Ted Travis was born and raised in a low-income community in Long Island, New York. His musical aspirations led him to study voice in Vienna, Austria, where he came to faith in Christ. Turning his focus from music to ministry, he moved to Colorado and Denver's Five Points community to pursue a ministry life of urban youth development. In "Building Cathedrals: Urban Youth Discipleship That Works," Dr. Travis explains Transformational Discipleship, an approach to urban youth development centered on maximizing the adolescent leadership experience in ways that mold youth for future service and motivate the next generation (children) that youth, as emerging leaders, influence. Through the Center for Transformational Discipleship, Ted equips urban youth leaders to create discipleship-rich environments and animate (bring to life) the leadership potential of youth in higher-risk communities.