Young Adult Leadership Development
Overview
Co-Creating Spaces with and for Young Adults
NBA’s Young Adult Leadership Development program area co-creates spaces with and for young adults ages 18-30 focused on self-identity, leadership formation, capacity building, and justice and equity. We support young adults in cultivating healthy and wholistic identity formation, understanding that young adulthood is a complex journey from primary dependence on family and community to independence and interdependence in a multiplicity of communities (family and friends, faith community, higher education or work environments to name a few). We support young adults as they lean into the process of discovery and affirmation of their own leadership potential and invite them to explore and expand that potential through ministries centered on health, social service, and justice-related issues.
Core Values
Build Legacy
We invite and welcome young adults into spaces that allow for intergenerational learning and leading.
Vocational Exploration
We initiate networking and resource connections for ministry inside and outside the church.
Leadership Development
We co-create communities with and for young adult leaders that identifies leadership qualities, builds leadership capacity, and allows young adults to explore new possibilities, particularly in areas of service and justice.
Transform Church & Communities
We engage in active listening, planning, and implementation of ideas and collaborative efforts. We connect young adults to congregational, churchwide, and community initiatives to engage at all levels of leadership and mentoring.
Equity in Leadership
We prioritize historically unserved and underserved communities of young adults to ensure every area of church and community has access to resources, support, and opportunity.
Focus Areas
NBA XPLOR Residency Program
The NBA has engaged with young adults in a multitude of ways throughout our history. Whether via our Leadership Scholars Program in the 1990s, our work alongside congregations and nonprofits that serve young people, or hosting the NBA XPLOR Residency program — intentionally and thoughtfully working with young adult communities has been an important part of NBA programming.