25 Years of YTI

For 25 years, rising high school juniors and seniors from across the country and around the world have gathered at Emory University for the Youth Theological Initiative (YTI) Summer Academy, a unique experience in Christian theological education. With a goal to cultivate public theologians for the church and world, YTI is a residential learning community grounded particularly—but not exclusively—in the Christian faith tradition. We are an ecumenical academic community that promotes faith seeking understanding.

We hope that scholars will “fall in love with theology” as a life-long pursuit and incorporate their ethical and faith commitments into their vocational paths. YTI fosters this passion for theology, community, and justice through courses such as Church and Empire, Envisioning the End of the World: The Book of Revelation and Popular Culture, and Sexuality and Christian Society: A Historical Perspective. In addition to scholar-led preaching and worship, YTI partners with organizations in Atlanta to provide contextual education experiences that address justice issues around sex trafficking, homelessness, racism, and more.

How You Can Help

At a cost of $6,000 per scholar for the full three-week program—including transportation, room and board at Emory, teaching from world-renowned Emory faculty and graduate students, and the contextual experiences around Atlanta—not everyone can afford to attend YTI. However, we are committed to making this program available to all youth regardless of their financial circumstances, so we are asking for your support. During this four-week campaign, our goal is to raise enough to fund at least one scholar for the next academy.

A Challenge to Hit Our Goal

Two of our generous donors, Scotty Greene 14T and Rebecca Storace 10T, have already funded one YTI scholar with a gift of $6,000. Now, they have issued a challenge to fully fund a second scholar and collectively raise another $6,000 in honor of YTI’s 25th anniversary. Thank you, Scotty and Rebecca!