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Unitarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries
May 2011 Young Adult Newsletter
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 Letter from the Editor
Our values in action
Dear Friends, ** Our apologies for the tardiness of the newsletter this month - we've been working hard on making the Youth and Young Adult presence at the General Assembly as successful as possible. We are off to a great start! Please follow and comment on the action on our Facebook group page (the link is at the bottom of the Letter from the Editor), and look for a YaYA focused GA'11 wrap-up in the July newsletter! - Ed. This month the United Nations endorsed equal rights for gays, lesbians, and transgendered persons for the first time ever. Although the vote was not unanimous and several countries voted against the resolution we should take hope in this historic event. As Unitarian Universalists we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of each person and celebrate victories such this - victories of reason, compassion, and love. We won't have victories everyday which is all the more reason that we remain vocal and committed in the expression of our values and principles. General Assembly which opens June 22 is one such opportunity and we will do our best to keep you informed and participating in GA even if you can't be there. Follow the live plenary updates and discussion on the UUYouthMinistry Facebook group page; familiarize yourself with what Young Adult Caucus does at GA; visit uua.org for access to video-streams and reports in GA activity, and follow UU World Online for blog posts and commentary. Happy reading! UUA Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. Visit the Unitarian Universalist Youth Ministry Facebook page!  |
 | | Rev. Dr. Monica Cummings |
Pastoral Message
Forgiving
Hello Family,
In the month of June we will celebrate Fathers Day and the beginning of Summer. June is also a month in which cities across the world will host Gay Pride events. After many years of not attending Pride events, I decided to show my Pride and celebrate with Milwaukee's LGBT community last weekend. After walking around the grounds and visiting most of the booths and food venders, I settled in at the LGBT Center of Southeast WI booth, where I socializedand talked about present and future programming at the Center. As darkness fell, people began to gather in the main stage area for the final concert and headline performer LeAnn Rimes.
Okay, I will admit to having a love/unlike relationship with Country Music which stems in part from the less than accepting history of the genre toward the LGBT community and people of color. So, I was undecided as to whether or not I would attend the concert. Just as I decided to head home, the music started and I found myself swaying to the beat, singing along and moving closer to the stage. LeAnn, was phenomenal in her performance, sharing about how her life influences her music and the lessons she has learned the past year.
One lesson she learned is the power of forgiving and asking for forgiveness. From personal experience, I know it is harder to ask for forgiveness than it is to forgive. What I have learned from my years in recovery is that it is even harder for me to forgive myself which is where I need to begin if I want to change how I treat myself and others.
Over the next month, I want you to ponder the following questions. When was the last time you forgave yourself? Is there someone who you need to ask for forgiveness? Is there someone who you need to forgive?
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.
Living My Faith,
Rev. Monica
Visit the Unitarian Universalist Mosaic Project Facebook group page!
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 Young Adult Leadership
Young Adults are the future of Unitarian Universalism and our movement to promote the causes we support. The growth of our faith and movement depend upon your leadership - here are some places to improve your skills:
Calling all young movement builders and revolutionaries: do you dream of changing the world?
CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR SPROG 2011 NOW!
The environmental challenges of our generation are great and hard to ignore. You may live in a community polluted with toxins from a power plant; you may live near a mountain, field, or seashore in danger of destruction; you may simply have that bug that doesn't allow you to look away from what's happening without wanting dig your hands in and make a difference.
> Southland Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association:
Florida District, Mid-South District, The Southwestern Conference, and the Thomas Jefferson Districts. Two intensive leadership experiences for congregational leaders throughout the south - the Dwight Brown Leadership Experience (DBLE) and the Southland UU Leadership Experience (SUULE) are week-long programs coordinated and run each summer by the staff of the four districts.
> Northeast Regional Group (NRG) of the UUA:
Joseph Priestley, Metro New York, Ohio Meadville, and St. Lawrence Districts.
Last summer each participating district offered a different model of advanced leadership development.
The UULTI Design Team is evaluating the four 2010 experiences to re-imagine UULTI 2011.
> MidWest Collaboration:
Central Midwest, Heartland, and Prairie Star Districts.
MidWest Leadership School, July 17-23, 2011 at Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin.
> Mountain Desert District:
JoUUrneying to Leadership, July 31- August 6, 2011 at the Russell Lockwood Leadership School.
