Tapestry of Faith: Families: A Jr. High School Youth Program that Explores the Diversity, Commonality, and Meaning of Families

Spiritual Preparation

Part of Families

Some of us find it easy to express our feelings and others find it a challenge. Sometimes we make stereotypical expectations into reality; we assume the girls in a group will express their feelings with words and the boys will express their feelings with their bodies or not at all. We are acculturated to have these expectations, and they become self-fulfilling. As facilitators, it is up to us to set the tone and to be accepting of feelings and the way they are expressed.

Take a moment to review your time with the group. Have any members expressed feelings that were difficult for you to handle? Have any members expressed feelings in ways that made you uncomfortable? Did you express your own feelings of discomfort in response? How do we communicate our own feelings while respecting the rights of others? This is truly a UU challenge: to be accepting of one another and our feelings, while offering a safe place for all. How can you both manifest such acceptance and maintain limits within the sessions?