyond the youth group model and rework the assumptions of how identity and happiness are imagined by parents in American society.