The curriculum of RLLS evolves continuously to present congregational leaders with the resources and perspectives to help them guide 21st century congregations.
> Unitarian Universalist Association:
Multicultural Leadership Conference, August 5-9, 2011, Boston, MA.
Workshops include identity development, creating inclusive community, worship-leading with a focus on spiritual development, facilitation, and conflict transformation. "Beyond offering leadership skill development, this conference brings together young Unitarian Universalist People of Color," says
Rev. Dr. Cummings, conference organizer. "Within the UUA, People of Color often find themselves isolated. They look around their congregations and may not see anyone else who looks like them. This gathering invites young UUs of Color to connect with each other in multicultural community while deepening their knowledge of UU history, continuing the rich tradition of meetings at 25 Beacon Street."
> Scholarships are available through the Katie Tyson Fund for Youth and Young Adult Ministry and Young Adult and Campus Ministry Grant Resources.
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 Campus Ministry
Ring, ring... It's for you.
Best Practices in Campus Ministry Webinar Series: Session II - Long Distance Campus Ministry
Hear about the wonderful long-distance ministry run by Betty Jeanne Rueters-Ward, Youth and Young Adult Program Coordinator at Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock. This session will give you the tools to discover how you might serve the college students who are a part of your congregation - even though they may be living far away!
To attend please go to http://persony.uua.org, find the correct webinar on the list and click "register." The meeting number is 3383835, and the title is "Best Practices in CM II: Long Distance CM." (An easy way to find a webinar is by entering the meeting number into the search option.) Please register by Friday, July 1st.
General Assembly Campus Ministry-Related Events
Go here for the most up-to-date information on all the Campus Ministry events at GA!
Kayla Parker
Campus Ministry Associate
campusministry@uua.org
Find and friend us on Facebook!
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SB1070 + Prop 8+ WI
UPDATE 05: Warming Rays
(source for graphic: http://colorlines.com)
This column follows legislative issues in specific states with national impact that decrease social justice in our nation. This month's update adds news on the efforts by Wisconsin Governor Walker to abolish collective bargaining for public sector workers in Wisconsin, an established right since 1959.
SB1070 A federal judge in Atlanta will hear arguments on an attempt by civil liberties groups to block Georgia's new law cracking down on illegal immigration from taking effect. The hearing before Judge Thomas Thrash is set for Monday, June 20. Thrash has indicated he may rule from the bench. Civil liberties groups have asked Thrash to block the law from taking effect until a lawsuit they filed earlier this month has been resolved. That lawsuit asked the judge to find the law unconstitutional and to keep authorities from enforcing it. Thrash will also hear arguments on the state's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The Georgia law has some similarities to laws enacted in Arizona and Utah, parts or all of which have already been blocked by federal judges. PROP 8 California Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Upheld - Court Won't Overturn Prop 8 Decision Because Judge Was Gay. Chief U.S. District Court Judge James Ware's ruling rejected arguments that former Chief Judge Vaughn Walker would potentially benefit from declaring the ban unconstitutional. In his 19-page decision - a response to the first attempt in the nation to disqualify a judge based on sexual orientation - Ware had a bigger message. Gay judges, he said, are just like minority and female jurists: They can be impartial, too, even in cases that might affect them. WISCONSIN Wisconsin Union Law To Take Effect. A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court handed Republican Gov. Scott Walker a major victory Tuesday, ruling that a polarizing union law that strips most public employees of their collective bargaining rights could take effect. In a 4-3 decision that included a blistering dissent, the court ruled that Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi overstepped her authority when she declared the law void. She sided with a lawsuit that claimed Republicans didn't provide proper public notice of a meeting that helped get the original legislation approved. The legislation sparked weeks of protests when Walker introduced it in February. Tens of thousands of demonstrators descended on the state Capitol for weeks and Democratic senators fled the state to prevent a vote, thrusting Wisconsin to the forefront of a national debate over labor rights. |
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Events
Opportunities
Training
Gatherings
Dynamic Youth Ministry: On-line course offered by Starr King School for the Ministry, Fall 2011 This course is part of a broader movement to revitalize youth ministry within and beyond Unitarian Universalism This lively interactive course grounds students in theological, ethical and programmatic aspects of youth ministry and embodies a youth ministry that is a vibrant, robust and flexible part of every congregation. Previous participants include graduate students, ministers, youth advisers, non-profit staff, religious educators, parents and others. For more information and to register visit Dynamic Youth Ministry on Facebook:  North American Interfaith Network: 2011 NAIN Connect, July 24-26, 2011, Phoenix, AZ
