Five Guidelines for Committees with Youth Members
by Michael OhlroggeYour children are not your
children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for
itself…
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls
dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your
dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like
you.
—Kahlil
Gibran
Why Youth on Boards and Committees?
In recent years an increasing number of church boards and committees have been including youth members, observers or representatives. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) as well now includes youth members on its Board of Trustees and in many other top positions of national leadership. Why this growing trend in youth representation throughout Unitarian Universalism? The reasons are many.
Youth empowerment, along with the high quality training available to youth leaders, has led youth to seek active involvement not only in youth programming but in the wider world of Unitarian Universalism as well. Furthermore, many Unitarian Universalists (UUs), inspired by commitments to justice and equality, are coming to see full representation of youth as yet another way to live out their ideals of a just and diverse community. Unlike in a corporation, the work that happens on a church board/committee is spiritual work. Having a youth presence in such a group helps create an intergenerational community that fosters the spiritual experiences and growth of all involved.
Perhaps most importantly of all
though, the visions and voices of youth are essential to the very survival of
Unitarian Universalism itself.
Charles Darwin taught that what does not adapt to changing conditions will surely become extinct. Modern society and culture are changing rapidly these days and religions that do not adapt are bound to be left by the wayside. Because youth are some of the people most attuned to these cultural and societal changes, their participation means far more than merely ensuring a stable status quo by teaching future leaders how to do things just as they are done now. Youth participation means boldly reaching into the future to find the vision for the church of tomorrow whose construction must start today.
Youth Presence Alone is Not Enough
While people may bring many hopes and dreams to the beginning of the relationship between a church board or committee and that church's youth, these hopes and dreams might not all necessarily be realized simply by having a youth dutifully attend each meeting. The following five guidelines are designed to guide church boards and committees in making the most out of intergenerational church work.
Equality
This is the most fundamental requirement: If a board or committee wants its youth member(s) to take their commitment seriously, the youth themselves must be taken seriously. Imagine being on a board or committee yourself, devoting lots of your time and energy to that group and then ultimately not having a voice in the decisions that the body makes. If your state does not allow youth to be voting members, the opinion of the youth on each vote should at least be recorded in the official minutes and voting members should pay careful attention to the youth's positions.
Training and Mentorship
While any leader on a board or committee should optimally receive training to help them perform their duties to the best of their abilities, this is especially true for youth members. This includes helping youth learn the basics of how decisions get made and discussions get regulated, as well as the specific knowledge and skills needed to effectively serve on the particular church body.
Having a person on the committee who is already experienced with youth work and youth empowerment who can be a mentor to the youth can be tremendously valuable in this process. In addition to providing any extra information the youth might need, such a mentor can regularly check in with the youth as to how their experience on the board/committee is going. From here, the mentor can work with the youth to find ways to improve the quality of their experience on the board/committee and act as an ally and advocate for the youth. Accordingly, competency in ministry with youth should be one of the key qualifications nominating committees look for in adults when selecting members for boards and committees.
Group Commitment
Having a youth on the board/committee is only one step amongst many for a group that wants to become truly allied with youth. What does this mean?
First of all, while the youth member might be "the expert" on youth affairs, this does not mean that they should bear the unreasonable burden of being the only person expected to raise issues, concerns or ideas relating to youth and youth ministry. It should be every person's responsibility to raise the question of how the actions of the board or committee can best serve youth and UU youth ministry.
Secondly, some committees, and especially boards, may believe that the work they do is apt to be boring or uninteresting to youth. Certainly, some issues may be more interesting to youth than others and this will vary from youth to youth. Boards with strong commitments to youth and to issues which are of concern and interest to youth have a remarkable tendency to be much more interesting for youth to participate in. Consider these questions that a church board might ask itself:
- Is the health and vitality of the church's ministry with youth an active concern of the board or does this seem largely irrelevant to its business?
- Does the church have a progressive, future oriented vision, striving to create new and innovative ministries to meet the changing needs of culture and society?
- Is the board concerned that all of its affairs and those of the congregation live up to UU values of justice and right relations? Is being a liberating presence in the world important to the board and the congregation as a whole or is this expected to be the sole responsibility of the church's social justice committee?
It may not be coincidence that many of the things youth are apt to find most interesting have also been identified by experts as hallmarks of flourishing congregations. Furthermore, when youth develop a strong sense of investment in a congregation and when their participation is fostered in ways such as are outlined in this pamphlet, even seemingly mundane issues can become considerably more engaging.
Seek and Celebrate Contributions
Seek out the particular skills, abilities, and areas of expertise of the youth on the board and find ways the board/committee can benefit from those gifts. Once again, this is something which should happen with every member but it's particularly important for youth. Youth programming and training provide youth with amazing skills, knowledge and experiences that most any UU group could benefit from. Youth are often quite knowledgeable concerning group building and group dynamics, anti-racist and anti-oppressive analysis, fun "energy breaks" and much more. Be proactive! Seek out the unique ways the youth member(s) can contribute to the board or committee. Celebrate and express appreciation for these contributions.
Pay Attention to Process
Who's talking and who's not? Despite the very best efforts and intentions of a board/committee to be welcoming to its youth member(s), the position of youth in this situation can still feel strange and sometimes intimidating. Pay attention to whether or not the youth is getting a chance to express their thoughts and feelings and if not, look into what the group can do to create a more welcoming environment. Special care may need to be taken to ask the youth for their thoughts or to simply provide more silence and open space for the youth and any other less vocal members to voice their thoughts on their own.
Also, many UU meetings end with a "check-out" in which those present in the meeting can each briefly share their thoughts and feelings about how the meeting went. This practice is excellent particularly for work with youth because it provides a space to hear and identify any additional issues which, when addressed, could further enhance the experience of youth working on a church committee or board.
For more information on making youth a vibrant part of your congregation's life, contact the UUA Youth Office at (617) 948-4350 or by email (below).
For more information contact youth @ uua.org.
Last updated on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
