Blue Boat of Youth and Young Adult MinistriesMake an Impact: Be Dean of Youth Caucus
LEAD YOUR PEERS @ GA Youth Caucus Deans are the leaders of the volunteer Youth Caucus Staff for General Assembly and applications are now open through August 10th. Deans work with the Youth Caucus Staff to fulfill the mission and purpose of Youth Caucus, which is to galvanize the youth of our movement by deepening our collective Unitarian Universalist spirituality and helping youth make an impact on our association through General Assembly. Over the last several months, I have enjoyed my time as Junior Dean. When I first started, I was nervous because I had never experienced leadership on such a large scale, but the idea that I would be working with so many new people in the coming…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 9
In the April Webinar, Natalie Briscoe, Congregational Life Staff in the Southern Region, and Kim Sweeney, Congregational Life Staff in the New England Region, talked about new models and methods for stellar Youth Ministry that may challenge our assumptions about what ministry to and with Youth can and should be. When asked to sum up the webinar, Briscoe said “In particular we lifted up a vision of whole Unitarian Universalist communities where youth are a part of the entire congregation as well as having youth-specific space for developmentally appropriate stretching. We also explored methods for relationship-centered ministry (rather than program-centered ministry) that builds sustaining, multigenerational connections throughout the congregation. These models both rest on the foundational idea that youth…
Register for General Assembly Now!
Registration for General Assembly 2017 in New Orleans, LA, June 21-25 is in full-swing. It’s not too late to join fellow Unitarian Universalists in worship, learning and action! Learn more here.
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 8
UPDATE: This webinar will be hosted live on April 12th at 1pm EST and it will be recorded. We are canceling the previously scheduled Thursday evening webinar to encourage attendance the #Uuwhitesupremacyteachin webinar on Thursday, April 13 at 8 PM eastern. More information about that webinar available on the Black Lives of UU. For a long time many Unitarian Universalist congregations have successfully used the traditional model of youth ministry consisting of a weekly youth group, maybe some off-site trips or overnights, and a yearly youth-led worship service. As Natalie Briscoe, Congregational Life Staff in the Southern Region notes, “These traditional models are effective delivery mechanisms for often stellar curriculum, especially if that curriculum is a part of the…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 7
Part of a successful youth ministry is creating and maintaining sustainable systems and organizational tools, like calendaring, directories and templates, to keep the youth ministry program running as a vital part of the congregation and so it can live on after a volunteer or staff member leaves. Adults need to be competent in practicing compassionate communication, handling conflict with grace and humility, expressing needs, and being a good listener. And they need to be able to model these skills for youth. Youth Ministry Advising: A Complete Guide has some tips for developing these skills. Volunteers and staff must be competent with social media. Supervisors should inform volunteers and staff if their congregation has something akin…
Why Should Young Folks Go To General Assembly?
What is the role of spiritual community in these times? We’ve been asking that question over and over, particularly as we think about our upcoming Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly. What is the point of gathering, especially a gathering that takes so many resources, when so many of us are in pain, subject to violence, unclear what the months between here and there will bring? This General Assembly the theme is “Resist and Rejoice.” And we certainly have much need for resistance. The white supremacy, greed fueled economic inequality, hetero-patriarchy and ableism that existed before Trump was elected is gaining ground in our government and in our streets. These developments are horrifying, outrageous, scary. So…
Living Legacy Project Youth Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Energize this Legacy APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED | GRANTS AVAILABLE Announcing the Living Legacy Project (LLP) All Youth Civil Rights Pilgrimage, June 5th-9th, 2017! This 5-day pilgrimage will be led by LLP board members Reverend Gordon Gibson and Reggie Harris, beginning in Birmingham and continuing to Marion, Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. The vision of the LLP Youth Civil Rights Pilgrimage to create a connection with youth to the history of racial justice in the United States — so that they too, can become actively engaged in the Unitarian Universalist racial justice movement of today. Planning team members Jules Jaramillo, Director of Lifespan Religious Education at Countryside Church Unitarian Universalist and Tina DeYoe Director of Religious Education…
Youth 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…
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