Youth Ministry
"As Unitarian Universalists, our call to the work of youth ministry rests on our spiritual commitment to build the world we dream about—a world in which our faith communities welcome people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds to join hands in nourishing our spirits and healing the world." —The Youth Ministry Working Group Report, 2009.
For more information, contact: youth @ uua.org
Get Connected
Communicate with others involved in youth ministry to learn, teach, share ideas and support one another.
- Visit Blue Boat, the blog hosted by the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is a space to share stories, successes, resources and information for youth, young adult and on-campus groups and individuals, as well as the advisors, staff and adult allies who work with them.
- Contact your district staff member to learn about area events and other campus ministry programs in your area.
- Reach out to neighboring congregations to see what they are doing and how you can work together.
- Youth Ministry News
Published by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, this monthly e-newsletter will keep you informed about the latest resources and opportunities for Unitarian Universalist (UU) youth and those engaged in youth ministry.
- New Media
People of all ages, and especially youth, communicate in new ways such as video and through online social networking services like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and blogs. These are important tools for reaching many youth. See the UUA's Social Media Resources page for tips on how to use new media and improve your online presence and communications. The UUA's New Media for Unitarian Universalists blog is also helpful.
- Youth Advisor Discussion List
An email list for youth advisors to discuss questions and share best practices about working with youth.
- Join a Facebook group.
The Unitarian Universalist Youth Ministry page shares what is going on in our congregation as well as resources and opportunities through our office.
Get Inspired
Look through these resources, which provide ideas for worship, discussions, activities and how to structure your group.
- The Youth Ministry Working Group Report (PDF, 24 pages)
The capstone of the UUA's multi-year Consultation on Ministry to and with Youth, this report offers both specific suggestions and a call for a broad culture change in our faith communities to nurture a vibrant youth ministry and Unitarian Universalist (UU) faith. To help you explore the Youth Ministry Working Group Report and adopt its recommendations in your own congregation or organization, accompanying user guides are available for youth, UUA staff, and congregations.
- Mosaic Project Report
The Mosaic Project Report offers recommendations to help congregations, districts, and Association create an environment that effectively supports Youth and Young Adults of Color both in their development of a healthy identity and through the transition from childhood to adulthood. The positive impact of creating such an environment can reach beyond the Youth and Young Adults of Color community into all ministry areas. An essential read for all those working with youth.
- Youth Group Handbook
Offers practical suggestions, guidance and programming ideas for youth group leaders and members. Addresses collective decision making, working effectively with adults, social action, anti-oppression work, worship, and more. Includes a wide selection of games and activities for building trust and community, previously available in Deep Fun. An essential tool for anyone involved in the growth and development of a successful youth group.
- Youth on Board
This non-profit organization “helps young people and adults think differently about each other so that they can work together to change society.” Several publications and resources are available to help your congregation involve youth in decision making and serve on committees and boards.
- Welcoming Children with Special Needs
An empowering resource for accepting youth with special needs into congregations and youth groups. Includes information on common physical, mental and emotional disabilities and disorders, plus teacher training guidelines and strategies and techniques for inclusion. Designed for religious educators, ministers, lay leaders and parents.
- When Youth Lead
Offers guidance, suggestions and advice for constructing and maintaining a healthy and spiritually vital youth ministry. Seeing youth as equal participants in congregational life, Schwendeman demonstrates how teens are an enormous generative force for our faith communities and how adults have much to learn from youth about passion, friendship, discrimination, equality, faith and more.
- The Chrysalis Training Program
The Chrysalis Training Program provides teams of youth and adult trainers to lead various trainings for youth and youth advisors for districts, regions, or clusters of congregations. Trainings include Leadership Development, Spirituality Development, Basic Youth Advisor, Advanced Youth Advisor, and Chaplain. Contact your UUA district staff or the Canadian Unitarian Council's (CUC's) Youth/Young Adult Programmer Ariel Hunt-Brondwin, ariel @ cuc.ca, if you want to organize a training in your area.
- Our Whole Lives (OWL) for Grades 7-9 and Grades 10-12
Grounded in a wholistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. Resources include a book of age-appropriate workshops and an accompanying guide, Sexuality and Our Faith: A Companion to Our Whole Lives, which offers spiritual value components to enrich the Our Whole Lives experience in a faith-based environment.
- Tapestry of Faith
The Unitarian Universalist Association’s new core curriculum includes programs and online resources for youth. Here you will find stories, activities, worship ideas, openings, closings—all in complete and comprehensive curricula that have been intentionally designed to strengthen UU identity.
- Coming of Age Handbook for Congregations
Coming of Age is a pivotal program and rite of passage for Unitarian Universalist youth. The Coming of Age Handbook for Congregations is the definitive resource for congregations of all sizes and is filled with workshops for youth, small group ministry sessions for parents, social action projects and rites of passage. Field tested by congregations with groups ranging from four to twenty-three participants, this guide will help both congregations and youth to define their beliefs and put their faith into action.
- Crossing the Bridge from Youth to Young Adulthood
Formerly the Bridging Ceremony Resource Guide, this guide helps congregations, districts and conferences design and implement bridging ceremonies for youth making the transition to young adulthood. Contains both practical tips (such as orders of service from actual ceremonies) and also historical and philosophical discussions of the nature of bridging ceremonies.
Get Smart(er)
Read these books to enrich your youth ministry group and yourself!
- We Would Be One: A History of Unitarian Universalist Youth Movements by Rebecca Scott and Wayne B. Arnason
Documents the challenges, triumphs and far-reaching effects of the UU youth movement. Compelling personal stories capture how important UU youth groups, conferences and organizations have been in peoples' lives from the late 19th-century to the present. Arnason was the UUA's director of youth programs from 1980 to 1984 during the creation of YRUU. Scott was a youth programs specialist in the UUA Youth Office from 1989 to 1990.
- Full Circle: Fifteen Ways to Grow Lifelong UUs
Katie Tweedie Covey, a lifelong UU, surveyed and interviewed 82 men and women from ages 25 to 87 who were raised as UUs. She identifies fifteen common threads as critical to their commitment to the faith. An excellent Unitarian Universalist-specific resource on building multigenerational community.
- The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona-Mexico Borderlands
The Unitarian Universalist "Common Read" book for 2010-2011, Margaret Regan presents a series of intimate stories from immigrants, activists, human rights workers, and border patrol people. Through their stories, the book explores the ethical, moral, and spiritual challenges presented by the complex immigration issues on the border, evoking our human response, rather than a political or policy debate. Discussion guides were made as part of the "Common Read" project and can be found in the above link.
Get Funding
Apply for Youth Ministry Grants
- Youth Ministry Grants
The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries offers a number of grants for districts, local congregations and groups. We are always seeking to fund innovative, accountable and sustainable youth programs around the continent.
For more information contact youth @ uua.org.
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Friday, December 9, 2011.
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