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INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN AUTHOR, SPEAKER DR. WALT MUELLER COMES TO PITTSBURGH OCT. 23-25 TO HELP COMMUNITY LEADERS AND PARENTS UNDERSTAND YOUTH CULTURE

(Pittsburgh) – August 15, 2008 – Internationally known author and speaker, Dr. Walt Mueller – founder and president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (CPYU: www.cpyu.org) in Elizabethtown, Pa., will come to Pittsburgh October 23-25 to educate parents, law enforcement officers, teachers, medical professionals, counselors, church workers, and the general community about contemporary youth culture and the unique pressures children and teens face today.  The theme of the series of events is: Bridging the Gap: Walt Mueller in Pittsburgh.

“Dr. Mueller will make us aware of alarmingly destructive influences in our culture on youth, and train us how to help our young people navigate through them,” said Rev. Martin Blocki, associate pastor of Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPC) of North Hills, who is coordinating the events.

Partnering organizations for the Mueller events include the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North Hills, Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gibsonia, Pa., The ALLIANCE (www.drug-alliance.org), the Coalition for Christian Outreach, the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS), and Eden Christian Schools.  Event venues are Pine Richland Schools, Orchard Hill Church, Eden Christian Schools, Reformed Presbyterian Church of North Hills, and North Hills Junior High School.

"For overthirty years, I have worked with teenagers and their parents and have realized there is a widening cultural-generational gap that needs to be closed,” said Walt Mueller. “I'm convinced it's a gap nobody wants. If we take the time to understand and really know kids, then we'll be able to cross into their culture, close the gap, and give them the Biblical answers and positive direction they so desperately need.”

Dozens of radio, television, and newspaper media outlets have relied on Walt Mueller and CPYU as a source of information and analysis on contemporary youth culture.  In addition, CPYU contributes to myriad periodicals and journals targeting parents, educators, and youth workers.

For more information and venue locations, visit www.waltinpgh.info.

Following are the events Dr. Mueller will speak at:

Thursday October 23rd

Event: Eighth Grade Leadership Development (Non-sectarian)
“Minding Your Media: How to Make Healthy Choices”
Main Topics:

• Media and you – why they call you Generation M

• The Big Issues – important stuff to realize

• The Three Steps – keys to minding your media

• Make a Difference – helping your peers do the same

For 8th grade students from nearly 30 public schools – by invitation
9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Lunch will be provided to students in attendance.
Location: Reformed Presbyterian Church of North Hills, Ross Twp.

Event:     Eden Christian High School chapel program
“How To Use Your Head To Guard Your Heart: Does God Really Care About My Media Choices?”
Main Topics:

• Media and you – why they call you Generation M

• The Big Issues – important stuff to realize

• The Three Steps – keys to minding your media

• Make a Difference – helping yourparents do the same

For students, parents, and faculty – by invitation
1:45 to 3 p.m.
Location: Eden Christian High School

Event:     Community Presentation (Non-sectarian)
Open to the public
“What’s Going On?: Understanding and Responding To Today’s Youth Culture”
Main Topics:

• The crazy and confusing world of “youth culture” – background and definitions

• Forces and trends shaping today’s children and teens

• How should I respond? – Practical suggestions for guiding your kids through the earthquake of adolescence

7:00 p.m.  Presentation
8:30 p.m. Reception with Dr. Mueller/Q&A Session
Location: Pine Richland Eden Hall Upper Elementary School Exploratorium

Friday October 24th

Event:     Professional Resource Fair for law enforcement, school counselors, medical professionals, counselors, teachers, church workers, parents, and the general community
Open to the Public
“Youth Culture 101”
Main Topics:

• Culture: What it is and how it works.

• Macro-trends: Youth culture’s big picture

• What Now?: Christian responses to youth culture realities

8 a.m.     Resource Booths Open
9 a.m.     Keynote Speaker, Walt Mueller
10:30 a.m. Various Expert Panel Discussions and Q&A
Location:  Orchard Hill Church

Event:     Training Seminar
“Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture”
Main Points:

• Surveying the cultural landscape: foundational facts

• Preparing for Mars Hill Ministry

• The Paradigm for Mars Hill Ministry

• Mars Hill Ministry Today: How to Walk Through and Minister in the Athens of Today’s Youth Culture

For local youth workers, college ministry leaders, and seminary students – by invitation
3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Location:  Reformed Presbyterian Church of North Hills

Saturday October 24th

Event:     Seminar on Youth Culture
“Understanding Today’s Youth Culture”
Session Topics:

• Major cultural trends shaping children and teens

• Smoke and Mirrors: How marketing influences children and teens

• More than Noise: Helping Students Navigate the world of Today’s Music and Media

9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Open to the public
Includes lunch; RSVP at www.waltinpgh.info
Location:  North Hills Junior High School Auditorium

ABOUT CPYU:

The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding is a nonprofit organization committed to building strong families by serving to bridge the cultural-generational gap between parents and teenagers. CPYU helps parents, youth workers, educators, and others understand teenagers and their culture so that they will be better equipped to help children and teens navigate the challenging world of adolescence.  Founded in 1990 by Walt Mueller, CPYU has developed an international reputation as a voice providing cutting-edge information, resources, and analysis on today's youth culture. 

The mission of CPYU is to work with churches, schools, and community organizations to build stronger relationships between young people and those charged with helping them grow into healthy adulthood. CPYU resources include a quarterly newsletter offering in-depth analysis on different aspects of contemporary youth culture and family dynamics; a freee-mail resourcecontaining articles, studies, stats, and trends on youth culture, along with pop culture quotesand a relevant magazine print-ad discussion starter; a monthly online parent page that helps keep parents up to date on the latest youth culture news and information; seminars and conferences for a variety of audiences on myriad topics related to youth culture and working with young people; working with college-bound high school juniors and seniors and their parents to prepare them for the "world of the university"; a 60-second daily radio feature, “Youth Culture Today,” that runs on over 750 stations to equip adults to better understand and respond to the complex and rapidly changing world of their children and teens; 3-D reviews of various media for parents, educators, youth workers, and teens to help them becoming discerning media consumers.

ABOUT WALT MUELLER:

Walt Mueller is the founder and president of CPYU and has been working with young people and families for 31 years. He writes a regular column for Today's Father (a publication of the National Center for Fathering) and has written numerous articles for Parents of Teenagers, New Man, GROUP Magazine, Living with Teenagers, Youthworker Journal, and Junior High Ministry.  Mueller is an internationally-recognized speaker and author on contemporary youth culture. He has written extensively on youth culture and family issues and is the author of the following books: Opie Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: Where Faith, Family, and Culture Collide; Youth Culture 101; I Want to Talk With my Teen About Movies, Music & More; Engaging The Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews To Christian Truth; and the critically acclaimed Gold Medallion Award winner, Understanding Today’s Youth Culture.

An alum of Geneva College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Mueller has recently completed his doctorate at Gordon-Conwell in “Ministry to Postmodern Generations”. He has served in ministry with the Coalition for Christian Outreach and as a youth pastor in churches in Johnstown, Pa., and Philadelphia.