The North American Interfaith Network (NAIN) offers a unique opportunity to include younger representatives (ages 16-35) in a valuable interfaith encounter during the 2011 NAIN Connect. This scholarship recognizes young adults across the continent who are actively engaged in important work at the high school, college, graduate, and professional level. Annual Multicultural Leadership School, August 5-9, 2011, Boston, MA
"Beyond offering leadership skill development, this conference brings together young Unitarian Universalist People of Color," said Rev. Dr. Cummings. "Within the UUA, People of Color often find themselves isolated. They look around their congregations and may not see anyone else who looks like them. This gathering invites young UUs of Color to connect with each other in multicultural community while deepening their knowledge of UU history, continuing the rich tradition of meetings at 25 Beacon Street. Download your application, read about the 2010 conference, and send us an email to yayaofcolor@uua.org if you or somebody you know would like to attend! Common Read: "The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands"
Participate in a Common Read project: encourage your congregation to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time, or take part in an on-line group. Common Read builds community within congregations and among Unitarian Universalists by giving diverse people a shared experience, a shared language and a basis for deep and meaningful conversations. Purchase Margaret Regan's book in hardcover or paperback from the UUA Bookstore. The book is available in hardcover at public libraries. |
Announcements
Association-wide
International
Regional
Local
Unique Opportunity to Perfect the UUA Website! IMPERFECT UUA.org Do you have difficulty finding what you're looking for when searching UUA.org? Well us too, so the UUA is in the process of re-shaping the website and your input as a tester is needed! YOU ARE PERFECT(ING) Testers are given scenarios and then look for information on a sample website structure. It's really easy to test (there are no wrong answers!) and it only takes a few minutes, a computer and internet connection. If interested in being a tester, please go to www.uua.org/about for more information and to apply. PERFECT UUA.org The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries wants young adults to help shape the way the new UUA.org works, feels, and looks. We are recruiting youth, young adults, parents, and lay leaders to test youth and young adult topics to make them easy to find, useful and vital. Non-UUs are welcome, too, so please share this information with your friends! EVEN MORE PERFECT Please send us specific examples of what you have had trouble finding on the UUA website in the past to youngadults@uua.org and help us make a more perfect UUA.org! With your help we will create a UUA website that works for everyone! Interfaith Leadership Training More than 40 youth/adult interfaith teams have applied for Interfaith Leader training and ten teams were selected to attend the training in February, but the story does not end there! The UUA is training teams to lead additional trainings in districts and regions all over the country, so be on the look-out for future opportunities to gain skills leading interfaith service work. If youth in your congregation are eager to become interfaith leaders, consider offering workshops from A Chorus of Faiths that include guidance on planning an interfaith service project now! |
 Resources
Books
Videos
Website
Organizations
UU World Summer 2011 Issue. Grab your copy of the "Gold Issue" to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Subscribe or read UU World online! HAPPY BIRTHDAY UUA! 
Video - "A Religion for Our Time, Episode 18: "Unitarian Universalists Rebuilding New Orleans" shows how three UU congregations in New Orleans, like the city itself, were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. However that devastation became an inspiration, not an obstacle, to the members of all three churches. Their resilience and determination have been in evidence every day of the last five years as they rebuild not only their churches, but the city of New Orleans itself.
Download Episode Eighteen (MP4) (right-click to save the file). Video - "A Religion for Our Time, Episode 17: "Greater Good Project" shows how the
First Unitarian Church in Rochester, New York has developed an amazing holiday tradition. Congregants decide how much they will spend on the holidays and then give half of that amount to the church! The children then decide what local and international charities to support with the funds. Five years on this remarkable project provides a whole new meaning to the holidays for hundreds of UU families and for the people they help. Resource - "Standing on the Side of Love Activist Toolkit" - download application for your FREE memory stick! This toolkit gives you the tools to further the Standing on the Side of Love campaign in your community and it comes on a cool memory stick! |
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Evolution
We are working on making your newsletter more fun to read and use, with more opportunities to get involved, connect with other UUs and deepen your faith.
Let us know what you think! What's missing? What are you tired of seeing?
Tweet with us at  YAYAUUA
E-mail us at youngadults@uua.org
Keep reading - let's evolve together! 
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