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Youth & Young Adult Catechesis: Ministering to Youth in a Media-Saturated Culture

The Agorà was the chief marketplace of Athens, the center of the city’s life. It was there that new ideas were discussed, the newest fashions were worn, the newest things purchased or sold. In short, it was the heart of Athenian culture. So where is the agorà for youth? All road signs point towards the media. In a recently released study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation on the media consumption of 8 to 18 year olds in America, they concluded: ‘Over the past five years, young people have increased the amount of time they spend consuming media by an hour and seventeen minutes daily, from 6:21 to 7:38—almost the amount of time most adults spend at work each day, except that young people use media seven days a week instead of five. Moreover, given the amount of time they spend using more than one medium at a time, today’s youth pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content into those daily 71/2 hours—an increase of almost 21/4 hours of media exposure per day over the past five years.’ The document goes on to say that the greatest increase of teen media over the past five years has been in mobile communications. 66% of people from 8 to 18 have a media-enabled cell phone, which they use more for playing games and watching movies than communicating. These are mind-blowing statistics, and they point to a harsh reality: The youth don’t consume media. Media consumes them.

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Dr. Bob Rice is an internationally known speaker, acclaimed musician, and innovative writer. He is Professor of Catechetics and the Director of the Masters of Arts in Catechetics and Evangelization at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He has a PhD in Theology from Liverpool Hope University where he researched Catholic youth and evangelization. He is a highly sought after presenter at youth conferences, young-adult gatherings, men’s conferences, parish missions, and catechetical workshops. Bob has authored many books, articles, and award-winning scripts that have helped people come to a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith. Bob has recorded numerous CDs and leads worship for over ten thousand people every year, mostly through the Steubenville Adult and Youth Conferences. He is the host of EWTN’s Franciscan University Presents. Bob lives in Steubenville with his beautiful wife Jennifer and their seven adorable children. You can find out more about him at bob-rice.com. He is the author of the life of Christ novel, Between the Saivior and the Sea, written through St. Peter's eyes and the spiriutality book, A 40-Day Spiritual Workout for Catholics.

This article is from The Sower and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of Maryvale Institute. Contact [email protected]

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