Youth Programs
Program Overview Childrens Programs Youth Programs Special Programming RE Committee
Youth Programs
The Youth programs include combined classes for 8 and 9th grade, Senior High Youth Group for 10-12th graders and a Summer Social Justice program for all high schoolers.
8th and 9th Grade combined programs
Our Whole Lives
This is a comprehensive and progressive sexuality program for eight or ninth graders. It is our commitment to raising sexually healthy youth. This program teaches caring, compassion, and respect as well as factual information and deals with attitudes, values and feelings that youth have about themselves and the world. It meets for an hour and a half each Sunday morning for the entire program year. It is offered once every two years. It is taught by trained facilitators and there is a mandatory parents' orientation. This course is a gift to our youth and they don’t want to miss a session!
Coming of Age
This program is run the year alternating with the OWL program and is geared toward eighth or ninth grade students. The program seeks to have the youth look introspectively at themselves and ponder these questions:
What are the character traits that they are developing or hope to develop?
What is their current stand on religious issues such as god, forgiveness and sex?
Can they write a credo expressing who they are right now and their thoughts on the above issues?
The Coming of Age class develops a whole church service in the spring and it is the highlight of the year to listen to these intelligent and thoughtful youth speak their minds and hearts. Also, as part of the program they attend the Urban Immersion Weekend in Minneapolis where they spend their time learning about the root causes of poverty, doing a social justice project and reflecting about all they have seen and learned.
Social Justice Summer Interships
This summer program is a social justice internship for youth who have finished the ninth grade. Youth work in social justice organizations for a period of time that fits their summer plans. They do receive a stipend according to the number of hours they work. They meet as a group to talk about social justice issues and each student has a mentor for the program. Youth may apply for this program in the spring of their ninth-grade year.
Senior High Youth Group
The Mission of the Senior High Youth Program is to create a safe, trusting, and open-minded setting where youth feel a sense of ownership and freedom to express themselves. These programs will foster community among youth and between youth and the Society as a whole.
Youth Programs will provide opportunities to learn and apply Unitarian Universalist values, explore life issues, prepare youth to be responsible members of the Society, develop self-esteem and self-respect, learn about other religions, demonstrate social responsibility, explore one's own spirituality, and have fun.
Youth in Action
"I am only one
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything.
But I can still do something.
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the
Something that I can do."
Edward E. Hale
The senior high youth group is a dynamic group of 10th-12th graders. They meet on Sunday mornings at 10:30am. They build strong relationships as they do social service projects, learn about various curricula, plan for youth conferences and trips and just have fun together.
Some of the social service projects that they have done are: serving food at the Minneapolis Crisis Nursery and at Simpson Housing. They have painted, planted flowers and maintained the playground at a 24 hour nursery on Minneapolis's north side. They have participated in Night on the Street where they sleep outside in boxes rising money for the homeless, and they have collected food and clothing for the needy. The decorated Ralph statues and sold them to support the Hammer Institute which helps mentally challenged adults lead full lives. They have built on Habitat housing, collected books and food... well, the list could just go on and on.
Some of the curriculums that they have done recently are: the Gospel According to the Simpsons, a history of Unitarian Universalism, and Listening Between the Lines. They do a senior high version of the Our Whole Lives sexuality program every three years.
Some of the leadership opportunities for them are to be in the Youth/Adult group which selects activities and curricula for the youth, planning a youth conference for all of the youth in the Prairie Star District, and to attend workshops on spirituality and anti-racism that are offered nationally. The youth sponsor luncheons during the year and help with special events that happen in the life of the church.
The youth are stretched spiritually as they share Candles of Joy and Concern and express what is happening in their lives and opinions about events around the world. They develop a special service for the whole congregation every other year.
For fun, the youth go bowling, have overnights and movie nights, carve pumpkins, bake pies and participate in the holiday term arts activities. They have a great time just hanging out with one another and talking... the usual teenage stuff!!
The youth program takes a trip to Boston to explore our UU roots there once every three years as well as a trip to the UUA General Assembly to see the UUA in action.
The youth in this congregation are fabulously supported by the adults in the church and we are blessed to have a real sharing of support and caring among the youth and the adults. It is a great program run by volunteer advisors under the direction of the Director of Religious Education.The youth group has advisors who are with them for the whole year. The Senior High Youth Group is a vibrant and dedicated group that makes us confident of the future!
