Teenagers live in a unique culture that is constantly changing. Cru is committed to help our staff and volunteers know how to deal with these unique challenges, so we have partnered with Axis to provide excellent youth culture training for you.
We have purchased the use of all Axis resources for our Staff and Volunteers so help you grow in your understanding of the culture we and our students live in.
To get your free account, click the button below and use your cru.org email address to register.
NOTE: if you previously had an account through us, you will need to sign up again below as they have changed their systems.
That's right, Axis just extended our membership to the parents of the students we work with! That means you can be a superhero to your parents and give them a free subscription (usually $25/m) to this great information about the culture we live in.
Send your parents this url to get signed up for their free account...
axis.org/cru-parents
AXIS has a new app that has all of their content in your pocket so you can look up topics or pick up where you left off in your learning.
It's a great way to learn on the go! Find it in the app store by searching for AXIS ONE
Parent guides are well researched reports on the topic - designed to help parents better understand the youth culture - but they're great for youth workers too. Imagine if you had a research assistant research an issue so that you and your team could know everything you need to know about that topic. Below are a few you can sample, but the All-Axis Pass includes over 60 other topics (with new content every week). These are excellent for you personally, for your teams to read and process together, or to pass on to parents (pass them on to anyone you want). They are all in a PDF format that can easilly be passed along digitally or printed.
Axis has put together these amazing conversation kits for difficult conversations. They include a combination of videos and conversation questions to help you navigate those difficult conversations with your students. You could watch them ahead of time to prepare for a conversation with a student, or watch them with your team in a group discussion.
For a number of years now Axis has been interviewing top thinkers on youth culture on video. They were initially designed for parent seminars, but they are great training for youth workers. They are about 30-40 mins long each - which is kinda long, but it is great content. Try watching it with your team and having a conversation afterwards. You'll find great conversations with...
David Platt, Greg Stier, JP Moreland, Dan Allendar, Nick Vujicic, Andy Crouch, Jaci Velasquez, and scores of others, all experts in specific parts of this culture. They are well worth the watch!
Even when information like this is handed to us, it's hard to find time to dig into it. So Axis sends out a weekly email with SHORT, timely articles on the culture. I've been getting them for a few months now. I don't always have time to read them, but when I do, it helps keep me in touch with this culture my students live in every day. Click the button below to sign up for our upgraded PREMIUM version of this email.
Good tools are great, but if you don't have time to figure out how use them, they are just a great tool in a drawer (or website) somewhere. So how do we begin using this tool to help us grow? Take these three quick actions and then go about your day.
Signing up with your cru.org email will give you access to all this good stuff, and subscribe you to the Cultural Translator email.
Quickly glance down the list of 60+ parent guides, pick one that you're interested in and send a quick email to your team leader. Team leader, pick one that your team is interested in and have a group discussion about it at your next staff or volunteer meeting. No need to be thorough, just a quick 15 min discussion could open up a lot of great opportunities for cultural understanding among your team. Pick one to talk about once a week or once a month.
We all can grow in our understanding of the youth culture. Pick 3 topics that you want to learn more about and click around on the site looking for the videos and written resources on that topic. What do you most want to learn about?
The best thing about Cru is our people - our staff and volunteers. You are crucially important to the students in your lives. Thank you so much for being a part of our team and for caring so deeply for teenagers We hope this tool better prepares you to love the teens in your life well.