Do lifelong UU identifying young folk feel connected to UUism?

I thick before I go any further I should disclose that I was raised in UU community. So here goes. This is what I have to say. And I mean no offence to by it.

I feel to often UUs (individuals and their communities (churches, fellowships and societies)) go out of their way to make newcomers feel welcome. This is done throw providing things like special green mugs during the Sunday fellowship hour and courses such as “Introduction to UUism”; intended to give them some further knowledge on their new spiritual community and the history of the religion it’s a member of (UU). This is all fine and well but sometimes it feels to me that this is all done at the expense of the needs of the ones who grew up in UU communities. Well maybe this is only do to the fact that most of those that are active in UU communities came as adults having either grown up in another religious tradition or a lack of one, that this mite be going on. I mean maybe the adults are thinking on an unconscious level that you can’t expect to find the spiritual fulfilment that is right for you in the places you grew up in, you see we didn’t.

So I am not suggesting we as UUs stop trying to welcome new people and our attempts to help them feel welcome in our midst. But I do think this will never help UU communities to grow which, I always hear is a big goal for UU communities and the wider UU movement. Well I mean that they will never grow unless we try and respond to the needs and honour the religious/spiritual discovers made by those of us UUs who went throw UU religious exploration classes and YRUU. Just tack a look at the current results of this poll being don on FUUSE the online community for UU and Unitarian youth and young adults. It should be noted that most of the members of FUUSE either have gone throw the YRUU experience and or a young adult one modelled after the YRUU one. So what is this poll saying? Well, it asks the question “Do you feel yourself connected to Unitarian Universalism?” and these are the options and the results (as of 10:45 pm EST).

“Yes, better than ever 34 (28.10%)
Sometimes 25 (20.66%)
I used to, but not so much anymore 37 (30.58%)
Nope 16 (13.22%)
No, I never identified as a UU 0 (0.00%)
No, I’m in the process of finding a new faith community 9
(7.44%)”

So as you can see out of the 121 respondents 62 (51.24%) a little over half of them are struggling with their connections to UUism or have decided it’s better to go look for a new religious/spiritual community and another 25 (20.66%) only feel connected to UUism sometimes. And 34 (28.10%) said “Yes, better than ever”. So what does this all tell us abut the way UU treats its young long time members? Well if the results of this poll are representative of UU identifying young folk (and I think it is) then I feel UUism and its communities thy have a major problem which needs urgent addressing if UUism is to stay vibrant and flourish for a long time to come.

I’m bringing copies of my resolution to the CUC ACM

I’m bringing copies of my resolution (the “Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution”) to the Canadian Unitarian Council’s (CUC) Annual Conference and Meeting (ACM) in the hopes of spreading the word about it and it’s importance. As I have already stated in some of my previous posts, I am planing to get it on the agenda for next year. But what I have not mentioned is the process I most fallow to have it put on to the agenda. Well my resolution is not a General Social Responsibility Resolution and I was tolled it is not a Social Responsibility Resolution without Notice, so then what is it? Well apparently it is a Social Responsibility Resolution with Notes. So what dose that men? Well it means that in order for it to go on the agenda it must be sinned by at least 15 delegates, which represent at least 5 congregations, and this most be don by the time all the delegates are chosen. Apparently this is 3 months or so before the CUC ACM. And the sinned copes most be sent to the CUC’s offices in Toronto ones they are sinned. Well in order for it to be approved in time to go out with all the other resolutions in the pre-ACM packet which is sent to the congregations and their delegates.

Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution Canadian adaptation – condensed version

After reviewing the Canadian adaptation I made of the Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution written by Victoria Mitchell and Kimberlee Tomczak as well as their newly edited and condensed version, I came to the conclusion my adapted Canadian version it to could be condensed as well. So here is a condensed version of the Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution Canadian adaptation. And I hope a finale version will be ready for adoption by the delegates at next years Annual Business Meeting of the Canadian Unitarian Council tacking place in Thunder Bay over the May long weekend.

