Calling Treat others the way you want them to treat you Character Agreement; mutual promise Conscience The deepest part of yourself; the human spirit Covenant The real you; the qualities that make you you Faith Feeling you must do or be something to be true to yourself Golden Rule Spiritual or...

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 2, Terms and Definitions Nametags or sticky notes and markers Optional: Pencils Preparation for Activity Decide whether to use the active or less active option. Write each term and each definition from Leader Resource 2, Terms and...

Respect yourself if you would have others respect you. — Baltasar Graci IN TODAY’S SESSION… Today was the last session of Amazing Grace: Exploring Right and Wrong. We did Ethics Play, and we talked about what kind of values virtuous people have. We heard the story of Narcissus and thought...

If I do not have love, I am nothing. — adapted from 1 Corinthians 13:2 IN TODAY’S SESSION… We talked about the power of individual action and kindness. We did Ethics Play and heard a story about a single snowflake that made a big difference. We made art built on the idea of universal love,...

Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. — Mark Twain IN TODAY’S SESSION… We talked about our good sides and our bad sides. A story about a man and his son and their donkey made us think about peer pressure. We did Ethics Play and made an Ethics Obstacle Course,...

Talk about the metaphor of garden of seeds inside of each of us. Does your family agree with the idea that we have both good and bad traits, and that some traits are both good and bad? Do your family members share some character traits? Do you think you share those traits because of the “soil”...

Meet with your co-leaders after the session to reflect on how it went. How was your mix of discussion and action? Have you successfully found ways to involve all youth fully in your sessions despite any limitations they might have? What can you do next time you meet to reinforce any learning that...

Briefly summarize the group’s exploration of seeds of character. Distribute the Taking It Home handout. 

Greet participants as they enter. Greet any newcomers, give them name tags if others have them, and make sure they know others in the room. Direct each participant’s attention to the Conundrum Corner, but do not say anything more about it. In answer to any questions about it...

In the days before you present this session, explore your own ideas about what it takes to be a good person in the world. Where did your ideas about good and bad behaviors and choices come from? What character traits help or hinder your striving to be a good person?

The mind is a field in which every kind of seed is sown. — Thich Nhat Hanh  This session is the first of four that focuses on ethical development. This one uses the metaphor of a garden and growing plants to explore how it is that we can develop the positive qualities we want to see in ourselves.

Terms are on the left and their definitions are on the right. Write each term on a separate hanging name tag. Do the same for each definition. During the matching game described in Activity 3: Matching in Motion, participants should align themselves to match terms and definitions as given here.

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Unitarian Universalist hymnbook, http://www.uuabookstore.org/Singing-the-Living-Tradition-Hymnal-P16918… the Living Tradition Preparation for Activity Reading 477 in Singing the Living Tradition. Description of Activity Share a few brief quotations...

Activity time: 7 minutes Materials for Activity Copies of the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook, http://www.uuabookstore.org/Singing-the-Living-Tradition-Hymnal-P16918… the Living Tradition Music player Recording of "Amazing Grace," preferably one that includes lyrics Preparation for Activity Have...

Activity time: 7 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 2, Definitions Preparation for Activity Write the twelve terms on separate name tags. Do the same for the twelve definitions....

Activity time: 15 minutes Preparation for Activity Identify a spiritual space your group can visit conveniently. If you intend to visit your congregation's sanctuary while a service is in progress, speak with the service leaders in advance about how to be present without being interruptive. Other...

To err is human, to forgive divine. — Alexander Pope To understand everything is to forgive everything — Hindu Prince Gautama Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism IN TODAY’S SESSION… We talked about forgiveness, beginning with a quotation that says it is human to err and divine to forgive.

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Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are. — Franklin D. Roosevelt IN TODAY’S SESSION… We talked about the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments and saw art related to it. We thought about whether art sometimes makes us feel spiritual, and then about some unwritten rules in our lives.