Introduction
Part of Love Surrounds Us
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. — Anne Frank, in her diary, published in 1952
The theme of this session is "Making our voices heard can show love." Whether it is letter-writing campaigns, marches, or calls to our congressional representatives, every time we speak to support those with too little power, we are living our Unitarian Universalist Principles. The story in this session is a true story about Ruby Bridges who, at six years old, became a hero of the Civil Rights movement. Ruby was the first African American child to integrate an all-white school in Louisiana. The session focuses on helping participants discover what gifts or talents they have to offer to others to build a loving community.
Unitarian Universalists strongly believe in speaking up for and with those who are not being heard. In many congregations, it is just not adults who speak up but children, too. By encouraging our children to speak for those whose voices are not being heard, we help them understand that just one voice can make a difference and we should never feel that what little we can do is not valuable.
Goals
This session will:
- Introduce the Unitarian Universalist fifth Principle, that everyone deserves a say about the things that concern them
- Teach that participants can make a difference in others' lives even with what we think are small actions
- Foster empathy.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Hear a story about a young girl who took the initiative to help when she saw a basic unmet need
- Affirm the gifts they have to offer the world around them.