Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Resistance and Transformation: An Adult Program on Unitarian Universalist Social Justice History

Activity 2: LRY, Cons, and the Counter-Culture

Part of Resistance and Transformation: Unitarian Universalist Social Justice History

Activity time: 25 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • Read Handout 2 and copy for all participants.

Description of Activity

Introduce the activity by explaining that participants will examine an example of a Unitarian Universalist temporary autonomous zone. Distribute Handout 2, LRY, Cons, and the Counter-Culture, and invite participants to read the handout silently. When everyone has finished reading, invite questions and comments. Engage the group in discussion using these questions:

  • Do you agree that youth conferences were/are transformative for participants? If so, why? If not, why not?
  • Is there something about being "young" that makes these experiences more accessible? Can adults create the same kind of spaces?
  • Do you think creating transformative experiences for Unitarian Universalists is related to social justice? How? Or, why not?
  • One critique of youth conference culture is that, given the broad developmental range among youth, the conference experience, which aims to "empower" youth while still providing physical, emotional, and spiritual safety, does not work for all youth. How do you respond to this critique?