The Consultation on Ministry to and with Youth
The Consultation on Ministry to and with Youth is a two-year process to revision, renew and support our Association's ministry to and with youth. It solicited the input and commitment of a variety of stakeholders in Unitarian Universalist youth ministry, reaching over 5,000 people over the course of two years. Conversations within congregations, districts, and stakeholder organizations focused on what they can do to support youth ministry at their level, and what the Association can do to support youth ministry as a whole. In this way, the process built from the ideas and needs of youth and adults at the grassroots level.
These conversations about youth ministry were an opportunity for youth, religious educators, ministers, youth advisors, lay leaders, and others doing ministry with youth to have their unique needs and visions listened to and discussed on all levels of the Association.
For an overview of the wisdom gathered over the course of the process, read the Consultation on Ministry To and With Youth Summary Report (PDF, 76 pages).
Goals and Desired Outcomes
In February 2005, thirty youth and adults from across the Association gathered to discuss the Association's ministry to and with youth. They identified five focus areas (desired outcomes), listed the stakeholders, and made suggestions for moving forward in each of the five areas. Based on the lessons learned in the process so far, in the summer of 2006 the Task Force on Ministry To and With Youth added to the desired outcomes to better reflect the areas where our youth ministry can grow and strengthen.
The desired outcomes of the process are:
- More than just a one-size-fits-all youth ministry—a youth ministry that is robust, flexible, and diverse.
- Denominational youth work that focuses on serving local congregations.
- Mutually respectful and empowering relationships between youth and adults.
- Anti-racism and anti-oppression work infused within every part of youth ministry, with a recognition that there is not one "right" way of doing the work—providing a forum for youth identity development and institutional change.
- A youth ministry the meets the spiritual needs of youth and increases the spiritual depth of our congregations.
- Effective communication within, between, and among all areas of the Association.
For more information contact youthconsult @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, January 4, 2008.
