Workshop 3: You Are How You've Lived: Exploring Individual and Group Identity

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Building the World We Dream About

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Introduction
From Building the World We Dream About

I believe that many Unitarian Universalists need to reconcile the moment in their lives when they first felt inferior to someone or something and how that moment has shaped and influenced their lives. — Rev. Monica Cummings, minister to Unitarian Universalist Youth and Young Adults of Color…
Workshop-at-a-Glance
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 10 Activity 1: The Postcard Exercise 25 Activity 2: Naming Your Identity 55 Activity 3: Large Group Exercise and Discussion 20 Closing 10…
Spiritual Preparation
From Building the World We Dream About

Read aloud or silently this poem by Rev. Alicia Roxanne Forde, used with permission….
Welcoming and Entering
From Building the World We Dream About

Materials for Activity Sign-in sheet and pen or pencil Name tags for participants (durable or single-use) and bold markers Optional: Music and player Optional: Snacks and beverages Preparation for Activity Arrange chairs in a circle and set out name tags and markers on a table….
Opening
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Worship table or designated space Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED/battery-operated candle Leader Resource 1, Meditations of the Heart (excerpt) Participant evaluations from previous workshop List of this workshop’s Goals Covenant established in…
Activity 1: The Postcard Exercise
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Postcards or photos cut from magazines with images of people or human activity, one for each pair of participants (see Preparation for Activity) Paper and pens/pencils Preparation for Activity Obtain postcards for this exercise from an art museum o…
Activity 2: Naming Your Identity
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 55 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Paper or participant journals and pens/pencils Preparation for Activity Set out paper and pens/pencils….
Activity 3: Large Group Exercise and Discussion
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Participant journals or paper and pens/pencils Workshop 1, Leader Resource 2, Affirming Experiences and Marginalizing Experiences Preparation for Activity Copy Workshop 1, Leader Resource 2 for all participants. Do not customize the resource this…
Closing
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Lined paper and pens/pencils Taking It Home A copy of Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook Preparation for Activity Write on newsprint, and post: What ideas were most interesting or challenging to you?…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Building the World We Dream About

Take a few moments right after the workshop to ask each other: What went well? What didn’t? Why? What do you think was the best moment of the workshop? Why? Did anything surprise you? Do we need to make changes in the way we work together?
Taking It Home: You Are How You've Lived: Exploring Individual and Group Identity
From Building the World We Dream About

I believe that many Unitarian Universalists need to reconcile the moment in their lives when they first felt inferior to someone or something and how that moment has shaped and influenced their lives. — Rev. Monica Cummings, minister to Unitarian Universalist Youth and Young Adults of Color…
Leader Resource 1: Meditations of the Heart excerpt

Howard Thurman

From Building the World We Dream About

Meditations of the Heart, by Howard Thurman, Copyright (C)1953, 1981 by Anne Thurman. Reprinted by permission of Beacon Press, Boston, Massachusetts. It is very easy to pretend to understand what one does not understand….
Find Out More
From Building the World We Dream About

The UUA Multicultural Growth & Witness staff group offers resources, curricula, trainings, and tools to help Unitarian Universalist congregations and leaders engage in the work of antiracism, antioppression, and multiculturalism. Visit…

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The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Workshop 3: You Are How You've Lived: Exploring Individual and Group Identity

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