Tapestry of Faith: Exploring Our Values Through Poetry: A Program for High School Youth

Introduction

The gods, too, are fond of a joke.

— Edward Albee, from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

This workshop gives participants a chance to have fun, and it comes at just the right time. In the next three workshops, youth examine the fairly solemn topics of faith, identity, and transformation, and after that it is time to prepare for the Poetry Slam. Now is a good time to lighten things up a bit; do not be afraid to have fun in this workshop.

This workshop offers the alternate activity of journal reviewing, which will also appear in the remaining workshops that lead up to the Poetry Slam. If you believe the group can benefit from journal review, build in time to do it during the next four meetings.

The Faith in Action activity features a guest speaker who will talk about ways to be a good ally to traditionally marginalized or oppressed groups. Locate a speaker several weeks ahead of time, work with her/him to design this activity during the ensuing time, and confirm his/her participation in the days before the activity.

Goals

This workshop will:

  • Share humorous poems
  • Contribute a game
  • Expose participants to UU jokes
  • Open discussions about humor and religion

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • Play
  • Laugh
  • Joke
  • Identify different ways poetry uses humor
  • Judge the humor of UU jokes
  • Reflect upon the place humor has in religion