With a 50% increase in suicide among US youth, as well as a disturbing number of kids reporting mental health challenges and the use of drugs to medicate their emotional pain, Youth For Christ (YFC) knew something different needed to happen to reach hurting kids.
YFC approached The M Network to help them bring to life an idea called, We Believe in You(th), to help set an example regarding ways adults can speak life into the lives of Miami’s youth. The result is a moving and inspiring jolt of reality of what it means when kids hear that someone they look up to thinks their lives matter.
“We help our youth find hope, joy, and purpose in their lives, even when the deck is stacked against them and they are battling depression, anger, or despair. YFC Miami gives our youth a place for positive social interaction, peer friendships and support to reach their full potential: intellectually, socially, emotionally, and spiritually,” said Tia Diaz-Balart, Executive Director of YFC Miami, which serves more than 3,000 youth annually at schools, Juvenile Justice Detention Centers, local churches, after-school facilities, and online. From Florida City to Liberty City to Westchester, YFC is the backbone of faith leadership in the community, empowering youth and engaging those of all social, religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
At The M Network, we have seen firsthand that YFC is a lifeline for many young people in our community, and it was an honor to accept the challenge to be part of We Believe in You[th], even getting their program a spotlight story on WSVN. We can pretty much guarantee that after you see “We Believe in You[th],” you will be more apt than ever to speak words of life and encouragement to the next teen you come in contact with. Yes, take that as a challenge!
The M Network team also encouraged YFC to use their network of students to survey more than 200 kids ages 9 – 19 in South Florida this past fall – all ethnicities and backgrounds – to find out more about the heart of area youth. Sadly, among the statistics that stuck out, they found that 44% of youth rarely hear an adult say, “I believe in you.” The rest of the survey results are equally convicting:
● 41% of youth are fearful about the future
● 1 in 3 youths has never had an adult ask about their future plans
● 1 in 10 youth does not have at least one positive, drug-free adult role
model
● 1 in 5 youths does not have an adult in their lives who encourages them
We believe the “We Believe in You[th]” project has every ingredient needed to encourage adults to step up their encouragement of kids and step into their lives to change the trajectory of how they view their future. We created a press release on this entire project which gives more insight into YFC and this program – or you can learn more by visiting miamiyfc.com
