Youth transitions, international volunteering and religious transformations: the experiences of young evangelical Christians in Latin America

英国青年和宗教的研究强调，“Y一代”的出现在很大程度上与正式的宗教结构无关（Voas等人，2006年）。对格拉斯哥年轻基督徒的持续研究表明，宗教参与的年轻人将他们积极参与信仰视为他们理解自己在周围世界中的角色的核心（奥尔森等人，2008）。与前几代人不同，这一代年轻人在新的地方和网络中寻找信仰的灵感，经常强调基督教音乐会、基于信仰的志愿服务、宗教务虚会和其他“非教会”活动的重要性，以了解他们作为忠实的年轻人在世界上的地位。简而言之，年轻人往往在"成人"教会结构之外发展他们的宗教身份和精神意义。本项目旨在调查年轻人通过参与基于信仰的国际志愿服务项目，特别关注拉丁美洲年轻福音派基督教志愿者的经历，对他们的宗教身份和精神理解产生了什么影响。更具体地说，我们探讨了四个关键领域的主题和辩论：（1）青年转型;（2）对宗教身份，经历和转变的理解;（3）全球公民;（4）国际发展和社会正义。该项目将从跨学科的角度（包括地理学、社会学和发展研究）借鉴和综合这些领域的辩论，并将从业者的见解和关于通过信仰组织开展青年志愿服务的目的和意图的辩论结合起来。拉丁美洲出现了一些第一批正式的福音派基督教志愿人员方案，特别是秘鲁在最近几十年已成为基督教志愿人员活动的重要地点。1970年代末，两个传教会在这里开创了青年福音派志愿者计划，1991年，两个传教会合并成立了拉丁联系。拉丁链接现在发送超过十四个团队的年轻人在拉丁美洲的短期步骤方案（www.example.com）。作为一个非国家组织，拉丁链接吸引了来自英国各种教会的年轻人，包括圣公会、苏格兰教会、浸信会、长老会和其他非国教教派，与拉丁美洲福音派教会合作开展一系列项目。拟议的研究采用了一套创新的密集的混合方法的定性方法，包括访谈，小组讨论和日记。年轻人将在参加拉丁美洲基于信仰的国际志愿服务之前，在拉丁链接组织的一次纪念活动中接受单独采访。在现场，所有年轻人将被要求记录他们的经历，特别关注他们与他人的互动，他们对东道国社区的观察，以及关键时刻和冥想。返回英国后，所有年轻人将接受电话采访，然后将在拉丁链接组织的汇报会上参加焦点小组讨论。对收集到的数据的分析将以小组为重点，并将通过国际会议小组和会议介绍、同行评审的期刊文章和为期两天的讲习班传播分析结果，讲习班的第一天是以青年为重点的活动，然后是为从业人员和决策者举行的一系列讨论和介绍。

Studies of youth and religion in the UK have emphasized the emergence of 'generation Y' as largely disaffiliated from formal religious structures (Voas et al 2006). Ongoing research with young Christians in Glasgow suggests that religiously-engaged youth envision their active participation in their faith as central to their understanding of their role in the world around them (Olson et al, 2008). Unlike previous generations, this generation of young people are finding inspiration for belief in new places and networks, often emphasizing the importance of Christian concerts, faith-based volunteering, religious retreats, and other 'non-Church' activities in their understandings of their place within the world as faithful young people. In short, young people are often developing their religious identities and spiritual meanings outside of 'adult' Church structures.This project aims to investigate what happens to the religious identities and spiritual understandings of young people through their participation in faith-based international volunteering projects, with a special focus upon the experiences of young evangelical Christian volunteers in Latin America. More specifically, we explore themes and debates in four key areas: (1) youth transitions; (2) understandings of religious identities, experiences and transformations; (3) global citizenship; and (4) international development and social justice. The project will draw upon and synthesise debates in these areas from an interdisciplinary perspective (including geography, sociology and development studies) as well as integrating practitioner insight and debates concerning the aims and intents of youth volunteering through faith-based organisations.The research includes a case study on Latin Link, a Christian organization which supports youth volunteering in Latin America. Latin America witnessed some of the first formal evangelical Christian volunteer programmes, and Peru in particular has become an important site of Christian volunteer activity in recent decades. Here young people's evangelical volunteer programmes were pioneered in the late 1970s by two missionary societies which merged in 1991 to form Latin Link. Latin Link now sends more than fourteen teams of young people a year on short term STEP programs across Latin America (www.latinlink.org). As a non-denominational organisation Latin Link draws in young people from a variety of UK churches including Anglicans, Church of Scotland, Baptists, Presbyterians and other non conformist denominations to work with Latin American evangelical churches on a range of projects. The proposed research utilises an innovative set of intensive mixed-method qualitative approaches including interviews, group discussions and diaries. Young people will be individually interviewed at an Inspire event organised by Latin Link before participating in faith-based international volunteering in Latin America. Whilst in the field, all young people will be asked to keep a diary of their experiences, focusing specifically upon their interactions with others, their observations of the host community, and key moments and meditations. Following return to the UK, all young people will be contacted for a telephone interview, and will then take part in focus group discussions during the de-briefing sessions organised by Latin Link. Analysis of the data collected will be team-focused, and findings will be disseminated through an international conference panel and conference presentations, peer-reviewed journal articles and a two-day workshop involving an initial day of youth-focused activities followed by a series of discussions and presentations for practitioners and policy makers.