Summit on Youth Ministry
July 16-20,
2007
Simmons College,
Boston, MA
The Summit, organized by the Unitarian Universalist Association's (UUA’s) Task Force on Youth Ministry, was a carefully structured working conference in which fifty-four youth and adults will create, through collaboration, a new vision of youth ministry for our Association. This vision goes beyond a “one-size-fits-all” approach towards a model that nurtures youth spiritually and inclusively, providing meaningful opportunities for involvement in our faith community and the world at-large.
The purpose of the Summit was to bring together youth and adult leaders from throughout the Association to make recommendations for change. These recommendations were based on the reports of stakeholder conversations sent to participants ahead of time, and on discussions that occur at the Summit itself.
The Summit incorporated a global perspective of what’s happening in the world, how this impacts our ministry with youth, as well as what other denominations are doing to create vibrant youth ministry. As part of this learning, Gene Roehlkepartain from the Search Institute shared the work that he has done on youth ministry and the spiritual growth of children and youth. This learning and awareness allowed participants to look more deeply into the past, present, and future of Unitarian Universalist youth ministry.
For a full report on the Summit on Youth Ministry please read the Summit on Youth Ministry Report (PDF, 27 pages).
Working Groups
- Meeting the Spiritual Needs of Youth
- Welcoming All Youth in a Multicultural World
- Building a Multigenerational Faith
- Organizing Youth Ministry for Success
- Moving Beyond a One-Size-Fits-All Ministry
- Preparing and Supporting Adults for Youth Ministry
Who Attended?
See a complete list of attendees.
The group assembled brought diverse experiences with Unitarian Universalism and youth ministry as well as creative insight and ideas. By combining these skills and experiences, we were able to form a vision for and develop recommendations for the creation of a vibrant Unitarian Universalist youth ministry that will serve all youth in our Association.
Planning/Facilitation
Planners: UUA Task Force on Youth Ministry
Facilitators: U.T. Saunders and Beth Dana
U.T. Saunders is an organizational development specialist from Brookline, Massachusetts, with more than 15 years experience helping clients with team and community building, strategic planning, and diversity initiatives. He has worked with the Unitarian Universalist Association in many capacities, including the design of the Consultation on Ministry To and With Youth and with the Task Force.
Beth Dana is a Youth Ministry Associate at the Unitarian Universalist Association and has coordinated the Consultation process for the past two years. She has several years of experience facilitating and working with groups including as a leadership and facilitation trainer, youth advisor trainer, Groundwork anti-racism/anti-oppression trainer, and a mediator.
Information for Participants
Participants in the Summit on Youth Ministry did not reinvent the wheel. Instead, they built upon the reports from the Consultation including the youth survey, congregational conversations, district gatherings, and stakeholder conversations. They learned from this input in order to create a vision for moving forward.
To learn more about the information that served as the foundation for the Summit, read the Consultation on Ministry To and With Youth Summary Report (PDF, 76 pages).
Keep an eye on this site for more details on how YOU can bring this vision home!
For more information contact youthconsult @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, November 16, 2007.
