There are over 1.5 billion youth aged 14-25 worldwide, with a significant percentage living in developing countries, facing high unemployment rates and challenges related to education and cultural identity. Many youth express feelings of neglect from traditional societal structures, seeking guidance, support, and a voice amidst their struggles. Despite their challenges, a notable percentage of young people identify as spiritual, with family and friends as primary sources of spiritual support, while expressing a desire for personal faith experiences over traditional religious structures.

1. Majority World Youth

2. Statistics about Majority Youth
• There are more than 1.5 billion 14-25 year-olds
worldwide. They are an important development
resource for their own nations, and a pressing
challenge for the international community
• Half of the world‟s population is under the age of
25, with 85% of these youth living in developing
countries
• In Africa, almost 2/3 of the population is under
25 years of age
• In many developing countries, up to 50% of 15-24
year olds are unemployed and out-of-school,
compared to about 12% in developed countries
• In Sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 27% of youth
ages 15-24 are neither in school or working
• In Central and South America, the number out of
work and out of school is approximately 20% of
youth
(Statistics from InterAction)

4. “Half of the world‟s population is under 25. The
challenges they face are steep. They are hardest
hit by the world‟s inequalities and injustices.
Too many live in poverty, unable to realize their
potential. Too few are gaining the skills,
knowledge and confidence they need to find
employment in rapidly changing job markets, where
the capacity to learn and adapt is essential. This
is a political priority everywhere, and it calls
for carefully constructed policies.
Young people are a wellspring of ideas for
innovation. They are today‟s thinkers, problem-
solvers and catalysts for peace. They are often
the world‟s strongest advocates of justice and
dignity. But they need good jobs, quality
education and access to culture for all. They need
to be heard and they need to be included”
(Comment from UNESCO website)

6. Majority Youth: Traditional World
• Structured
• Family rules and hierarchy
• Shame and control
• Order and place
• Choice is controlled
• Our faith is our culture
• Tradition signals commitment

7. “Here in Malawi because of our tradition and
culture already the youth have boundaries of what
to do and not to do but now the problem is that
the community and churches have taken this too far
to a point that this system has created a gap
between the church and the youth. Even in areas
where the youth are permitted to do things no body
is around for them. So they felt neglected by the
community or churches. Its only when they do those
things that seems to violate boundaries then
churches comes in to accuse and discipline them”
(From an email sent by a youth worker in Malawi)

8. Majority Youth: New Worldview
• Unstructured
• Friends rules and flatness
• Freedom and opportunities
• Mess and chaos
• Faith is personal
• Choices are unlimited
• Tradition signals restrictions

10. But Majority World Youth...
• Struggle to make choices
• Are under-employed
• Opportunities are limited
• Are still under 30 years old
• Losing cultural/social identity
• Faith doesn‟t make sense
• Lost without mentoring in life

11. “The truth is that young people here are
struggling. They live in an environment where
things are tough – family life, money, education
struggles, relationships, corruption and ethnic
violence. Youth are looking towards the church and
society to give them some guidance, support and
encouragement – but often young people are not
finding these things. Instead they are finding
church structures, families and a society that is
still trying to function in the traditional
Nigerian way where there is a strong focus on
doing the right things and looking right. There is
a lot of focus on the „outward appearance‟ while
young people are crying out for people to see and
understand their inward appearance. Young people
here have a desire to be known, to have a voice,
for someone to be alongside them as they traverse
their way through the many struggles they face in
life”
(Reflections of the need of youth in Nigeria)

12. The Faith World of Majority Youth
• Personal versus community
• Evaluation and questioning
• Works makes sense of faith
• Jesus accepts who I am
• Culture is not Christianity
• Life without duality
• All are ministers

13. Youth and Spirituality (Stats)
• Fifty-seven percent of young people (ages 12-25) see
themselves as being spiritual
• The survey found that about one in three youths consider
themselves “very” or “pretty” spiritual, but this varied
vastly across countries
• Respondents are still most likely to say they are both
spiritual and religious (34 percent). Nearly a quarter
(23 percent) say they are spiritual, but not religious
• Being spiritual, for this young generation, most often
is associated with believing in God (36
percent), followed by believing there is a purpose to
life (32 percent), and then being true to one‟s inner
self (26 percent)
• When it comes to spiritual help, most young people said
they turn to their family (44 percent) and friends (15
percent). Only 14 percent of youth indicated that their
religious institution helps them the most
• Nearly one in five youth (18 percent) said they have no
one to help them regarding their spiritual lives
(Taken from a survey of 7000 youth from 17 countries – survey from
Christian Today Australia)

15. The Faith Values of Majority Youth
• Journey & process is important
• Partnerships and networking
• Living out the gospel
• Integration across cultures
• Integrate external context
• Dialogue and discussion
• Unreached people group

16. Presented by:
www.youthmesh.org