The enthusiasm of the youth and the large number of supportive adults is one reason the youth ministry at North Parish is close to the center of congregational life, rather than being on the fringes. Having a part-time staff youth programs coordinator also helps.

“A lot of why I like the group has to do with community,” says Christine Middleton, a high school junior and a member of the North Parish group. “We have some great times and it’s also a place to do social action.”

Christine is also chair of North Parish’s Youth Adult Committee, a group of youth and adults who coordinate youth activities and resolve any problems, operating much as a religious education committee does for younger grades.

Creating and maintaining a strong youth group takes time, adult volunteers, and just the right amount of advice. When all the factors come together a youth group adds a dimension to a congregation that it didn’t have before.

“Congregations are most vital if they’re multigenerational,” says Jesse Jaeger, director of the Unitarian Universalist Association's Youth Office. “A huge part of that is having a youth group. Also we have a responsibility as a faith community to provide a place for our youth to be in religious community during this critical phase in their life.”

Creating a youth group is not a one-shot deal. Youth groups have to be recreated over and over by the youth and their adult supporters. As youth “age out” younger ones enter the group and leadership skills have to be redeveloped. InterConnections reported in 2000 on the youth group at the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Fellowship of Gainesville, FL. (275), which started with three members and grew to thirty-six. In 2000, Director of Religious Education Stefanie Hamblen was still doing much of the planning for the group, but expected them to take over in another two years. Has it happened?

“Yes and no,” she said in September. “It happened, but then we graduated some of our leaders last spring and now we have a younger group that’s very enthusiastic, but new. So we’re growing a new crop of leaders.”

The group meets Sunday nights for check-in, movies, games, and a worship service. They do lock-ins (overnight get-togethers) twice a year and put on an annual con. They also help when the church hosts a group of homeless people, and they do fundraisers to support their own activities.

Youth groups are encouraged to have five activity areas: leadership, worship, learning, social action, and social activities.

North Parish Director of Religious Education Gail Forsyth-Vail says, “A youth group can help youth decide how they will carry their faith out into the world. We let the ideas bubble up, and we support them as best we can. A church needs a youth group just like it needs a social justice group.”

How can youth groups go wrong? Over-control by adult advisors is one way, says Hamblen. “You have to let the youth fail sometimes. This past summer our group said it wanted to do three summer activities. But they didn’t plan them, and they didn’t happen. The next time, they made solid plans. It was a learning experience for them.”

Another mistake is to create a youth group without input and energy from the youth. Likewise, problems can arise if the youth form a group without support from adults. A youth group should be a partnership between youth and adults.

One of the the first steps in starting a youth group is to take several youth to a district Young Religious Unitarian Universalist (YRUU) event where they can get a taste of youth empowerment, says YRUU Programs Specialist Mimi LaValley. “Once the youth get excited about starting their own group at the local level, the congregation will undoubtedly be thrilled to see them getting involved.”

Many congregations have separate youth groups for junior high and senior high youth. In the Florida district a single youth group may include youth from twelve to twenty. That’s a broader age range than most youth groups use, but it works in Gainesville, says Hamblin. “We get the kids in middle school before they develop the busyness of high school. And there’s a lot of informal mentoring that goes on by our sixteen to eighteen year olds. They’re incredible role models.” Groups generally do an activity early in the year to bond the group’s new and old members, such as a sleepover.

Should a high school youth group use curricula? “There are two schools of thought,” says Jaeger. “One is that many youth do stay more engaged with an issue to focus on. The other side is that the goal of youth groups is primarily to develop youth leadership and for that a curriculum is not necessary.” He said some congregations do a curriculum on Sunday morning and hold youth group in the evening for social activities. Not all youth will likely come to both, but it provides something for everyone.

Curricula for high school tend to be short, often only one week or one month in length, and groups often pick their own topics from current events or social justice issues. However, many churches offer special one-to-two-year-long coming of age programs designed to help youth learn more about themselves and Unitarian Universalism as they make the transition from childhood to adulthood. Another widely-used curriculum is Our Whole Lives, which provides sexuality education targeted to specific age groups.

Ember Fleming is in her third year of youth group at First Parish UU in Duxbury, MA. (224). “One of my favorite moments was at a con where we had a really good worship. Just seeing everyone’s reaction and that they were getting something out of it and knowing you touched people in a personal way made it a really great experience.”

Youth group is a place, she says, where she and her friends can talk about deeper issues than at school. And where they can develop close friendships and be part of a church community. “Our youth group is really important not only to us but to the whole church.”

Resources

• Start with the Local Youth Group Handbook, $7 from the Youth Office, or (617) 948-4350. Includes programming ideas. The Youth Office has other resources as well.
• Contact your district office. Many districts have a youth consultant.
• “Building a Youth Group Takes Time, Dedication” article in the January 2000 issue of InterConnections.