Beloveds, what a time we are living in.
As we are striving for sacred inclusivity, prophetic justice, and meaning-making we are also wrestling with digital security, data management, and protecting vulnerable populations. Doing something as simple as making a registration form, maintaining a roster, or updating a directory can feel overwhelming at times.
You are absolutely not alone in this, and we in Lifespan Faith Engagement and in the wider UUA are here to support you. For general data safety tips, check out the Congregational Data and Computer Security Guidelines.
A few questions to consider:
- What information do you NEED to gather?
- How will it be stored?
- Are there pieces of information that you have been holding on to that could be let go?
If one of the reasons to gather data is so you know if you need to serve certain communities (e.g. disability, LGBTQ, BIPOC), we invite you to lean into CB Beal’s concept of Preemptive Radical Inclusion. Assume people of all identities and needs will be present and plan accordingly in advance. We don’t need to wait for folks to tell us they will have needs; we can strive to have those needs met when they arrive.
And, always, we are so happy to have conversations with you to discuss your specific questions, offer support and resources, and connect you with folks who are wrestling with the same issues. Please reach out directly to Lifespan Faith Engagement (faithengagement@uua.org) and we will be happy to join you in this process or connect you with another UUA staff group who can help.
With all gratitude for your wisdom, work, and wonderings,
Your UUA staff of the Lifespan Faith Engagement Office