Young Adult News
A monthly newsletter of the UUA Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries    January 2010

In This Issue
REMINDER: Apply for GA Youth Caucus Staff (Yes, we need adults too!)
Enjoy Your Summer with a Work/Internship at Camp Unirondack!
Greetings from the Director
From the Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color
Financial Aid Available to Attend Interweave Convo 2010!
New User Guide to Youth Ministry Working Group Report - For Congregations
REMINDER: Advise the UUA President - Join the Youth Ministry Advisory Committee
Join Our Mailing List!
Upcoming Events
CozyCon
January 15-17, 2010
Lewis Center, OH
 
WinterCon 2010
January 29-31, 2010
Boston, MA
 
Metro NY 2010 Winter Retreat at Frost Valley
Feburary 12-15, 2010
Claryville, NY
Leadership Roles for Youth and Adults at General Assembly!
We are still accepting staff applications from youth and adults of all ages for General Assembly 2010 Youth Caucus Staff through January 15th.
 
This is a great opportunity to contribute to GA programming and get to attend GA for free!  Directors of Religious Education and Ministers, please encourage your youth leaders to apply!

Find out more and APPLY NOW! Contact Jeremie Giacoia with questions.
Enjoy Your Summer with a Work/Internship at Camp Unirondack!

If you are eager to work in a close-knit community whose mission is to broaden and enrich the lives of young people, Unirondack might be the place for you.  

Being a certified lifeguard or having a specialized skill that can contribute to a positive experience for campers is always desirable and a wide range of talents are welcome.  In addition to counselor and crew positions they also consider applicants for Maintenance Crew Chief, Camp Nurse (must have a nursing degree or be a certified EMT) and Cook.

Interested applicants should visit the Camp Unirondack website and explore their summer employment page.  You can download an application form, fill it out, and email or snail-mail it in.  They are currently accepting applications and setting up interviews and look forward to hearing from you!

Greetings from the Director
Happy New Year!
 
Of all holidays, I never thought I would write about Valentine's Day in an issue of Young Adult News. Leave it to the amazing Standing on the Side of Love Campaign team to bring love into all our work!
 
On Sunday, February 14, 2010, the Standing on the Side of Love Campaign will bring people together in small towns and big cities across the nation to re-imagine Valentine's Day and to celebrate love's power to transform communities. Will you join us?
 
The Standing on the Side of Love Campaign Team has a wealth of ideas and resources to help you and your congregation re-imagine Valentine's Day by taking action on issues that matter locally, and by pursuing strategies that are effective and meaningful in your community.
 
You might worship and then rally with a local LGBT organization, worship with your interfaith partners committed to racial justice and then hold a forum, or send love notes of support to members of your community who have been attacked because of their identities. One thing everyone can do is take a photo of what Standing on the Side of Love means to you and send it in to the campaign. These photos will be compiled into a slideshow and taken on a road trip along the East Coast. The campaign also needs your financial support to keep spreading our message of love.
 
How will you demonstrate your commitment to love and advance the common good in your community? Visit the Standing on the Side of Love Website to get started on planning your event today!
 
In faith,

 

erik kesting signature
Erik B. Kesting
Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director
From the Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color
Hello Family,
 
Happy New Year!  This is a very special time of year.  It is a time for us to reflect on the past year, while looking forward and preparing for the year ahead.  The beginning of a new year affords us the opportunity to live our lives differently in the days before us. It allows us to recommit to working toward goals and dreams that we may have neglected in the previous year.  It is also an opportune time to create new goals and dreams, to spiritually, mentally or physically move in the direction of becoming our best self in the great mysterious future.  There is always time to change, time to become the person we privately and publicly struggle and strive to be.  In Noisy Stones: A Meditation Manual, Unitarian Universalist minister Robert R. Walsh writes: 
 
"The meaning of a life is not contained within one act, or one day, or one year.  As long as you are alive the story of your life is still being told, and the meaning is still open.  As long as there is life in the world, the story of the world is still being told.  What is done is done, but nothing is settled.
 
