Imagine that youth programming at UU churches and beyond was a healthy forest and the pandemic, a forest fire. Youth stakeholders have shown up for the clean-up and to steward the regrowth of our forest. Working together, we continue to salvage objects like the Big Ass Chalice that travels between youth cons (short for conference) and traditions like ESUC hosting a social justice-themed youth con again; things we have gathered up from the ashen forest floor. We are ensuring that our past won’t be forgotten, but we also understand that we are creating something new from the wreckage. This was made clear in a declaration youth crafted at the beginning of the church year: they wrote, “We don’t know where we are going. We can go anywhere we want. But we can’t go back to where we came from.”
The “Big Ass Chalice” (above) has been traveling between PNW UU congregations for years, a tradition that was resurrected this year. We model our bridging chalice after this icon.
Strengthening relationships is the centerpiece of youth ministry right now; both amongst peers at East Shore, as well as between youth and adults and between peers in the larger region of UU youth programming. We are caring for an ecosystem that exists both here at ESUC and extends to nearly all UU church youth programs in the PNW and beyond. The PNW chapter of Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) serves as the seed library and community compost site for this regional effort. The connections cultivated and maintained through the LREDA network via online and in-person support provide a much-needed place for storing, fertilizing and growing quality youth programming in the region. At in-person and zoom meetings, retreats and in online forums, idea sharing, brainstorming, planning, and policy creation occur to the benefit of all. Together, we have organized new Youth Ministry Programs to create a structure for regional events and youth conferences. This shared ministry is taking root and becoming a path to sustainable programming and shared ministry. Our youth attended three youth cons this year including:
- A fall youth con at Vancouver Unitarian Church in Vancouver, B.C., November 10 -12 with 40 youth (above);
- A spring youth con at the Shoreline UU Church, March 3-4 with 23 youth; and
- A late spring youth con at Quimper UU Church in Port Townsend, WA, April 21 – 23 with 35 youth. (above).
Another bright spot in youth ministry in the last year is ESUC’s growing capacity to serve youth. ESUC sent nine volunteers and staff to the UUA/LREDA collaborative youth advisor training last fall we hosted (above). The training was co-facilitated by Rev. Justin Almeida. We also gained experience serving as “adult sponsors” at ESUC youth sleepovers and youth cons. Youth continue to need strong relationships with adult members of the congregation, to be able to show up and come to church and to be welcomed with their voices, visions, their joys and concerns. East Shore is doing that and has great potential in continuing this investment.
Importantly, our Sunday morning youth programs including diverse topics such as world religions, social justice, environmental justice, cooperation, and belonging. Although we haven’t returned to our pre-pandemic numbers (who has?), we are having strong attendance for youth in grades 7–12. We implemented the use of a new Soul Matters curriculum called In the Middle with Junior High students this year, and Becoming with High School.
Our youth chose a theme of “climate change activism” for the bridging service in June (above) to share their wisdom with the congregation as we all prepare ourselves for more youth leadership. We also know that Rev. Dr. Maria Cristina, our settled minister, has a passion for supporting families and youth ministry and social justice activism. We have begun collaborating with ESUC’s Climate-Action Team to develop youth-inclusive Climate Revival. We look forward to continuing to explore ways to be in deeper, more creative partnership with our ESUC community.
In closing, relationships are at the center of our successes and we will continue to make opportunities for them to flourish through our programming, training opportunities and community engagement in the coming program year. Through support from the ESUC community, staff and our regional and national UU colleagues, we took big strides this last year. As a result, our program’s soil is becoming increasingly fertile. In the year to come, we are looking forward to nurturing our fragile seedlings into sturdier, more rooted saplings—a forest in renewal.
