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Unitarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries
July 2011 Youth Newsletter
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 Letter from the Editor
Fifty One
Dear Friends, The Fiftieth Anniversary General Assembly of the Unitarian Univeralist Association in Charlotte, North Carolina was a big success and now it is time to look toward GA 2012, celebrating our movement's passing this milestone by standing and witnessing for justice in Phoenix. How big was GA '11, you ask? 1,933 delegates and more than 4,100 on-site attendees representing 585 congregations as well as 40 off-site participating congregations from 49 states, 3 Canadian provinces and Mexico all made themselves heard in Charlotte. Our action of public witness that drew hundreds of UUs wearing the trademark yellow of Standing on the SIde of Love was covered by the local paper and on all four area TV news channels. For more detailed information including video of plenary sessions, our public witness for LGBT RIghts in Marshall Park, Worship services and music, visit the General Assembly 2011 Event Coverage page. Our presence was seen, heard and felt in Charlotte. Follow the live plenary updates and discussion on the UUYouthMinistry Facebook group page; familiarize yourself with what Youth 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!  |
 Youth View
YOUth INPUT REQUIRED!
YOUTH APPLY NOW! APPLICATION DEADLINES MONDAY AUGUST 1, 2011! Every two years the UUA Board of Trustees Committee on Committees (CoC) recruits and brings recommendations to the Board for appointment or re-appointment to all Board-appointed committees. Youth are eligible to stand for certain positions. Make sure your point-of-view is heard on the UUA Board of Trustees - encourage youth to apply today! SERVE ON THE YOUTH MINISTRY ADVISORY COMMITTEE The YMAC is looking for youth members. Apply here. YOUTH CAUCUS HUUPER APPLICATION DEADLINE AUGUST 25, 2011!
A Youth Caucus HUUPER (Hardcore UU Person, Energized and Ready) serves as a co-dean of Youth Caucus. This means helping select the other staff, coordinating programming, running meetings, collaborating with adults and making Youth Caucus the best that it can be! This is a two-year position. Youth Caucus is a great opportunity for youth from across the country to meet, learn and have fun together. HUUPERs help make it happen!
YaYA Staff stands ready to help: contact us at youth@uua.org
The UUA offers many ways for youth to lead our movement and develop our faith - field testing new resources is one of them. Check out these programs and email fieldtest@uua.org to learn more! Heeding the Call: Youth view themselves as agents of change in the world as they develop qualities crucial to justice work. A Chorus of Faiths: Guides youth to become interfaith leaders as they explore diverse faiths, including our own, and implement a local interfaith project based on UU values of service to our community and religious pluralism. (Developed with the Interfaith Youth Core (founded by Eboo Patel) and funded with a grant from the Shelter Rock Congregation.) Building Bridges (online soon): Youth understand and appreciate our religiously diverse world by examining religions through the lens of how they serve fundamental human needs. |
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News From GA
Resolved
Comprehensive GA coverage is available at www.uua.org/ga. Here are some highlights we'd like to share with you!
Synergy Worship
Eighteen youth from across the country bridged and over 1000 GA participants were in attendance at the annual youth and young-adult led Synergy Service. The Synergy service paid special attention to the 50th Anniversary and the role of youth and young adults in our history.
Board Restructured
Delegates at General Assembly voted to change the size of the UUA Board of Trustees and the process by which they are elected. At plenary, a youth delegate spoke in favor of the change, noting that if it passed, multiple youth could serve as trustees at the same time (video, 2:41:40). Watch this newsletter for more information on how you can serve as a member of the Board of Trustees in the future.
Remote Voting - Can't make it to GA in the future? No Problem!
One of the many votes taken this year was to allow off-site delegates and remote voting. That means that if you can't get to GA but you still want to serve as a delegate from your congregation, you will be able to virtually attend sessions and vote! This year a trial was held in which off-site delegates participated from home - or in some cases their congregation - and could speak about the issues at hand and be heard by the entire Assembly. Watch this newsletter in the coming year for information on how you might be an off-site delegate.
Statement of Conscience Ethical Eating: Food and Environmental Justice
"Aware of our interdependence, we acknowledge that eating ethically requires us to be mindful of the miracle of life we share with all beings. With gratitude for the food we have received, we strive to choose foods that minimize harm and are protective of the environment, consumers, farmers, and all those involved in food production and distribution."
