The African American Faith Communities Project (AAFCP) is a research study conducted by Dr. Pamela P. Martin, Professor in the Psychology Department and African American Studies Program at the University of South Carolina.
Churches and families represent significant institutions within African American communities. Working together, churches and parents have important roles in delivering messages that teach values to adolescents. The messages or values adolescents receive from churches and parents during these years help shape decisions that teens make about work, school, and friendships.
The adolescent years can be difficult; they become more independent and participate in activities away from the home. Dr. Martin’s multidisciplinary and ethnically diverse research team investigates the many different ways faith communities support families in the rearing of adolescents. Therefore, participation in AAFCP helps churches, clergy, parents and researchers understand how adolescents incorporate religious messages into their daily lives.