At the Youth Hub we’ve been exploring the digital neighbourhood …

… trying to understand better how the seamless integration of digital technology into our lives is changing the way young people relate to their friends …

… and what kinds of things help them grow spiritually

In a recent survey of over 500 young South Africans, over 75% said they felt face-to-face contact with their friends, one-on-one and in small groups, was the best way to have meaningful relationships.

In which of the following settings do you feel you can have a meaningful connection with someone? (Choose one or more)

At the same time, many of them spent significant amounts of time chatting with their friends online

When you have free time how often would you say you engage in online chats?

They are learning how to deal with phones being used when those meaningful face-to-face gatherings are happening

Does the use of phones while together make the time more meaningful, less meaningful or no different?

Why are phones being used when you’re with your friends?

• ‘to distract you when you have awkward situations, it seems like the norm’

• ‘we do it for image, it looks like we have more friends and that we are 'cool’’

• ‘basically it’s a way of life or an addiction in a way. We constantly have to check our phones for updates and messages’

Our research also showed us that young people value face-to-face forms of spiritual input over online forms …

What are the best ways to grow spiritually in your opinion?

… but that weekly engagement with some kind of spiritual input was more common online than face-to-face

When was the last time you engaged with something online or someone in real life that helped you spiritually?

One valuable aspect of digital communication is the way it enables young people to stay in touch (with friends, or information) in between those valuable face-to-face times

Especially for teens who can’t get to where their friends are because they’re too busy or too far away ..

We think that digital technology can make those face-to-face times richer:(yes, we realise online stuff can be distracting and addictive too…)

by beginning or extending conversations

enabling young people to participate and contribute to the life of their community in new ways

or providing a temporary safe place to start talking about hard things

“being online u can stay anonymous and it is easier to express ourselves because most of us are uncomfortable about

talking to someone in person”

At the Youth Hub our mission is to help youth leaders help young people figure out life with God – especially in a world where digital technology is seamlessly integrated into every aspect of life

It begins with an embodied community

like the one you may be part of …

We’ve developed discipleship material you can use when you’re in those face-to-face situations

We’ve called it Enter Life ‘cos it really is all about entering the real, abundant life Jesus came to give us (like he said in John 10v10)

We’ve also developed and run the WordSpace – short, relevant, biblical messages that go out each day to the phones of around 8000 teenagers around the world. In two years we’ve broadcast over 750 posts

A dedicated team of writers who know and understand young people

We’ve developed a web-based messaging platform that enables organisations to load and schedule their own content too

broadcast those messages across a wide range of free social media platforms

and chat with their subscribers

you can create different channels for different kinds of content

www.youthhubmessaging.com

Part of this system is an app we’ve developed called Ripple Messenger

Ripple Messenger

Our custom built app for Android, iOS and Windows phone

on Ripple you can subscribe to public channels such as the WordSpace

or other private channels

and chat with the message sender

We think these three tools and resources can help bring the digital and face-to-face worlds together in a unique way …

The WordSpace concept has proven to us that people like SHORT content they can read quickly, whenever and wherever works best for them.

Our messages are limited to 100 words and easily accessed on a phone

Enter Life material goes deeper. Currently a two-year curriculum with longer articles and a leader’s kit for discussion times

In the Enter Life material there are 5 WordSpace posts for each weekly session

Anyone who subscribes to Enter Life channels on the Ripple app will get those posts on their phones each day during the week

Leaders can access the posts on www.theyouthhub.net

With the Ripple App you can create your own channels

copy and paste WordSpace posts on your own schedule …

… or write your own stuff

people can reply back to you and the conversation can go from there

You can engage online around these posts with your community during the week

then, when you get to your weekly gathering, you can continue the conversation

Or use the content in those 5 posts in your own way

WordSpace channelEnter Life channelYour channel

Ripple Messenger

Your online content

A bit like this…

Your face-to-face times

In February 2015 we’ll run Series 1 and 5 of the Enter Life curriculum ‘live’ on dedicated Ripple channels. If you’d like to help us try this out in your community let us know!

To download Ripple search ‘Ripple Messenger’ on Google Play or iTunes

Explore the Enter Life material at www.theyouthhub.net/enter-life

Email Andrew: andrew@theyouthhub.netMore info at www.theyouthhub.net