Community Resource Team

 

As former high school students ourselves it is easy for us to recognize the difficult challenges faced by today’s teens growing up in an ever-increasing hostile world. Since the Columbine High School tragedy in April 1999, more people have become aware of the need to help our young people.

Today’s teens are challenged in many ways every day. Each student responds differently to the pressures of life – look at some recent statistics from our teen culture:

* Every school day there are 16,000 attacks, shakedowns and robberies occurring in public schools.
* Last year, 1 million American teenagers brought a weapon to school.
* In the next hour, 1,300 young people in America will use an illegal drug.
* Before their 18th birthday, 56% of girls and over 73% of boys will have had sexual intercourse.
* Every year, over 1.5 million U.S. teens contact a sexually transmitted disease.
* Nearly 3 million adolescents struggle with depression in the U.S. alone, with nearly half of these cases having attempted suicide at least once.
* Since the late 1960's, teenage suicide has quadrupled in America. It is now the 3rd leading cause of death among 10 to 24 year olds.

Teenagers today are desperately seeking for answers to life’s deepest questions. We have an opportunity like never before to reach out to them with the timeless message of God’s love and forgiveness. We have found that students really do desire to make a positive difference in their world when given the proper direction and guidance.

The heartbeat of Student Venture is teenagers. They not only represent the future leaders and parents of our nation and world, but they are a major influence in today’s society. Seldom will a day go by that teenagers are not the focus of national and worldwide news, both for good and bad. We work with students because they represent the most responsive age group to the gospel. Over 80% of those who receive Christ do so by age 18.

Our Purpose :: To glorify God by helping complete the Great Commission

Our Mission :: To build spiritual movements so every teenager has the opportunity to know and follow Christ

Our Vision :: We envision a day when every teenager will have the opportunity to know Jesus and make Him known.

Our Values :: Faith, Fruitfulness and Growth

Reach the Campus, Reach the World - By serving the campus, we make contact with the greatest number of teenagers in a community. In Student Venture, our service includes:

Student Venture Field Teams – Serving in communities to win, build and send students.

The Coaching Center – Coaching adults and students by phone and Internet to reach remote teenagers.

Student Venture Media Resources – Using Internet, video, radio, television and print media to resource teenagers.

Student Venture Global Partnerships – Teaming internationally to reach teenagers.

Student Venture’s ministry extends to thousands of students led by more than 600 full-time staff, interns, Student Venture affiliates and local community volunteers. Our heart and passion is loving Christ and loving teenagers.