Blue Boat of Youth and Young Adult MinistriesYouth Ministry Training Webinar 6
Inclusive Youth Group Dynamics If you’ve found yourself here on Blue Boat it’s a fairly safe assumption that at some point in your Unitarian Universalist life, you’ve created a covenant with a youth group or religious education class. Eric Bliss, Youth Ministry Specialist for the Pacific Western Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association is a champion of covenant and works with groups all the time to create them. He notes that when we do this essential activity, it might at times feel…how do you say… tedious or awkward. Eric says that covenanting is essential because, “Capital “C” covenant is the basis of our faith. In other words, rather than doctrine or creed, how we choose to be in relationship with…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 5
Inclusive Ministry in a Diverse World As Unitarian Universalists (UU) we say that we build inclusive community where you can explore your identity without boxes – that we are multi-racial, Latino/a/x, Asian, Black, Native, and White; rich, middle class, poor; young and old; lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, straight, and anything in between. AND, “we know that in day to day life – including in youth ministry – living that out is really really really hard. We might ask an insensitive question, make an assumption that is hurtful, speak for someone else, use a harmful word – or be on the receiving end of an ouch. The systems of white supremacy, economic inequity, homophobia, ableism, and…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 4
Pastoral Care To and With Youth Let’s be frank. The world changed on November 9th, 2016 (the day Donald Trump was elected president of the United States). For many of us our day-to-day experiences may not be much different, we still move through the world with varying levels of privilege and marginalization. And yet, for people of all ages, we are changed. Our eyes are open more widely, our hearts are breaking more deeply and our need for community support is more acute. What’s more, reactions to the election are but a small facet of the complexities we navigate, and this includes our Unitarian Universalist (UU) youth. In addition to being keenly aware of how…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 3
Kim Sweeney, Lead for Faith Formation and Safe Congregations, works in New England and loves rules. She says “I love rules, structure, routine and clarity. Maybe it stems from my time spent serving in the military, but I imagine my own comfort with rules and structure existed before that, and enabled me to thrive in that military environment. To some degree, knowing the boundaries and expectations has always been quite comforting to me. “Two summers ago, when I was asked to serve as the lead for Safe Congregations work in New England, I found myself pretty excited. In the most simplistic of views, I thought that safety policies and procedures really just mimicked rules and…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 2
What does a Healthy Youth/Adult Relationship Actually Look Like? In every training or conversation with adults working with youth, Evin Carvill-Ziemer, Congregational Life Staff in the Central East Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is peppered with questions like these: “I want the youth to lead, but they don’t know what they want to do, so I end up organizing activities by default—how can I change this?” “My youth have great ideas, but their lives are busy and they drop a lot of balls—how can I help without nagging or taking over?” “I’m never sure how much of my life to share with youth—I want to be real, but I’m also the adult—where’s the…
Serve as Youth Chaplain at the United Nations
Lend Your Faith to Spring Seminar 2017 The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office has extended the application deadline for Youth Chaplains to serve at the 2017 Intergenerational Spring Seminar “Interfaith Action to End Armed Violence”, April 6-8, 2017 in New York City. The chaplain team of two youth and two adults work to ensure a welcoming, inclusive, and inspiring seminar for everyone participating. All travel and lodging expenses are covered by the Unitarian Universalist Association. Learn more and apply at www.uua.org/unspringseminar; download the application as a pdf here. The new application deadline is September 20th, 2016.
Reflections on Service in New Orleans 5
Confronting the Work My Privilege Means I Must Do The following is the first of five reflections on a service trip that members of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara YRUU group made to New Orleans, LA. The group spent three days in New Orleans and six on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, working with local organizations through the Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal. The youth group’s work focused on the issues of racism and privilege with an eye toward taking what they learned to foment positive change in their home community. This trip was made possible by the industrious fundraising of the youth group (who we are told sold lots…
Reflections on Service in New Orleans 4
Learning How to do Anti-Racism Work at Home The following is the first of five reflections on a service trip that members of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara YRUU group made to New Orleans, LA. The group spent three days in New Orleans and six on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, working with local organizations through the Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal. The youth group’s work focused on the issues of racism and privilege with an eye toward taking what they learned to foment positive change in their home community. This trip was made possible by the industrious fundraising of the youth group (who we are told sold lots and…
Reflections on Service in New Orleans 3
The Right to Joy – to Combat Injustice The following is the first of five reflections on a service trip that members of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara YRUU group made to New Orleans, LA. The group spent three days in New Orleans and six on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, working with local organizations through the Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal. The youth group’s work focused on the issues of racism and privilege with an eye toward taking what they learned to foment positive change in their home community. This trip was made possible by the industrious fundraising of the youth group (who we are told sold lots and…
Reflections on Service in New Orleans 2
Broadening My Morality The following is the first of five reflections on a service trip that members of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara YRUU group made to New Orleans, LA. The group spent three days in New Orleans and six on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, working with local organizations through the Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal. The youth group’s work focused on the issues of racism and privilege with an eye toward taking what they learned to foment positive change in their home community. This trip was made possible by the industrious fundraising of the youth group (who we are told sold lots and lots of quiche), YRUU families,…
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