The Youth Theological Initiative, initially named the Youth Theology Institute, was founded in 1993 as a place where youth could learn skills in public theology that would empower them to make sense of themselves, their faith, and the world around them. YTI’s most fundamental purpose was to address the oppression youth experience as youth. However, our comprehension of the full scope of that oppression has been incomplete, and our understanding of the intersections of adultism with racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism continues to evolve. We recognize and repent that YTI has done harm because of the ways in which unexamined white supremacy has shaped our programs. YTI leadership has worked for many years to identify again and again these many ways and to transform as a whole and as individuals.

While violence against Black people has been a norm in the US, in our current moment, we are witnessing a more widely recognized interruption of this norm and are being called to respond. In response, we unequivocally declare that Black Lives Matter. We recognize that there are still many ways in which we fail, and we commit to the continuing transformation of ourselves, this program, and indeed, our world. 

This new YTI blog is a space where past and present participants and staff can contribute to the body of public theology available to young people. For the foreseeable future, our focus will address this watershed moment in US history when so many people are being confronted with the pervasiveness of white supremacy, the threat it poses to the wellbeing of all, and the deathly and life-draining impact it has on all Black lives. We write for the people not yet awakened, the people committed to growing in awareness and activism, and everyone else who has been waiting so terribly long to be heard and believed. In the true spirit of YTI, this space will provide diverse voices on this issue, all of which are committed to the divine sanctity of Black lives.