13 to 25
Springtide Research Institute
Research and conversation to explore how young people — ages 13 to 25 — grow into identity, spirituality, and wellbeing. Produced by Springtide Research Institute, and formerly known as The Voices of Young People Podcast, we talk to youth and young adults as well as experts and practitioners about their lived experiences, questions and hopes, and best practices in supporting emerging generations. Learn more at springtideresearch.org
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 24, 2022 • 29min
Destina, Age 25
Destina is a first-generation Chicana and a first-year PhD student. She talks about how the Catholic Church’s violence against indigenous people, among other things, has made her question the religion she was raised in. Her close personal relationship with La Virgen -- who Destina understands as pre-Hispanic -- is the reason why Destina says she has not completely disaffiliated from the Church.
Mar 16, 2022 • 23min
Brian, Age 22
Brian, a Peruvian graduate student, reflects on the role his family and their migration to the U.S. has played in his faith life. Brian shares that practices like prayer and weekly Mass not only deepen his personal faith, but also help him feel close to his family while he is away at school.
Mar 9, 2022 • 30min
Gaby, Age 24
Gaby identifies as Catholic and Latina. She grew up going to Spanish-language Masses with her mom, even though they did not always feel welcome by the church community. Now, Gaby is a first-gen PhD student who continues to find meaning and value in going to Mass with her friends.
Mar 2, 2022 • 20min
Blanca, Age 20
Rather than identifying as Catholic like the rest of her family, Blanca describes herself as spiritual. While she sometimes feels guilty that she does not share her family’s religious beliefs, Blanca discusses how her new spirituality has greatly improved her mental health.
Feb 23, 2022 • 40min
Ryan, Age 22
Ryan is a Mexican-American theater maker and producer living in New York City. Though he once felt called to join the priesthood, Ryan is no longer active in the Catholic Church. However, Ryan continues to feel connected to his heritage, community, and faith through his devotion to La Virgen de Guadalupe.
Dec 29, 2021 • 24min
Josué, Age 25
Josué, a Chicanx media curator in Los Angeles, practices the Bahá’í faith and seeks to have love be the anchor in what connects them to Dao (the way) as well as the familial and community relationships that have shaped them and their sense of spirituality. To feel rooted, they look to nature, movement, art, meditation, and connection with others.
Dec 22, 2021 • 11min
Elyse, Age 15
Elyse, a high school sophomore in Massachusetts, is a Catholic young person who emphasizes the importance of making space for questions as well as doubt within the realm of religion. Her spiritual practices include participating in school masses that are student-run, spending time with her family, and being alone to write or meditate.
Dec 15, 2021 • 24min
Christian, Age 22
Christian, a senior at La Salle University, grew up in a Puerto Rican-Italian Catholic family but says he presently focuses on not seeing religion as “one-sided.” He utilizes daily meditation, solitude, conversations on faith, and literature with social justice themes to feel in touch with God, nature, and humanity.
Dec 8, 2021 • 17min
Zaina, Age 16
Zaina, a high school junior in Massachusetts, shares how her exposure to Islam informs the way she pursues her own sense of spirituality while also borrowing practices she finds meaningful from multiple religions. To feel rooted, she spends time in nature and utilizes meditation, crystals, and wholistic healing.
Dec 1, 2021 • 28min
Amethyst, Age 24
Amethyst, a professional dancer in Chicago, shares how they’re seeking to connect histories and spiritual practices from the identities they hold as an African American, Indigenous, and Queer person alongside elements they find meaningful within Christianity. They describe God as a feeling of safety, look to nature to feel rooted, and utilize dance and beatboxing as forms of prayer.
