Make a life-changing impact in the life of a teen!
We are currently looking for mentors in the following locations in Tennessee…
Contact us to learn more about our next mentor training or just to learn more.
Yesterday, I was with a group of six high school boys in one of our outreach programs in a juvenile facility. Two of the six boys made this statement, “I’ve been on my own since I was twelve.”
They went on to explain they weren’t homeless since age twelve but they were “on their own” in the sense that their parents had essentially “checked out” on them by the time they were twelve. In some cases, fathers leave and never return and moms fall into crime or are battling addictions at such a deep level they can’t function well enough to be a parent.
There are no easy answers, but I’d like to hear from others who have overcome difficult circumstances like this. What advice would you give a teenager who said, “I’ve been taking care of myself since age twelve.”
Yesterday I was able to go “door to door” in a juvenile center here in Tennessee while escorted by security. Looking through a small window I saw boys napping, writing letters and some just thinking. I invited each one to join me when I come back to learn and study how to be the man God intended you to be. Some were skeptical, some were uninterested and some said please count me in. Each one is some man’s son. Each one has a mom. It won’t be easy… but each one can still find God’s path and have an an amazing life.
Our outreach is to high-risk youth. Our youth have great needs and one of the greatest needs is to be connected to a caring, trusted adult who will be a friend and guide them through the days ahead.
Last year we started down a path to fill in a gap that I’ve been very burdened about for several years. We began investing in the foundation of building a mentor outreach team that will eventually stretch all across the state of Tennessee and even beyond.
Our partners and consultants are the Christian Association of Youth Mentoring. CAYM has trained over 400 churches in the best practices of running highly successful church-based mentoring.
Recently Peter Vanacore, the Executive Director of CAYM made another trip to Tennessee from Boston, MA and we spent several days in meetings with those in the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and church leaders from East Tennessee to give updates on our progress.
Our first round of mentor training was held in May and we trained church leaders in a sixteen hour CORE training in all aspects of recruiting, screening, training and managing a mentoring ministry.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]
Ken Turner (left), Jim Henry (middle), Peter Vanacore (right)
We met with Jim Henry, Deputy to the Governor and Chief of Staff for the state of Tennessee. Mr. Henry has been a very valuable friend from the beginning of the project by giving us the larger vision of the needs of youth in Tennessee.
Our first phase in our mentor outreach is for youth in East Tennessee with a goal to expand to Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee.
If you are interested in mentoring, developing a mentoring program or sponsoring a teen who needs a mentor, please contact us! We are currently seeking partners to invest in the development of the mentor outreach. Prayers are appreciated as we speak with individual donors, corporate donors and foundations.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]God is doing great things in the Mountain View Youth Development Center in Dandridge, TN. Recently the TN Baptist Convention was able to capture and produce this short video sharing personal testimonies from some of the youth we are ministering to.
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_vimeo id=”https://vimeo.com/173781359″ width=”600″ height=”350″ autoplay=”no” api_params=”” class=””/][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Since launching a NEW teen devotional series on April 29, 2016 called “Walking With God” our posts on the High Impact Teen Facebook page have been viewed by over 23,000 people.
One surprise has been the number of youth from outside the USA who are engaging with the devotionals. It’s a great reminder of just how vast the world is and how far reaching the gospel is across our land.
Pray for this new ministry outreach and for the gospel of Christ to reach many with the truth of scripture.
I’ve been in full-time youth ministry since 1987.
After twenty-one years in church youth ministry I established an outreach ministry in 2008 with a key focus on reaching troubled youth in the community of Indianapolis, Indiana. Our ministry moved to Tennessee in July 2010 and I continue to minister to high-risk and fatherless youth.
Ken Turner
