Friends,

Jesus was an expert in asking insightful questions: “What do you want me to do for you?” “Who do you say that I am?” “Do you believe I am able to do this?” Through questions like these he gained wisdom into those he loved and came to serve, and in the process helped them learn more about themselves and him.

In Young Life we too want to ask questions, maintaining a posture of learning. If we are to earn the right to be heard by our young friends, then we must walk in humility as we listen and learn from them. That means sitting at the feet, so to speak, of the group we’re ministering to right now, Gen Z.

Generation Z is defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, placing them between the ages of 12 and 27. As you can see, this is Young Life’s sweet spot! Not only are we ministering to Gen Z, we are ministering through Gen Z. Many of Young Life’s more than 50,000 volunteers are themselves young adults and college students, who care for their own generation and the one following them, Gen Alpha.

Because of our love for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, we’ve commissioned The RELATE Project. This study allows us to continue learning about how we can help adolescents flourish — in their lives, relationships, callings, etc. — and empowers our community to share that information with others.

Because we have ministry in more than 100 countries, The RELATE Project is also a global study. Our goal is to learn more about adolescents in various cultures — what is similar between them, and what is unique — so we can better RELATE to them. We plan to repeat this study every few years and continue sharing what we learn.

In this issue, along with sharing the results from the first part of this study (we’ll dig deeper into even more results in our fall issue), we also look at adolescents’ relationships with and through their smartphones. Furthermore, we share about a relationship that warms the heart of any generation — a growing collaboration with a Young Life champion in the Catholic church.

Thank you for taking the time to read this issue. I pray it provides you with answers — and questions to ask the Gen Zers in your life!