Search the Blue Boat Blog Archives

Our knowledge of history defines our understanding of the present. With these posts the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries lifts up our awareness of the history of people of marginalized identity so their actions can influence ours. Meet Victoria Woodhull, the first...

Summary: Protest movements like March for Our Lives , and The Women’s March are generally legally permitted events, but protest movements can also use the tactic of unpermitted civil disobedience as a way to increase the...

Watch the premiere of Come Sunday on Netflix on Friday, April 13. Produced by Ira Glass of This American Life, the story of Pentecostal Bishop Carlton Pearson’s epiphany of inclusion shows what happens when a responsible search for truth and meaning runs into religious dogmatism...

In this month’s episode, Bart reviews Lyn Mikel Brown’s Powered By Girl. Published by Beacon Press, Powered by Girl explores how young women are embracing activism and are showing up for themselves and their peers. It also serves as a guide for adults who want to support youth...

We pray for our minds and hearts to be open to the messages of younger generations. We pray that we may find it within ourselves to offer practical, financial and emotional support to all youth who fight for their lives. We pray for physical safety which is never guaranteed,...

Youth, adults from across the country form a team to support Youth Caucus at General Assembly, 2018 in Kansas City, MO.

Religious Educator Jamaine Cripe reports from the first ever Youth Ministry Leadership Exchange on the big takeaway anyone interested in successful youth ministry needs to know.

Bart circles back to re-read Kate Erslev's "Full Circle- Fifteen Ways to Grow Lifelong UUs" and finds its as indispensable as ever for anyone growing vibrant youth and young adult ministry.

The Blue Boat Editorial Board is proud to announce the beginning of a new monthly series, Bart Reviews Books! In this series, Bart will review a series of new and older books related to youth and young adult ministry. Read the first installment today!

Why do so many UU youth lose connection with UU communities as they move into young adulthood? Are we failing our youth? Or are we preparing them for their “ free and responsible search for truth and meaning ”? Inspired by these questions, I created the Post-Bridging Survey...

Take some time to evaluate yourself: how are you getting your needs met for unlearning systems of oppression? How is your community doing on meeting people's needs?

When we've acquired new learning/done some unlearning of systems of oppression we need to practice. But what does practice actually look like? We can take actions on the personal, interpersonal, communal and systemic levels for maximum impact.

In order to unlearn systems of oppression we need to be challenged, comforted and have space to process. How do we meet those needs well while respecting others?

"Given that everyone in our congregation is in different places around racial justice, how can we meet all their needs?" wondered the religious educators in my white caucus at LREDA Fall Con. If you've ever wondered how to support yourself or your community in unlearning systems...

96% of parents prioritized that youth programs should be safe spaces for youth to explore their faith. We’re pretty good at creating safe spaces for our young folks, but how do we engage in promoting spiritual growth for everyone in our congregations?

As we approach the one year anniversary of the Women's Marches that erupted all over the world immediately following Trump's inauguration, we take a look at the Women's March in D.C. from the perspective of a Unitarian Universalist youth.

I was reading an article the other day about a school that is like “Christian Hogwarts” and the church that runs it also has a program called Young Saints . I started thinking and wondering, if these young folks are “Young Saints”, then are Unitarian Universalist youth and young...

Now is the time to invest in your youth ministry team's leadership development by using the Competencies for Ministry to and with Youth .

“This is the church of the open mind. This is the church of the loving heart. This is the church of the helping hands, where friends come together.” As we finished our opening words, we joined our hands together. It was Sunday morning again, one of my favorite moments in a busy...

I left Unitarian Universalism when I was 18. Having gone through the survey of world religions that was the emphasis of my late 80’s RE experience, I identified more as a Buddhist than I did as UU. College brought a myriad of intellectual awakenings, but my soul lay dormant.

This video offers five great tips from two former campus ministers so you can table effectively on campus.

The Annual Beloit College Mindset List is released for each new entering class as way to acknowledge the differences in worldview (or mindset) of incoming first-years. Originally, it was intended as a way to remind professors to watch their references with students. It continues...

Posted by Annie Gonzalez Milliken // August 18th 2017 Tomorrow some right wing extremists are planning to hold a rally in the city I live in and I’m planning to march against white supremacy. Like many folks, I have a lot of questions...

UU Campus Ministry Partners with Undocumented Student Center Submitted by the Rev. Beth Banks The Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis has a long-standing campus ministry, supported by a Senior Minister, a yearly intern and a Campus Committee from the...

Kaitlin Dey, Thrive Young Adult alumni 2016 and 2017, shared this reflection at her congregation last Sunday. I spent the last 10 days in New Orleans. I attended Thrive Young Adult . Thrive is part of Grow Racial Justice that is for...

General Assembly 2017 is almost here! We are so excited that you will be joining us for this incredible experience. Whether you attend every GA Youth Caucus event or come to orientation and then spend the rest of the week exploring the wide...

Meet them here virtually , before you meet them for real in NOLA!

Feel free to download and print this letter and the Youth Sponsor Parent/Guardian Sample Agreement . Hello, Adult Sponsors of Youth ! Welcome to General Assembly 2017 – ...

General Assembly is jam packed with tons of amazing programing. There’s no way you could do it all, so be strategic in how you plan your schedule. Use this blank grid to fill in your schedule. Note the mandatory Youth Caucus Orientation from 4:00-5:15pm on Wednesday. If you are...

Getting Involved at General Assembly Hey everyone, Hannah, and Annalee here... your Youth Caucus business managers, and we’re so excited to help you make an impact at this year's General Assembly. You are not only the leaders of tomorrow but the leaders of today...