In focus groups, interviews, and a nationally representative survey, the Fetzer Group listened to people of all spiritual and religious backgrounds share what spirituality means to them, and how it relates to their civic and political engagement. Learn more about what they found here.

Learning for Justice provides free resources to caregivers and educators—teachers, administrators, counselors, and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use the materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children and youth are respected, valued, and welcome participants.

Identity is a huge part what makes each one of us tick. Dive deep into the notion of understanding who the young men of today in the new film, “The Mask You Live.” The documentary that “follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity.”

• “Research shows that compared to girls, boys in the U.S. are more likely to be diagnosed with a behavior disorder, prescribed stimulant medications, fail out of school, binge drink, commit a violent crime, and/or take their own lives.”
• Learn more about the Documentary 

Written by Y. Joel Wong et al. of the University of Texas at Austin, concerning the relationship between being religiously/spiritually engaged and an adolescent, and can be found here: Religiosity and Spirituality

• In the initial findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health, researchers concluded that when adolescents placed a high level of importance on prayer and religion, they also had high levels of self-esteem and low levels of alcohol and cigarette use.
• The vast majority of studies (90%) reported positive findings in the relationships between adolescent R/S [religion/spirituality] and mental health measures. Thus, adolescents who reported higher levels of R/S also were more likely to report having better mental health.

• Among adults greater religiousness has been linked to lower levels of depression, and faster recovery from depressive episodes.
• Lack of forgiveness, perceptions that social interactions with co-congregants  are negative, and feelings of being abandoned or punished by God may be associated with the depressive symptoms of guilt, isolation, and pessimism.
• Personality styles that do not feature the use of forgiveness, or personality styles that lead one to feel others (or God) are critical and demanding, may also leading to interpersonal difficulties; interpersonal problems may then contribute to the development of depression.
• If replicated these findings have implications for the treatment of depressed adolescents.

• Teasing apart positive and negative church-based social interactions has also demonstrated differential and significant effects on depressive symptoms. Positive interactions are associated with fewer depressive symptoms and negative interactions are associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms.
• Religious behaviors that contribute to self-regulation and reducing self-focus and worry while providing a calming effect are positively associated with mental health. Religiously motivated behaviors that increase self-focus and worry are associated with intrusive thoughts, thought control and undoing, and poorer mental health.
• Spiritual, religious, and other factors that enhance coping, decrease physical or emotional stress, decrease risk-taking behaviors, or enhance positive health behaviors may be protective factors against the chronic wear and tear on body systems.
• Notably, psychiatric and medical patients express an interest in having their spiritual needs considered.
• Enhancing physicians’ awareness of the literature and providing the groundwork to consider a balanced approach to RS in mental health is important in this potentially emotionally charged and polarizing field.

• Happiness Strategies of Emotionally Intelligent People

• Positive Outlook
• Rebounding from Negative Emotion
• Mindfulness and Mind-Wandering
• Caring for Others