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Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution

WHEREAS the future of our organization benefits from the full participation of youth and young adults to enliven, grow and sustain our Unitarian Universalist movement, principles and ideals, including the use of the democratic process within our congregations and society at large; and

WHEREAS Youth and Young Adult empowerment is an attitudinal, structural and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people to create multigenerational equity; and

WHEREAS unique opportunities at the congregational, regional, national and continental level for youth and young adult self-direction create synergy for a larger youth and young adult identity and promote communication and connections between local youth and young adults across the nation and the continent;

BE IT RESOLVED that the delegates at the 2009 Annual Business Meeting of the Canadian Unitarian Council mandate the Canadian Unitarian Council and its member congregations to:
1. Invite ministerial support to youth and young adults through inclusive worship and intentional presence; and
2. Invest financial support in youth and young adult, regional and national leadership bodies when viable; and
3. Provide and promote youth and young adult conferences, leadership and spiritual development events on the regional and national level including appropriate resources to insure they are accessible by all youth and young adults who which to attend them; and
4. Provide support for youth and young adult staff and volunteers to receive suitable training and resources; and
5. Support youth and young adult self-directed anti-racism and anti-oppression work; and
6. Provide and support Our Whole Lives for both youth and young adults; and
7. Attend to the needs of youth and young adult constituents with marginalized identities by providing resources and opportunities within the congregation and at the regional and national level; and
8. Establish and maintain a formal process of cooperation between the Canadian Unitarian Council and the Unitarian Universalists Association and its affiliated organizations (such as YRUU and C*UUYAN), with the stated goal of insuring long-lasting and healthy continental programming for both youth and young adults.

Announcing the beginnings of Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Gazette

This is the announcement I posted on the Unitarian Universalist (UU) youth and young adult web site, FUUSE and a few other places, including on all the UU young adult Faceboox groups I am a member of. And it’s in regards to the new independent online newspaper written for and by Unitarian Universalist young adults in North America to which I am launching. Hopefully some time this spring if all goes well.

The Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Gazette will be a new independent online newspaper written for and by Unitarian Universalist young adults (UUYA). It will dish up a mix of intelligent journalism, artful story telling, intriguing opinion and weighty commentary. Hopefully all with great sprinklings of ridicules and whimsical humour spun throughout. It will with any luck deal with such subjects as the political and cultural underpinnings and goings one within the varying North American UUYA communities. And it will be published online twice to quarterly each year at http://uuyag.wordpress.com/. But before any of this can happen, editors, writers and journalist need to be sought. So this is where you come in. Have you ever thought, wouldn’t it be nice if I could tell the wider UUYA community about what goes on young adult wise locally ware I am. Or maybe you just want to know more about what the UUA or the CUC’s planes are wen it comes to support for UUYA community and have always wanted to track it dawn but haven’t do to a lake of an appropriate venue to share your findings in. Or maybe you have a relay funny UUYA themed fiction story or poem you just what to share with a wider UUYA audience. Well the Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Gazette is just the place to do it in. So come onboard and be an editor, writer or journalist for this crate new UUYA online newspaper, by sending a message describing your area of interest to nived_90@yahoo.ca with UUYAG in the subject line. And to stay up to date with this new endeavour plus to get an e-mail notification of the release of the first edition just go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uuyag-announce/ and join the official Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Gazette e-mail announcement list.

I have never met any of the whiny UU youth you all seem to be speaking about…

What fallow is a response to the Rev. Scott Wells post entitled The youth resolution and the Obama generation as well as all those who commented on it.

I just wont to say I have never met any of the whiny UU youth you all seem to be speaking about. And my best and most healthy experiences, I had them at my district’s youth cons. Whether that was at ones put on by the varying youth groups of the UU congregations throughout southern and northern New York State or at ones I was helping to put on with my youth group at my home church in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, it was marvels. Yes it dos come dawn to the adults how are working with the youth. ‘Cause if the adults go around acting like they always know what is best for the youth only handing out the vary rare opportunity for the youth to manage their own destines then yes, I suppose you would have whiny youth. And I would say they would have good reason to be upset. But, if on the other hand, the adults involved with the teens share their many years of wisdom. Not to mention help the youth to billed up safe spaces like cons and Sunday morning youth groups all filled with opportunities to learn and practise how to be leaders able to billed, run and maintain community with the help of their fellow youth of cores. Then and only then do you have healthy youth programming. But if after the youth graduate from their wonderful UU youth programs, and I hope they are wonderful, you just tell all the youth to now wash their hands of all the good stuff they learned and discovered as youth. I mean to be come proper upstanding adults “gag” able to now do things in the adult way of doing things. And in the UU world that would be the way of the UU immigrants. Then yes you will have whiny young adult. And yes they would have good reason to be upset. And yes I am a young adult, and I have felt the push to become more like the other more, older UU adults who unlike me were not razed UU. And this push it’s always subtle, some of the people who do it are I’m sure not even aware they are doing it and would change if they knew what they should be doing instead. So this whole push for youth and young adult empowerment can be summed up in this definition from the vary resolution you all seem to choose to knock so heartily. And it’s as fallow: “WHEREAS Youth and Young Adult empowerment is an attitudinal, structural and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people to create intergenerational equity”. And yes this is all about equity and equality and just like the women of the women’s movement we, the UU young adults and youth feel it’s hi time we got ours.

Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution Canadian adaptation

This is an adaptation I have made of the great Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution Written by Victoria Mitchell and Kimberlee Tomczak. It’s intended to be a version that the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) can have passed at its Annual Business Meeting. Either at this years CUC Annual Conference and Meeting in Ottawa in May, or more likely at next years in Thunder Bay. And it is pretty much the exact resolution that they wrote with only I think one vary un-Canadian section removed and the language changed to be more CUC friendly, plus I think I added a section about the CUC’s duties and responsibilities in regards to continental activities, events and programming. And the reason for this document is the CUC needs to have the values of youth and young adult empowerment be part of its work with youth and young adults also and ‘cause it also needs to play its role in the future of continental youth and young adult programming. And I do believe the CUC has a roll to play wen it comes to continental youth and young adult programming. Thoughts? And to read the original resolution that was the inspiration for this just go here.

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Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution

WHEREAS youth and young adults in the past have been visionaries for our movement, youth and young adult leaders were a key component of bringing Unitarians and Universalists together in the merger of 1961 and the subsequent creation of the Unitarian Universalist Association; and

WHEREAS the future of our movement benefits from the full participation of youth and young adults to enliven, grow and sustain our Unitarian Universalist movement, principles and ideals, including the use of the democratic process within our congregations and society at large; and

WHEREAS the Canadian Unitarian Council supports the full participation of persons in all of its and their activities and in the full range of human endeavour without regard to . . . age”; and

WHEREAS Youth and Young Adult empowerment is an attitudinal, structural and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people to create multigenerational equity; and

WHEREAS if youth and young adult empowerment is to be a reachable goal in our movement, it is necessary for there to be support in providing unique opportunities at the congregational, regional, national and continental level for youth and young adult self-direction and for youth and young adults to be active, full members of our movement and its, bodes groups organizations and congregations; and

WHEREAS youth and young adult involvement at the regional, national and continental levels create synergy for a larger youth and young adult identity and promote communication and connections between local youth and young adults across the continent; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT Canadian Unitarian Universalists call for a commitment to support youth and young adult empowerment within the Canadian Unitarian Council, including in its regional and national structures, events and bodes, as well as amongst the activities, groups and bodes of its member organizations and congregations; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Canadian Unitarian Universalists call for ongoing cooperation with the Unitarian Universalists Association and its affiliated organizations (such as YRUU and C*UUYAN) by the Canadian Unitarian Council and its regional and national, events and bodes, as well as amongst the activities, groups and bodes of its member organizations and congregations to insure long lasting continental programming for youth and young adults, which is in accordance with the values of youth and young adult empowerment; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the delegates at the 2008 Annual Business Meeting of the Canadian Unitarian Council urge all the Canadian Unitarian Universalist congregations to:
1. Annually assess how youth and young adults are or are not supported in worship and congregational settings; and
2. Provide ministerial support to youth and young adults through intentional guidance, presence, devotion and time wen appropriate and needed; and
3. Invest financial support in youth and young adult initiatives when viable; and
4. Provide support for youth and young adult staff and volunteers to receive suitable training and resources; and
5. Attend to the needs of youth and young adult constituents with marginalized identities by providing resources and opportunities within the congregation and at the regional, national and continental levels; and
6. Support youth and young adult self-directed anti-racism and anti-oppression work; and
7. The facilitation of and support for Our Whole Lives for both youth and young adults; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the delegates at the 2008 Annual Business Meeting of the Canadian Unitarian Council urges the Canadian Unitarian Council and its regional and national, events and bodes to:
1. Allot specific staff support for youth and young adult constituents, groups, bodes and their congregations; and
2. Allow for an authentic youth and young adult voice by having youth and young adult regional and national leadership bodies were feasible; and
3. Invest financial support in youth and young adult regional and national leadership bodies; and
4. Provide and promote youth and young adult conferences and leadership development events on the regional national and continental level; and
5. Attend to the needs of youth and young adult constituents with marginalized identities and their groups and congregations by providing resources and opportunities within regional, national and continental levels; and
6. Support youth and young adult self-directed anti-racism and anti-oppression work; and
7. The facilitation of and support for Our Whole Lives for both youth and young adults; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the delegates at the 2008 Annual Business Meeting of the Canadian Unitarian Council urge all the continental Unitarian Universalist institutions be that within the Canadian Unitarian Council, or within the Unitarian Universalist Association or jointly within both to:
1. Invest financial support in youth and young adult programs, initiatives and staff; and
2. Provide accessible resources for youth and young adult constituents at the regional/district, national and congregational level ware appropriate; and
3. Provide accessible resources for youth and young adult constituents, especially those with marginalized identities, who are currently not supported at the regional/district, national and congregational levels; and
4. Provide and promote youth and young adult conferences and leadership development events on the continental level; and
5. Allow for an authentic youth and young adult voice by having youth and young adult continental leadership bodies; and
6. Support youth and young adult self-directed anti-racism and anti-oppression work; and
7. The facilitation of and support for Our Whole Lives for both youth and young adults.

This Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution is a Canadian adaptation by Devin Murphy of the UUA targeted Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution Written by Victoria Mitchell and Kimberlee Tomczak

About “The Rockin Lock-in”

I meant to post this a long time ago but it took me until now to finish it. So here it is:

On Friday February the 9th I along with a friend and fellow Ottawa Unitarian Universalist young adult (Rod ESQ) went by VIA Rail, playing a good game of travel Scrabble along the way, to the first of what looks like now will be, a series of regional over night events for Unitarian Universalist young adults. It was an event called “The Rockin Lock-in” which was hosted be the McGill University affiliated Unitarian Universalist group simply known as “The UU Crew”, and it was held at the Unitarian Church of Montreal. It went dawn from Friday evening starting with a late super of veggie chilli, backed potato and salad. In attendance was Unitarian Universalist youth mostly aged 18-25ish from Vermont, of cores Montreal and yes us two from Ottawa. It was open to Unitarian Universalists young adults (18-35) from all across Ontario, Quebec, and the northern United States, but do to it being the first of it’s kind in the aria it had only a small but cozy number of people. We where greeted by my brother a member of The UU Crew and a former member of our group “The Young Adults (AKA The Noble Birds)”. After the meal and a casual overview of the rules we did an icebreaker game. Then we all went out on to the churches front steps to start a little worship service which was on the them of “rock”, and it ended downstairs in the carpeted room called The Children’s Chapel. The worship it included the singing of a few hymns and all of us telling what we considered to be our rocks. And wen it was over a bunch of us went and looked at the Religious Education games. Their was of cores, Monopoly, Risk, and this vary cool quapertive game which I fawned called “Hugs And Tickles”. So a bunch of us went back into The Children’s Chapel and set about paying it. It was fun, but at first we ware all mocking it because we realized we ware all brought up only playing adversarial games like chess. But after a bit we all started liking it. It was a game which consisted of a series of payers which we would all tack terns moving around the bored, by rolling a pear of dice. The dice had on opposite sides a picture of a person and one the other sides, the image of The Blues. The Blues was a scary looking blue cloud creature. And if we rolled two blues, we would move the blues two spaces. And if we rolled two people, we would move any combination of the people pieces forward the equivalent of two spaces, but if the people landed on the a cared square, we got to pickup a cared which would allow us to do something god for our selves. They ware things like a motivational cheer or a love squeeze. But we could only use them wen we thought that the blue was getting to close. And after using one The Blues would be sent back to it’s starting square. And ones we had gotten all the people pieces around the board we would win the game and The Blues would have lost but till this day we have still not one. Well that is because we got a blank cared, and a blank cared allows you to do something good you come up with yourselves. So we decided to go have a brake and drink some tee and socialize. And as fare as I now we are still on brake. Well following the game we went and had some random fun, which consisted of hopping races and then a spontaneous workshop that consisted of us tacking turns staring lovingly into each others eyes. So following the workshop we went and joined the rest of the conferees for our night of sleep. In the morning we gout up and had fresh Montreal still bagels and orange juice or coffee and discussed the possibilities of having another event like this one, and then we did a closing activity. The closing activity was a big group hug and by the time we had all finished hugging it was noon and time for everyone to go. Me and my friend headed of with my brother to his small apartment to which we ware staying over at until Sunday. We got to me bro’s place we had something to eat then we went out to a bar. And at the bar we played a great game of travel Scrabble. Later that evening we had an enthralling discussion all about Unitarian Universalist young adult programming. The next morning we went back to the church to attend the Sunday service which was on the seven Unitarian Universalist principles wen we went out for lunch with some of the young adults. Following the lunch we went to the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. It was so cool in fact they had this short video, which was a re-enactment this artist did with, is daughter of Moby Dick set in a kitchen. Following the museum we went back to my brother palace and packed up and went home again by VIA Rail train.