"And if nothing is settled, then everything matters.  Every choice, every act in the new year matters.  Every word, every deed is making the meaning of your life and telling the story of the world.  Everything matters in the year coming, and, more important, everything matters today."
 
I encourage and challenge you to live your life each day this year as if every thought and every word and every deed mattered.  As you begin or end a chapter in your book of life, live each moment knowing that you can create meaning in your life and make your life meaningful by being mindful of our UU principles and being open to the mystery that encompasses all life.  You are perfect just the way you are; are you who you want to be?
 
As always I would love to hear from you.  You can message me on Facebook at Monica Cummings, email me at [email protected] or leave a comment for me on the YaYA of Color blog, UU Living Mosaic at http://uuyayaoc.blogs.uua.org/.
 
Living My Faith,
Rev. Monica
Financial Aid Available for Young Adults to Attend Interweave Convo 2010!
The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is committed to advocating for and increasing the economic accessibility of Unitarian Universalist events hosted by and for historically marginalized communities. The Office has funds available to subsidize expenses for young adults attending Interweave Continental's Convo 2010, which will be held concurrently with the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce's Creating Change conference in Dallas, TX, February 3-7, 2010 in Dallas, TX.
 
To apply for financial assistance, submit the following materials via email to [email protected] with the subject line "Interweave Scholarship:"
 
Full name, street address, city, state, postal code, email, phone, congregation name, congregation city and state, date of birth, your anticipated total event attendance expenses (registration, housing, travel, and food), and a one-page statement explaining why you want to attend Creating Change and why financial assistance is being requested.
 
The National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce also has scholarships and subsidized registration available. Learn more or register now.
New User Guide to the Youth Ministry Working Group Report - For Congregations
 From 2008 - 2009, The Youth Ministry Working Group created a framework and strategic imagination for Unitarian Universalist youth ministry based on the findings of the Consultation on Ministry To and With Youth and the recommendations of the Summit on Youth MinistryTheir report offers both specific suggestions and a call for a broad culture change in our faith communities to nurture a vibrant youth ministry and UU faith.
 
A User Guide for Congregations has been published online to highlight recommendations of specific interest, provide context and clarification, and support congregations working to implement these recommendations. A User Guide for youth and one for UUA staff were published last year and are also available online.
REMINDER! Advise the UUA President: Join the Youth Ministry Advisory Committee
Application forms will be accepted until January 15th for those interested in serving on the UUA Youth Ministry Advisory Committee (YMAC). The Youth Ministry Advisory Committee will support Unitarian Universalist youth ministry by: 
  • serving in an advisory capacity to the UUA President on Associational progress in implementing the recommendations of the Youth Ministry
  • Working Group, the future needs of Unitarian Universalist youth ministry, and becoming a truly multigenerational faith;
    communicating a vision of vibrant youth ministry to our congregations and leaders; and
  • researching current best practices in youth ministry and faith identity development within and outside of Unitarian Universalism.
The following individuals are encouraged to apply:  
  • High school aged youth with leadership experience and a commitment to Unitarian Universalist youth ministry.
  • Religious professionals who have led successful youth ministries and are familiar with the developmental and spiritual needs of adolescents.
  • Adult lay leaders with academic or professional experience in mental health, adolescent development, working with youth, education, theology, or other relevant fields.

For more information or to apply, visit UUA.org/YMAC. Applications are due January 15, 2010.
 
Questions: Contact Erik Kesting, UUA Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director at [email protected] or 617-948-4359.

Contact the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries
Erik B. Kesting, Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director
(617) 948-4359
[email protected]

Rev. Dr. Monica L. Cummings, Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color
(262) 705-5786
[email protected]

Jeremie Giacoia, Leadership Development Associate
(617) 948-4352
[email protected]
 
Deborah Neisel-Sanders, Office Administrator
(617) 948-4350
[email protected]

General Email: [email protected]