Penn State

Consortium forSocial Movements and Education
Research and Practice

The Effect of Religious Short-Term Mission Trips on Youth Civic Engagement

The Effect of Religious Short-Term Mission Trips on Youth Civic Engagement

Kraig Beyerlein, Jenny Trinitapoli, Gary Adler Jr.
2011
2011

Abstract

Beyerlein, K., Adler, G., & Trinitapoli, J. (2011). The effect of religious mission trips on youth civic participation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion50(4), 780-795.

Religious short-term mission trips are an increasingly popular form of American religious practice, especially among young people. Both organizers and participants often emphasize their transformative nature. However, scholarly efforts to evaluate systematically the social consequences of religious short-term mission trips are lacking. To address this neglect, our article investigates whether going on a religious short-term mission trip significantly differentiates youth who engage in civic actions from those who do not. Based on quantitative analysis of Wave I of the National Survey of Youth Religion (NSYR), we find that, controlling for other important factors, taking a mission trip significantly increases the likelihood of adolescents participating in various forms of civic activity, particularly religious-based volunteer work. Drawing on prior scholarship on religious short-term mission and similarly focused trips and in-depth interview data from trip participants, we outline several theoretical mechanisms that likely explain the link between taking a mission trip and civic engagement.

Article
Our Research

Abstract

Beyerlein, K., Adler, G., & Trinitapoli, J. (2011). The effect of religious mission trips on youth civic participation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion50(4), 780-795.

Religious short-term mission trips are an increasingly popular form of American religious practice, especially among young people. Both organizers and participants often emphasize their transformative nature. However, scholarly efforts to evaluate systematically the social consequences of religious short-term mission trips are lacking. To address this neglect, our article investigates whether going on a religious short-term mission trip significantly differentiates youth who engage in civic actions from those who do not. Based on quantitative analysis of Wave I of the National Survey of Youth Religion (NSYR), we find that, controlling for other important factors, taking a mission trip significantly increases the likelihood of adolescents participating in various forms of civic activity, particularly religious-based volunteer work. Drawing on prior scholarship on religious short-term mission and similarly focused trips and in-depth interview data from trip participants, we outline several theoretical mechanisms that likely explain the link between taking a mission trip and civic engagement.

Social Movements

Religious movements, Transnational Social Movements, Youth Activism

Keywords

Globalization, North America

Theme

Popular Education; Adult Education; and Social Movement Learning

Related People

Gary J. Adler Jr.