Identity Formation

several youth of varying racial identities and genders sit on a bench, some looking serious, some being silly

Participants from Thrive Youth East spent time exploring and celebrating their identities as youth of color

Unitarian Universalists bring our full selves to religious community. This means we celebrate the identities of race, ethnicityclassgender, sexual orientationability, and religious heritage that enrich our community. Youth and young adults explore, question and negotiate different aspects of our identity as part of a meaningful spiritual journey.

Welcoming

We are called by our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of all beings to welcome people of many identities. People of colortransgender and gender nonconforming folks, and people living with disabilities have been historically marginalized within our faith. Our spiritual practice of hospitality requires us to grow, learn, make mistakes, acknowledge hurt, apologize, and try again. Curricula on anti-racism and multiculturalism for youth and young adults, about whiteness, and class and classism are powerful resources for the work of welcoming.

Going Deep

As Unitarian Universalist youth and young adults explore what it means to be us in our world, we move through various stages in our identity development. Our needs for community, spiritual practices, and action shift as we change how we relate to our identities. Whether we are educating ourselves about our ethnic heritage, reflecting on the complexity of being transracially adopted, seeking out a community of UUs of color, exploring what it means to be a white UU, or questioning our sexual orientation or gender identity, we seek to love ourselves for all that we are.

Offering Support

As caring adults, youth advisors, ministers, religious educators, mentors, campus ministry leaders, chaplains and camp and conference staff, we offer support to youth and young adults as they explore and navigate their identities. Strengthen our ministry to UU youth and young adults of color by checking out these resources!

Book Cover: Voice from the Margins by Jacqui James and Mark Morrison-Reed

Voices from the Margins is a powerful collection of poems, prayers, and meditations on identity.

Portraits of three white people with the text "I wish I had the feeling of being part of something for being white."

Filmmaker Whitney Dow explores identity in theWhiteness Project.

Webinar on supporting UU youth of color.