Why Youth & Family Services?

The Undergraduate Certificate in Youth & Family Services offers community ministry practitioners, community ministry pastors, community ministry directors, community ministry missionaries, community ministry chaplains, community services educators, faith community services personnel, family life pastors, Christian social workers, youth pastors, youth workers, and those involved in serving children, youth persons and their families the following capabilities:

• ability to develop programs and services to families based on a Trinitarian theological foundation of family
• ability to develop and strengthen engagement, assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation of children, youth, and families
• ability to assess families based on an integrated understanding of individuals, couples, and families within their cultural context and family system
• abliity to address psychological, sociological and biosocial theories and perspectives related to stress and coping and determine the risk, protective and resiliency factors that facilitates recovery
• competency in the roles and skills of the human services professional who develops services to address the vulnerabilities and needs of children, youth, families and communities to minimize personal and societal strain
• competency in personal and relational skills when dealing with cultural diversity in the daily life and beliefs in families with young children
• competency in analyzing present day issues of risk in the lives of youth and at risk youth from a God centered perspective while using various frameworks to develop interventions appropriate to the risk issue

Youth and family services organizations develop and operate a broad continuum of treatment programs for children, adolescents and adults with behavioral health, emotional and physical challenges. Most of these are nonprofits or NGOs - some of which were started by churches, church groups or by Christian individuals. They create programs to develop healthy bodies, inquiring minds, wholesome relationships, compassionate hearts, creative spirits, the conviction to stand up for themselves and others, and the courage to build a better society. The Undergraduate Certificate in Youth & Family Services equips students to serve families by developing human services competencies that lead to the personal and relational skills necessary to analyze risk to children, adolescents and families and to plan intervention programs and treatments to relieve stress and facilitate recovery. Students are taught to approach their role from a God-centered prespective, joining the mission of God in the lives of those in the community.

Core faculty

Dr. Winnie Nkhoma

Core courses

Youth and Family Services Core - 21 credit hours