Blue Boat of Youth and Young Adult MinistriesBe A Youth Delegate at General Assembly
Isabelle McCurdy explains the difference you will make… Isabelle McCurdy, Senior Business Manager for the General Assembly 2016 Youth Caucus, was one of the driving forces behind the successful 2015 Youth Caucus Action of Immediate Witness, “Support the Black Lives Matter Movement” (Learn here how they did it.) Read what she has to say about how important being a Youth Delegate to General Assembly is: “Being a youth delegate is one of the most prestigious jobs at GA. Adults are expected to go, to vote, and to debate business; and when youth do these things, the value of their actions increase tenfold. When youth use their voice and share their ideas, it sends a…
Multicultural Support Team Moves Toward Justice
In honor of the Standing on the Side of Love 30 Days of Love 2016 campaign, Steven Ballesteros speaks up about the important work of supporting Youth of Color. As a Unitarian Universalist young adult of color I have at times lacked a sense of belonging and of being in right relationship in this faith. I know I am not alone in this feeling. Luckily, there are places in which I can feel safe and ways in which I can apply myself. I currently live near Seattle, Washington, which places me in the Pacific North West District of the Unitarian Universalist Association. There I have helped create and serve on the PNWD Multicultural Support Team for…
Love set Ablaze
In honor of the Standing on the Side of Love 30 Days of Love 2016 campaign, Phebe Hawes speaks up about being a light of love in a time of hate. In order to love alike, we need not think alike ~Francis David. This quote got me thinking. I come from a suburban, mostly white, community. For the most part, we look alike. But we certainly do not think alike. And there’s not a whole lot of love either. So I turn to social media. Like many millennials, I spend most of my time online. I, however, spend a majority of that time defending my beliefs to people who don’t agree. I get the feeling…
VIDEO: How do I find the UUs on my Campus?
#UUCampusQ’s Episode One In this lively video, the Reverend Annie Gonzalez Milliken, the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Associate of the Unititarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Minisitries explains how to find the UUs, and build or grow your Unitarian Universalist Campus Ministry. Like Campus UUs on Facebook to be notified when episodes of UUCampusQs are released!
Animated Answers to Your Campus Ministry Questions
Actionable Answers to Key Questions The Reverend Annie Gonzalez Milliken, the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Associate of the Unititarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Minisitries explains she has the answers you need to build or sustain vibrant Unitarian Universalist Campus Ministry. Bonus: Many of the answers are shorter than the previous sentence! Like Campus UUs on Facebook to be notified when episodes of #CampusQs are released!
Challenged to Explore New Horizons By Religious Pros
Dear UU Religious Professionals: My name is Alex Jensen and I was a Summer Seminary attendee the first year it was offered by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries in 2013. Having graduated, I have had the privilege of watching Summer Seminary develop and flourish into an absolutely amazing program. This is highly in part due to the amazing religious professionals that encourage and guide our youth towards our collective ministry in Unitarian Universalism (UU). When I was first considering a call to ministry, I received an informational email from my congregation’s Director of Religious Education (DRE), Sally Ahnger, about the Summer Seminary program opening up for the first…
Religious Professionals Made a Difference
Hello Friends, My name is Kirbey Geissler and I’m writing to tell you about my experience with Unitarian Universalism (UU), specifically Summer Seminary. Summer Seminary is a week-long introduction to what being a religious professional could look like for a group of 15-20 youth. Though the focus is on ministry, the youth are also exposed to other religious professional opportunities, such as religious education, music, and more. I attended Summer Seminary this past summer of 2015. A year or so prior, I had been contacted by Rev. Tandi Rogers, a minister and religious professional from my district, who told me she saw something in me and thought I should apply. I didn’t meet the deadline…
Illuminating Leaders – Kendra Burdick
Luminary Alumni Kendra Burdick isn’t one for the spotlight… But that hasn’t stopped her from becoming a powerful community leader. Kendra taught the Pre-K religious education class at her church and has been an elementary school cheer coach. She served as a Chrysalis trained Peer Chaplain and worship coordinator for her youth group. She was involved with her church’s Board of Trustees. Kendra attended Summer Seminary in 2014 to learn more about becoming a military chaplain and gave a sermon at her church after the experience. Her youth program coordinator, Jessica Laike, thinks of Kendra as a “sleeping giant” – in the time she has known her, Jessica has seen Kendra go from being quiet and timid to being calm,…
Join the YA@GA 2016 Team Today
Worship and GA Talks Coordinators Needed! APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY OCTOBER 4, 2015 (CLICK HERE) Ayla Halberstadt and Cameron Young, YA@GA 2016 Co-facilitators have a cool pitch for you… I am Ayla Halberstadt, a co-facilitator for YA@GA 2016! I am the director of religious exploration at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon and live in Bend, OR! In my spare time during the fall you can find me knitting, yelling at the TV while I watch college football, and surrounding myself with pumpkin scented things. I am so excited for General Assembly 2016 in Columbus, Ohio! Being apart of the YA@GA team is fulfilling and fun. You work alongside amazing young adults from…
5 Words To Sum Up Summer Seminary
Essential Questions and Answers At some point in our lives (or at multiple points for many of us) we ask ourselves, What do I want to be when I grow up? I’ve answered this question by wrestling with a variety of career choices: “a farmer, a teacher, a filmmaker, an artist, a youth minister,” and settled on a variety of qualities: “kind, generous, grounded, influential.” The Youth and Young Adult Ministries of the Unitarian Universalist Association(UUA) created space for 18 teenagers from across the nation to wrestle with, and perhaps settle on, just such a loaded question: “What do I want to be when I grow up?” at Summer Seminary hosted at the Iliff School…
Recent Comments