Actions of Immediate Witness and Responsive Resolutions
Three Actions of Immediate Witness passed: Protest Representative Peter King’s Hearings on “Muslim Radicalization," Support Southern California Supermarket Workers’ Struggle for Decent Wages and Benefits, and Oppose Citizens United-Support Free Speech for People.
Responsive Resolutions on learning Spanish, celebrating New York’s marriage equality law and preparing youth and young adults for Phoenix were also passed on Sunday.
Couldn't make it to Charlotte? Missed a workshop you wanted to go to?
If you couldn't make it to GA this year or couldn't make a workshop but still want to know what it was that everyone experienced, you can! Extensive online coverage is available and many of the workshops were recorded for you to listen to at home. Look for ideas you can bring to your congregation in the next year. Workshops range from "Offering Successful Multi-Age Mission Trips" to our Youth Caucus "Anti-Racism/ Anti-Oppression/Multiculturalism Training" to a number of different workshops preparing for next year's GA in Phoenix in 2012. (Note that the second link provides audio downloads for purchase.)
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Social Justice
UPDATE 07: Do you recall?
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Events
Opportunities
Training
Gatherings
Week at The Mountain, July 24-29, 2011, Highlands, NC. Attention Youth and Youth Advisors! Hikes, campfire, beautiful scenery, great food and more! Be the first to experience the new Youth Ministry Renaissance module co-authored by Beth Dana and Jesse Jaeger. Work with the Rev. Dr. Monica Cummings as she leads afternoon workshops on supporting youth of color and GLBTQ youth. Apply here. Youth Program Testers Needed! Become a field test congregation for new youth programs. A Chorus of Faiths is an eight-workshop program for high school youth on interfaith leadership. Heeding the Call is twelve workshops devoted to developing qualities of a justicemaker in junior high aged youth. Apply even if you plan to use the programs in non-traditional settings: add a workshop of curricula once a month to your regular youth group meetings, use them to launch weeknight programming, or as the basis of a retreat. If your congregation has a relationship with youth groups from other religions, use A Chorus of Faiths to spark interest in doing service work together. Some congregations already envision using A Chorus of Faiths with a cluster of youth from several congregations. For applications email fieldtest@uua.org. Direct questions to Jessica York, Youth Programs Director, at jyork@uua.org. Dynamic Youth Ministry: On-line course 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":  |
Announcements
Association-wide
International
Regional
Local
SPECIAL DELEGATION TRIP TO HAITI AUGUST 20-27 Are you a youth or young adult dedicated to social justice? The UUA and UUSC need you to work in solidarity with the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPP), a UUSC partner. This trip offers up-and-coming social-justice leaders a unique hands-on opportunity to support MPP and their sustainable eco-village project providing homes and livelihoods for Haitians displaced by the earthquake. Find out more and apply now: DEADLINE JULY 17! UUA Youth Project Grant Program - Apply Now! As called for in the Youth Ministry Working Group Recommendations, the UUA has established a grant program for local youth-led projects giving Unitarian Universalist high school age youth opportunities to grow in faith, deepen in spirit, develop skills and offer leadership and service to Unitarian Universalist communities. Grants up to $2,000 will be awarded to youth who pair with an adult advisor in a sponsoring congregation, district or Unitarian Universalist organization. We are accepting applications now, so apply immediately! Deadline to apply for the next round of funding is August 1 - don't delay! Learn how to apply, including sample project ideas, at Youth Project Grants. |
 Resources
Books
Videos
Website
Organizations
 Online video resources from the Rev. Dr. Monica L. Cummings
Introduction to Gender and Sexual Orientation for Youth
Introduction to Ethnic Identity Formation for Youth of Color Faith Like a River: Themes from Unitarian Universalist History - a Tapestry of Faith program for adults exploring the dynamic course of Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist (UU) history, its people, ideas, and movements that shape our faith heritage. Help spread the word about this new resource!
UU World Summer 2011 Issue. 
Our 50th Anniversary "Gold Issue!" Subscribe or read UU World online!
Kids Spirit Online KidSpirit Online is a unique community for 11to15-year-old youth everywhere. Young writers and artists share their ideas in KidSpirit Magazine, an ad-free quarterly that explores spirituality, values and life's big questions in an inclusive atmosphere. Visit, read, contribute!
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. Download Episode Seventeen (MP4) (right-click to save the file).
Grants - Youth Project Grants Grants are available ranging in value from $200-$2,000 to help support congregations and districts by creating opportunities for youth, including service and spirituality projects. Next application deadline is August 1, 2011.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?
E-mail us at youth@uua.org
Keep reading - let's evolve together! 
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