About AYV

Amplify Youth Voices is a collaboration between Krista E. Hughes and Ian Carr McPherson, one a college theology professor and the other a pastor who serves alongside youth and young adults. Krista and Ian share the conviction that young people possess unique wisdom and insight about the pressing ethical challenges facing our world today. We believe older generations are called to foster that wisdom and to support young people as agents of change—first and foremost by listening attentively to what they have to say.

Mission

The mission of Amplify Youth Voices is to empower youth and young adults to express their ethical concerns, share their moral and theological wisdom, and lead their institutions into a more inclusive and intersectional future.

Vision

At Amplify Youth Voices, we envision a world where young people are recognized as moral and spiritual leaders, not just of tomorrow, but of today. We aim to bring their wisdom from the margins of civic and ethical debate to the center where it belongs.

Meet the Team

Krista E. Hughes

Project Director

Dr. Krista E. Hughes is Associate Professor of Religion and Director of the Muller Center for Exploration & Engagement at Newberry College (Newberry, South Carolina), where she leads programs related to vocational exploration, ethical inquiry, and civic engagement. A college educator and mentor for over a decade, Krista also leads young adult programming in her home congregation and facilitates social justice workshops in her community.

Ian C. McPherson

Project Coordinator

Rev. Ian Carr McPherson is an Associate Pastor at United Church of Chapel Hill in North Carolina. He is a passionate advocate for youth leadership both in the church and in Christianity’s moral witness to the world. His ministry puts faith and civic formation in conversation to nurture the theo-ethical wisdom of young people.