General Assembly Youth Registration

Youth Registration for General Assembly

Youth Registration is required for all General Assembly (GA) attendees who have been in grades 9-12 (or the equivalent for home-schooled youth) in the 2022-2023 school year. Fourteen year-olds may attend GA as youth if they will have completed 9th grade (or the equivalent for home-schooled youth) before GA.

For more information about youth at GA, contact the UUA Office of Lifespan Engagement at gayouth@uua.org or (617) 948-4686.

Youth Registration for GA Is a Two-Part Process

  1. Complete the Youth In-Person Registration or Youth Virtual Registration Form.
  2. Submit the required form for your participation type.
    • Virtual Youth Participants: Submit the Youth Participation & Parent Permission Form:  Fill out and e-sign the form. You and your parent/legal guardian will receive an email invitation to e-sign the form in SignNow after you register for GA. Make sure to look for that email in your inbox; it will come from either SignNow or Lifespan Faith Engagement. If you don’t see the email, but sure to look in your junk email box as well.
    • In-Person Youth Participants: you will need to submit a Youth-Parent-Sponsor Form: The parent/guardian will receive an email from GAYouthForms@uua.org with a link to SIgnNow where they extend invitations to both the Sponsor and Youth. The email contains instructions. The parent/guardian fills out the invitation and then e-signs the form, this will require basic information on the youth, their sponsor, and the lodging for GA. SignNow will then invite the Sponsor then Youth to review the agreements and e-sign. Once complete, all three people will get emails with the pdfs, and the youth is then ready to arrive at General Assembly.

If you are having trouble with the SignNow system, check out our

I’m 18

GA Youth programs are structured based on life-stage, not strictly chronological age, so Youth Registration is too. 18 is a transitional year for many people, and the answer about whether 18 year-olds qualify for Youth Registration and GA Youth is “it depends.”

If you were in secondary school (high-school) or being home-schooled during the year preceding GA, then you are considered a youth and you may use the Youth Registration Form. This includes those who are over 18 and were still in secondary school.

If you were a college student or in the work-force and not in a secondary school (or home-schooled), then you are now considered a young adult and you should register using the Adult Registration Form. You will be expected to behave as adults and not as peers to youth (PNG).

I’m 14 but Just Finished 8th Grade

GA Youth programming is more about life-stage than strict chronological age. Since programming is really targeted for those who are in the middle of the high-school range (10-11th grade), those who have just finished 8th grade may not get their needs met by GA Youth programming or staff.

That said, you are welcome to attend GA and GA Youth programs with a parent. Fourteen year-olds who have not yet entered high school (or the equivalent for home-schooled youth) may attend GA events with a registered parent or guardian.

Youth Supervision at General Assembly (GA)

For youth attending GA virtually, every youth registrant must have a parent or legal guardian who is responsible for the youth’s supervision and well-being while attending any virtual GA events or programming. For youth attending GA in-person, every youth registrant must have an adult sponsor (who may be a parent/legal guardian, but doesn’t have to be) that is 25 years or older who is responsible for the youth’s supervision and well-being for the duration of GA. GA Youth staff is responsible for youth programming and support, but not supervision.

However, when violations of the Youth Behavioral Expectations and covenant occur, a selection of GA Youth staff, Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) staff, the Adult Sponsor, the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the youth, and the youth, themself, may be called together to decide the consequences. GA Youth Staff and UUA staff reserve the right to take action, which may include removing the youth from GA Youth programming or GA at their own expense and prohibiting the youth from attending future UUA youth events/programs.

More Questions?

For questions about GA youth programming, (617) 948-4686 or gayouth@uua.org.

For questions about GA youth forms, (720) 663-7693 or gayouthforms@uua.org

For questions about GA registration, generalassembly@uua.org