Faith In Action: Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Part of Riddle and Mystery, 6th Grade
Materials for Activity
- Newsprint, markers and tape
- Computer(s) with Internet access and/or print-outs of information from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) website
Preparation for Activity
- If this is the last meeting of the group, plan to start the Faith in Action time by leading a short feedback discussion about what the group has accomplished and learned by doing their Faith in Action project(s). Help the youth understand a clear end point to their project(s). If possible, provide meaningful follow up about the impact the youth have had, or be ready to announce when and how you will communicate such follow-up to the group.
- Have enough adults to supervise, focus and assist youth using computers for Internet research. Invite parents, or adults from the congregation's social action committee.
- Find out if your congregation currently supports any UUSC economic justice projects. If so, find how the youth can help. Invite a member of the congregational social action committee or another adult who knows about the UUSC project(s) to talk with the youth.
- Post a sheet of blank newsprint.
Description of Activity
If this is the last meeting of the Riddle and Mystery group, lead a short discussion of what the group has accomplished and learned. For the remainder of the time, if the group has an ongoing Faith in Action project, continue work on it.
Or, consider this short-term Faith in Action project:
The UUSC and Economic Justice
Affirm that being a Unitarian Universalist means we work for worldwide economic justice. Explain that the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee promotes justice with a variety of projects around the world. Invite the group to find out what the UUSC is doing about economic justice and how they might assist.
If an adult guest is present to discuss the work of the Service Committee, introduce them and ask them to briefly describe your congregation's involvement in UUSC economic justice projects. Distribute print-outs you have prepared about the UUSC and its projects, or invite youth to use the Internet to explore the UUSC website. Have youth use computers in small groups with an adult.
What you discover will depend on UUSC operations at the time of your research. The UUSC website provides a section called Our Focus Areas; click on "Economic Justice" to see choices including Supporting Workers' Rights, Advancing the Fair Wage Movement and Promoting Fair Trade. Note that fair wages is an easy concept for sixth graders to grasp. They may wish to work on the "10 dollars in 2010" campaign, an effort to establish a minimum wage level of 10 dollars an hour in the year 2010 by writing to local legislators, making posters to interest the congregation in supporting the effort or seeking to connect with local interfaith groups which might be promoting the same cause. The action could be as simple as helping conduct the Guest at Your Table program in your congregation.
Give the youth plenty of time to learn about the UUSC-its history of the UUSC and the range of its efforts. Help youth understand and take pride in the fact that their own UU identity means that they and their families are part of the group that makes the UUSC possible.