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Youth Ministries Updates
A monthly newsletter of the UUA Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries January 2010
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REMINDER: Apply for Leadership Roles for Youth and Adults at General Assembly!
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We are still accepting applications from youth and adults of all ages for General Assembly 2010 Youth Caucus Staff positions through January 15th. Find out more and APPLY NOW! This is a great opportunity to contribute to GA programming and get to attend GA for free!
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Enjoy Your Summer with a Work/Internship at Camp Unirondack!
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| 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, especially in circus arts, music and dance. 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. Staff members must be at least 18 years old to be counselors, but they consider responsible and experienced people who are 16 or older to be on kitchen or maintenance crew.
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! | |
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| Greetings from the Director |
Happy New Year! Of all holidays, I never thought I would write about Valentine's Day in an issue of Youth Ministries Updates. 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 B. Kesting Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director |
From the Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color
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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 mcummings@uua.org 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 | |
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| REMINDER! Advise the UUA President: Join the Youth Ministry Advisory Committee |
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Applications are being accepted until January 15tth 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 ekesting@uua.org or 617-948-4359. |
| Our Whole Lives (OWL) DVD Now Available |
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The office of Lifespan Faith Development has a new DVD resource available to replace the slides previously offered for Our Whole Lives Grades 7-9 Sexuality and Our Faith. Changes to the new format include an updated script with a recorded narration option and several new illustrations. Three sections are included, as with the previous slide format.
This visual resource continues to be available for purchase to UU congregations with facilitators who have completed an Our Whole Lives Sexuality and Our Faith facilitator training and are leading OWL in the congregational setting. A DVD to accompany Our Whole Lives Grades 9-12 is also available. To purchase, call the UUA Bookstore at 800-215-9076. |
| 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 Ministry. Their 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 recently been published to highlight recommendations of specific interest, provide context and clarification, and support congregations in their discussion and implementation in their community. A User Guide for youth and one for UUA staff were published earlier this year and are also available online. | |
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| Contact the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries |
Erik B. Kesting, Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director (617) 948-4359 ekesting@uua.orgRev. Dr. Monica L. Cummings, Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color (262) 705-5786 mcummings@uua.orgJeremie Giacoia, Leadership Development Associate (617) 948-4352 jgiacoia@uua.org
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