The Task Force on Ministry to and with Youth
Task Force on Youth Ministry
- Co-Conveners: Bill Sinkford (UUA President) and
Megan Dowdell (UUA Board Youth Trustee At-Large 2003-2005)
- Jesse Jaeger (Youth Ministries Director, UUA)
- Beth Dana (Youth Ministry Associate, UUA)
- Judith Frediani (Director of Lifespan Faith Development,
UUA)
- Julian Sharp (UUA Board Youth Trustee At-Large 2005-2007)
- Sara Eskrich (Local youth)
- Jova Vargas and Sean Capaloff-Jones (YRUU youth)
- Tom Rylett (CUC youth)
- Hannah Stampe (GLBPTQQI youth)
- Rachel Davis (DRUUMM
youth)
- Tera Little (District Staff and Religious Educator)
- Rev. Shana Lynngood (Minister)
The charge of the Task Force on Youth Ministry was to:
- Implement the process.
- Review the process guides created by staff.
- Select and work with additional staff/consultants.
- Facilitate the process in districts and core stakeholder organizations, and be consultants for congregations.
- Prepare and publish the reports created by the congregational, stakeholder, and district gatherings.
- Work to create buy-in from all stakeholders.
The Consultation Design Team recommended that an organizational development consultant work with the task force. To reflect the UUA and the Consultation's commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression, this consultant "should understand how issues of oppression operate in organizations." Following the recommendation of the design team, the task force worked with U.T. Saunders throughout the two-year process. U.T. also facilitated the February Consultation on Ministry to and With Youth, and has worked with the UUA in other capacities for several years.
The task force will meet three times (October 2005, July 2006, and March 2007). Their meeting minutes are available online. The task force makes regular reports to the Board of Trustees, which are also available online.
In 2006 the Task Force sponsored two awards—the Youth Ministry Sermon Award and the Youth Voices Award. They were selected in May 2006, and the winners presented at General Assembly in St. Louis, MO. The youth winner was Miles Howard from Winchester, MA and the adult winner was Rev. Adam Robersmith from Geneva, IL. View the award flyers.
For more information contact youthconsult @ uua.org.
Last updated on Monday, June 9, 2008.
