Do you wish people who believe different things could really talk to each other?

For over 30 years, alumni of YTI have described the life-changing impact of getting to know and care about peers who come from different backgrounds and belief systems. At YTI, you can ask questions about faith without fear of being judged, while exploring your role in making the world better for all of us.

Apply Now for the 2024 Summer Academy!

The Youth Theological Initiative was founded at Emory in 1993. 
We offer several programs including our 30-year YTI Summer Academy, workshops, travel studies, and online programs. 
YTI offers youth a chance to explore their questions about faith and justice within a community of other teens who share their interests. Using liberation pedagogy, we share theological tools usually taught in seminary to empower youth to explore what they believe about God and the world. 
YTI is more fun than school and more about “deep thoughts” than most camps. It’s a unique experience, but those who attend the YTI Summer Academy leave transformed and longing to do it all over again.
We believe that young people need theology — the study of God and God’s relationship with the world — as one of the resources to draw upon as they explore their place in the world. 
Emory YTI IMPACT hosts multiple programs for high school students with the goal of empowering youth with critical skills usually reserved for adults. We respect teenagers and believe that you can be empowered now, as teenagers. We also believe that the world needs your unique gifts to help all of us have a more just and compassionate world. 
We do not believe in “talking down” to teenagers. We believe you have insights and capacities unique to you and we believe that providing you with serious theological tools will empower you to make the world better for all of us. 
We believe that the world needs young people to contribute your theological perspectives and energy in order to promote social justice and the common good. We do not think that you need to wait to be an adult to participate in shaping our world. The world needs you now.