We are opening applications for GA Youth Staff 2023. High school-aged youth, please follow the below steps. Adult advisors (25+ years of age), please fill out this adult interest form. For more information about staffing, check out the BlueBoat Blog.

We are seeking passionate, enthusiastic, creative youth and adults to co-create a welcoming, inclusive and exciting General Assembly (GA) experience.

All youth are hired as UUA temporary employees, paid hourly (up to about 130 hours over the year), and have their lodging, food, travel, and registration covered for General Assembly. Adult advisors serve as volunteer staff, attending GA for free—registration, travel, lodging, and a food stipend will all be provided at no cost to you.

Contact Stevie Carmody (scarmody@uua.org) should any questions arise in the process.

Step 1

Read through the position descriptions on this page to learn more about roles at General Assembly.

Step 2

Review and consider the following questions:

• How and why do you feel called to UU leadership and what strengths do you bring to it?
• When have you felt or experienced youth empowerment as a youth?
• How do you approach building inclusive & anti-oppressive community?

Ask two people to be references and make sure you have their contact information. Make sure that these references can speak to your leadership and involvement in your communities, and at least one is an adult over the age of 25 years old.

Step 3

Once your answers are done open the online application form (wufoo form), fill it out, copy and paste in your answers, and submit the form as soon as possible.

You can apply for multiple positions but may only be selected for one GA staff position, however. Members of the GA Youth 2022 staff team and the Office of Lifespan Faith Engagement select GA Youth Staff.

GA Youth Staff Positions

Positions are selected in August 2022. These position descriptions are based on GA Youth Staff 2022, and will largely reflect the responsibilities of the GA Youth staff for GA 2023. As Lifespan Faith Engagement navigates its exciting new Youth and Emerging Adult Staffing structure, there may be a few additional responsibilities throughout the year, as time and budget allow.

GA Youth Community Care Team

2 youth — 1 or 2-year position (depending on grade-level)

• Work as a team with other youth participants to facilitate emergent pastoral and community care spaces for GA Youth Staff and attendees, as individuals and a whole.

• Connect youth with GA Chaplains, GA Covenant & Conflict Team, Safety Team, and any other support teams at GA.

• Help implement UUA Youth Safety Guidelines at General Assembly.

• Coordinate with other GA Youth Staff as needed, before and during GA.

• Care Team adult advisor serves as support to Care Team youth and other GA Youth Staff members as needed, in addition to other Care Team duties.

• Work with other youth to cultivate relationships between attendees through fun, games, play, group facilitation, small group ministry, and networking.

Care Team members should be excellent listeners, comfortable with one-on-one situations, and will learn leading up to GA who to connect youth with for additional support (GA Chaplains, GA Conflict and Covenant Team, Safety Team, etc.). Successful candidates will be able to communicate effectively and often with the rest of their team and the larger GA Youth Staff.

The Care Team should be a calm, non-anxious presence. Counseling, mediation, or previous chaplain experience or training should be noted on your application and is preferred.

GA Youth Worship Coordinator

1 youth —1 or 2-year position (depending on grade-level)

• Engage youth at GA in the creation and leadership of meaningful worship spaces for youth.

• Work with YA@GA and the Office of Lifespan Faith Engagement to plan Synergy, the multigenerational bridging service.

• Work with youth at GA to plan emergent worshipful and faithful programming (grounding/centering, spiritual practices, healing stations, song breaks, etc).

• Incorporate the GA theme and GA Youth values throughout your work.

• Coordinate with others (Worship Arts team, musicians, youth interested in worship) to create diverse and accessible worship services.

Successful applicants will be organized, motivated, timely and passionate about sharing our faith. They will be able to communicate effectively and often through a variety of mediums (mostly virtual) with their partner and the rest of the team. They are able to incorporate a variety of elements and themes in their worships. They will also have a vision for how youth worship is a community-building experience and a desire to create deep connections between those assembled through varied and memorable worship. Experience with planning and leading worship (especially larger services) should be noted on your application.

GA Youth Caucus Business Manager

2 youth —1 or 2-year position (depending on grade-level)

• Work with the other business manager to help all youth understand the issues being discussed and voted on at GA (learn the first year, mentor second year).

• Educate and empower youth (especially youth delegates) to get involved in business by crafting policy stances within our Association that reflects our theological values.

• Provide opportunities for youth to investigate the issue, learn from those impacted, discuss the implications, and determine whether the GA Youth Caucus will issue a statement, helping the youth to take an impactful role in the business of GA when presented to the GA delegate population.

• Support individual youth delegates in proposing amendments, making statements and engaging with GA business.

• Support the GA Youth Caucus by being responsive to large group conversations and teaching skills that empower youth in multigenerational conversations.

• Amplify the voices of those impacted

Successful applicants demonstrate an interest in and basic familiarity with the governance of the Association. They are great communicators and are able to stay in contact with their partner and the team virtually throughout the year. They will have a willingness to learn about the specifics of General Assembly processes. They have the ability to explain complicated concepts clearly, maintain neutrality on candidates and direct large group conversations. They have a deep connection to our Unitarian Universalist values. They are skilled facilitators and are open to exploring varied methods for decision-making. Please note any experience as a GA or congregational delegate.

GA Youth of Color Coordinator

1 youth — 1 or 2-year position (depending on grade-level)

• Work with the other Youth of Color Coordinator at General Assembly (learn the first year, mentor the second year).

• Work with youth at GA to collaborate on emergent programming that will build community among UU youth of color.

• Facilitate planning and running of Youth of Color Worship service at General Assembly with other youth.

• Coordinate with DRUUMM and other groups for UUs of color to provide support, advocacy, spiritual depth, and connections to UU youth.

• Plan and host annual lunch and other get-togethers for UU youth of color at GA.

The Youth of Color Coordinators work to support and empower UU youth of color (people of African Descent, Caribbean, Native/American Indian, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latinx and Hispanic, Middle Eastern/Arab, and multiracial). Successful candidates care about the spiritual and community lives of young UUs of color at GA. They will be able to communicate effectively and often virtually with their partner, the GA Youth team, and other groups. Experience with UU multicultural programs is a plus.

Overall Team

All General Assembly youth staff should be prepared to participate in trainings in facilitation of emergent programming, as well as to be on the ground at General Assembly.

These are each 2-year positions (if grade-level allows) and applicants entering their junior year or below should be available for GA 2023 and GA 2024.

All applicants must be high school students for both years of their term (or the equivalent for home-schooled youth), i.e.: for the Fall 2022-Spring 2023 and Fall 2023-Spring 2024 academic school years to serve during the 2023 and 2024 GAs.

Previous attendance at General Assembly is strongly recommended but not required. Experience with multigenerational leadership teams is highly desired.