2019-2020 Youth Ministry Advisor Trainings

Hands Together

Save the Dates! Youth Ministry Training Opportunities 2019-2020

Read on for descriptions of three ways to deepen your youth ministry or bring deeper training to your volunteers: one live streamed training for your whole team on September 14, a six month series of flipped classroom webinars, and a small group ministry program for those committed to all six webinars.

The vision behind all three of these is to reach more adults in youth ministry, not just with content, but with relationship-deepening opportunities where we learn from each other and prioritize care of our spirits.

Registration will open in July of 2019, so check back later for more details!

Youth Ministry Reboot

September 14, 2019

  • 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern
  • 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Central
  • 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Mountain
  • 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Pacific

$25 per person onsite, $20 per person online, discount for teams
More details and registration here!

This is a team-learning centered program to start up your youth ministry year. Attend as a team at the UUA Headquarters, attend as a team online gathered in your congregation, even organize with your cluster so several teams can be together!

  • Get your newest volunteers ready to serve, and deepen the learning for continuing volunteers
  • Get grounded in a vision for healthy youth-adult partnership
  • Focus on Safety and Mission
  • Introduction to shifts in youth ministry

Flipped Classroom Youth Advisor Training!

$15 per webinar.

This will be a year long series of webinars offering deeper training for paid and volunteer youth advisors. Each month you will receive a video and sometimes a short reading to prepare you for the webinar. We will use our online gathering time for updates in the area of focus, guest appearances, discussion of questions participants bring from the reading, and break out groups for case studies. This format will let us go deep into one area each month to build your skills and capacity!

  • October 10th - 8 p.m. Eastern: Being a healthy adult in partnership with youth. Register for October's webinar.
    How do I balance adult power with youth voices? How can I be authentically myself and still be an appropriate adult presence in youth lives? These are two of the most common questions adults in youth ministry have. While over time we may get more graceful in these balancing acts, the challenges remain. We will explore balancing adult and youth roles, being authentically and appropriately present, and healthy adult boundaries through small group discussion and case studies.
  • November 14th - 8 p.m. Eastern: Safety in Youth Ministry. Register for November's webinar.​
    We will explore the role of safety policies, the adult role responding in emergencies and crisis, communicating with youth about the reasons for rules, and how co-created covenants create a safer youth program. This webinar will briefly touch on the new 2019 UUA Youth Safety Guidelines and some evolving best practices from this work.
  • January 9th - 8 p.m. Eastern: Pastoral Care to/with Youth. Register for January's webinar.​
    In times of need, youth are most likely to turn to the adults they know best. Youth need adults who know how to listen, be present with them and don’t try to fix or save them. Volunteers and staff need to know how to share concerns and enlarge the circle of confidentiality when necessary by bringing in a minister, religious educator or parents.
  • February 13th - 8 p.m. Eastern: Inclusive Youth Ministry Part 1. Register for February's webinar.​
    Including youth with different identities and experiences in the world is one of the challenges of youth ministry. Adolescence is a time of intense identity development and our youth need our help to create brave space, shift culture, honor differences and make a wider “we”.
  • March 12th - 8 p.m. Eastern: Inclusive Youth Ministry Part 2. Register for March's webinar.
    Explore how to create more inclusive youth ministries through tools that include extroverts and introverts, handle decision making well, help youth connect deeply, and respect the rhythms of group building.
  • April 16th - 8 p.m. Eastern: Multigenerational Youth Ministry. Register for April's webinar.
    Including youth in the life of the congregation in ways that build intentional multigenerational youth ministry is one of the growing edges for a lot of congregations. We’ll review the stories of some congregations who have created some innovative programs as well as look at what are the places of possibility in most congregations.

Going Deeper

$100 for the program.

Sign up for a year long program including all 6 webinars plus an online small group ministry. We often hear from youth advisors is that it’s hard for them to find ways to feed their souls. And yet, we know youth need adults who are spiritually fed! These online sessions will be professionally facilitated and give participants a way to form deep relationships with others in youth ministry while feeding their souls.

Register for the year long program