WHY CULTIVATE?
challenges being faced today:
Picture yourself lost in the middle of a jungle. All you can see in every direction are trees, plants and wild animals. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and you panic as you try to discern which way to go.
Life can sometimes feel like finding your way through a jungle alone.
We live in a fast paced, technologically advanced world… a time of constant change, instability, uncertainty and isolation.
Currently, almost half the world’s population is under the age of 25 years old (the largest population in the history of the earth). Their journey from adolescence to adulthood is cluttered with increasing obstacles and distractions, as well as economic, societal, governmental, and environmental turmoil.
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Childhood trauma and disillusionment with authority cause many to try to figure life out alone and apart from a faith community. A recent survey regarding today’s young adults communicated that 34% have no religious affiliation whatsoever while an additional 16% do not attend church.
The current post-Christian context in which we find ourselves living today is being called "Digital Babylon." Screen driven content supplies nearly 20x that of any spiritual input for a typical 15 to 23 year old. (Kinnaman, David and Mark Matlock, Faith For Exiles, pg. 26) This leaves many with no foundation or identity.
As a result, it is more difficult than ever for any emerging adult to reach a state of healthy independence. Many become plagued by chronic anxiety, depression, and feeling overwhelmed.
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The challenges are even greater for foster youth who age out of care:
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3% will ever achieve a college degree
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20% become homeless as soon as they age out
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50% are not able to complete their high school diploma
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60% of guys are incarcerated (due mostly to survival crimes)
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65% have gaps in their education due to being in 7 or more schools
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71% of girls become pregnant by age 21
Emerging adults need our help. Those of us who are older have navigated some storms and difficult challenges in our days, but few like the ones being faced today. We need to better understand what they face and come alongside them, empowering them to reach healthy independence, encouraging them to pursue a relationship with Jesus.
opportunities cultivate offers
Cultivate was birthed out of a God-given desire to encourage, equip, educate and empower emerging adults on their faith journey. Cultivate is coming alongside the next generation during these challenging times to help provide wholistic discipleship through key opportunities which can help meet practical as well as spiritual needs.
Cultivate believes in the next generation of disciples and wants to empower them to do the "good works which God created in advance for them to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
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If you are a young person who is unsure of how to navigate the challenges of our fast-paced culture, Cultivate is strongly committed to walking with you on your journey and helping you to identify and overcome the obstacles you face as you take your next big step.
If you are a parent or leader of young adults, Cultivate wants to encourage you as well! You are on the front lines--fighting for the hearts of the next generation. Our prayer at Cultivate is that partnerships with you and others to offer unprecedented support to every emerging adult we are able to connect with.
> COMPASS
Vocational Mentoring
The US Bureau of Labor and Statistics lists over 800 detailed occupations for approximately 400 industries, which translates into thousands of potential career choices.
This means that finding your way to a career that fits is often a confusing and painful journey. The first step is finding out who you are, and where you are now in life.
This is why we developed COMPASS – a process to help an emerging adult discover their unique design, brainstorm and explore careers which match their design, and identify any obstacles that might prevent them from moving forward. The goal is to land on at least one good option for a clear next step (or steps) forward. Each person is different and how long this process takes varies from person to person.
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Visit the COMPASS page for more info.
> SYMBIS
Premarital Mentoring
Approximately 39% of marriages in the U.S. currently end in divorce, which means many in the next generation come from broken homes.
Those who are getting married or considering engagement often seek counsel to help prepare them for lifelong love. They can do this through the SYMBIS© (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts) assessment, facilitated by a certified SYMBIS mentor couple.
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Each Cultivate SYMBIS mentor couple approaches marriage from a biblical worldview - a covenant made before God between one man and one woman, intended to endure literally "until death do us part."
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Visit the SYMBIS page for more info.
> CULTIVATE CARES
Resources for Needs
Life is difficult and many different factors can cause a person to get anxious, frustrated or even just plain stuck. There are many obstacles to growth encountered along the way to adulthood.
While meeting with various emerging adults in the context of doing COMPASS (Vocational Mentoring) and SYMBIS© (Pre-Marital Mentoring), we often bump up against common obstacles they are facing in life. Often, these obstacles need to be dealt with before the person can really move forward.
At Cultivate, we will work to connect them with resources or someone else who can help. Some of the ways we have been able to help such young people so far are:
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Books, resources, small groups.
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A curriculum in preparation for counseling.
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Counseling referrals.
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Food, temporary housing.
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Visit the CARES page for more info.
> INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAM
Housing / Life skills
An increasing number of young people find themselves homeless and this creates a huge obstacle to completing their education, finding a preferred career and achieving functional independence.
Cultivate is currently working towards providing an independent living program that can empower under-resourced and former foster youth to pursue their goals for education, career and independence. This program will have clear requirements and responsibilities and is intended to help emerging adults who want to move forward in life and find themselves homeless through no fault of their own.
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Visit the ILP page for more info.
> OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Events, Small Groups, Projects
We occasionally provide various other growth opportunities for emerging adults such as special events, focused small groups and service projects. Such options develop out of the needs and relationships we have with emerging adults rather than being program driven.