UUth of Columbia

I believe the children...

2009-02-25T23:01:00.000-08:00

A prelude of Sunday's YRUU service.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gKfnPWttH4

Here We Go!

2008-11-10T11:08:00.000-08:00

Finally!!!
Congratulations everyone! The UMBC branch of UUth of Columbia, Flaming Chalices, has been approved as an official student organization! Look out for more information in the near future!
If you're at UMBC and you would like to be a part of this group, you can email us at uuthofcolumbia@uucolumbia.net, and put "UMBC Flaming Chalices" in the subject line. Or you can visit our Facebook group (search: Flaming Chalices).

Same old, same old
I have more information about the Youth and Young Adult offices for the UUA, and I encourage anyone who wants to find out about that to come to the next meeting once we schedule it.

Starting Again

2008-10-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those of you that attended last Sunday's meeting.

Come back to the light!
If this group is to stay active, and if this group is going to work, we need more people to participate in the discussions, and we need more people to be active participants. If this group is going to survive, it needs to run on the fire of more than one individual. With there being 14 people in the group, more than one person should be responding to each message. If there is a better way to contact people, please notify the executive committee so that adjustments can be made.

Just a reminder...straight from the Facebook event...
Planning is in the works for our fourth annual Racial Justice Conference to take place at First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia with a little help from its neighbor, Holy Community Lutheran Church, on Saturday, October 25. There will be transformative worship, workshops, roundtables and caucuses to inform and inspire and also opportunity for exchange among congregations District-wide. Fees, including lunch and dinner, will be the same as last year: $35 per adult with a 20% discount for those coming from Fair Share congregations, $17 per youth and young adult. Registration forms will be posted on the JPD website by August 30.

First Church is just 9 blocks from the 30th St. AMTRAK station and readily accessible from all directions. There is a large commercial parking lot adjoining the church.

Philadelphia is a great place to stay overnight! Why travel home and back in just one day?

Hosts will be available at First Church from noon on Friday through 2pm Sunday. The church is near Rittenhouse Square, an area with a variety of small museums, galleries and restaurants. Our amazing neighborhood theater, dedicated to plays probing social justice issues, will be featuring the east coast premier of “The War Party,” “a modern political parable about the limitations of the two-party system - a timely and provocative satire..” that weekend. And there is much more.

There are a number of hotels within easy walking range of the church, among them the Latham, the Radisson Warwick, Sofitel Philadelphia, and others such as the Holiday Inn Express a longer walk or a easy bus ride away. Of course, there are also motels near the airport and in other suburban locations that provide easy access. We are approaching all of these regarding special rates but, as it’s also Penn Parents’ weekend, making arrangements ASAP is advisable.

As a side note, we are also soliciting other workshops. Ones already in the planning stages that might be of interest to young adults include: Local Interfaith Action for Racial Justice; Taking UU Sexuality Education Outside our Walls; Communicating the vision through: Spoken Word, Inprovisational Dance, Drama, Homemade Video. Young adults can indicate interest in enhancing one of the existing or proposing something else altogether. Message me if you are interested in any of those.

Somewhere close to home...
We are trying to pick a local organization at which our group members can regularly volunteer. Please post your ideas on the discussion board on Facebook.

Not There Yet...

2008-09-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

More?!?!
The paperwork to make Flaming Chalices (the UMBC branch of UUth of Columbia) an official organization under the Office of Student Life is technically all in. The problem is that when it was submitted at the end of last semester, the Committee had stopped meeting, so no one looked at it for a while. However, apparantly they had looked at it and had neglected to notify us of changes that needed to be made. There was an issue with a couple of words in the Constitution, and with the staff letter, but fortunately both of those issues have been resolved. And now that's all over, but we're not quite done yet. The OSL also seems to have misplaced the paperwork confirming that we have at least 5 members. They need another list now, not necessarily of the original 5. Email me if you'd like to be on that list.

Darfur Response

2008-07-25T07:59:00.001-07:00

The Answer?
For those of you that did not participate in the Darfur-related action items on the UUA website, this is the letter they send you in response (click for a larger image):

My High Horse

2008-07-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those of you who came to today's meeting.

Radius 2008
August 1-3 is Radius 2008! At the All Souls UU congregation in Kansas City, MO, there is a great opportunity to learn leadership skills, as well as fellowship and anti-oppression/anti-racism (AOAR) training and worship. More information and registration is available at ConnectUU.

YA!! YAYA Resolution Passed!
At the recent GA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Youth and Young Adult (YAYA) Empowerment Resolution, the endeavor towards which our own statement was working towards, was passed by delegates with an overwhelming majority. That statement is below:

Youth and Young Adult Empowerment Resolution

WHEREAS youth and youth adults in the past have been visionaries for our denomination, youth and young adult leaders were a key component of bringing Unitarians and Universalists together in the merger of 1961 and the subsequent creation of the Unitarian Universalist Association; and

WHEREAS statement #12, “Support, Integrate, and Retain youth and young adults to keep our congregations vibrant and growing” in the Open Space Technology Process at General Assembly 2007 received the largest number of votes, 773 votes (representing 12.4 % of the votes cast); and

WHEREAS the future of our denomination benefits from the full participation of youth and young adults to enliven, grow and sustain our Unitarian Universalist movement, principles and ideals, including the use of the democratic process within our congregations and society at large; and

WHEREAS the Unitarian Universalist Association Bylaws state that our Association promotes "the full participation of persons in all of its and their activities and in the full range of human endeavor without regard to . . . age"; and

WHEREAS Youth and Young Adult empowerment is an attitudinal, structural and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people to create intergenerational equity; and

WHEREAS if youth and young adult empowerment is to be a reachable goal in our Association, it is necessary for there to be support in providing unique opportunities at the congregational, district and continental level for youth and young adult self-direction and for youth and young adults to be active, full members of our Association; and

WHEREAS youth and young adult involvement at the district and continental level create synergy for a larger youth and young adult identity and promote communication and connections between local youth and young adults across the Association; and

WHEREAS the current members of the 2008 DRUUMM YAYA Steering Committee, YRUU Steering Committee, C*UUYAN Steering Committee supports making changes toward the goal of congregationally focused youth and young adult ministry and multi-generational congregations; (Pending these Steering Committees Official Approval)

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT Unitarian Universalists call for a commitment to support youth and young adult empowerment through the activities and attitudes of all levels of the Unitarian Universalist Association, including congregations, districts and Associational institutions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 2008 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges all Unitarian Universalist congregations to:

Annually assess how youth and young adults are or are not supported in worship and congregational settings; and
Provide ministerial support to youth and young adults through intentional guidance, presence, devotion and time; and
Invest financial support in youth and young adult initiatives when viable; and
Provide support for youth and young adult staff and volunteers to receive suitable training and resources; and
Attend to the needs of youth and young adult constituents with marginalized identities by providing resources and opportunities within the congregation and at the district and Associational levels; and
Support youth and young adult self-directed anti-racism and anti-oppression trainings.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 2008 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges all Unitarian Universalist districts to:

Allot specific staff support for youth and young adult constituents and their congregations; and
Allow for an authentic youth and young adult voice by having youth and young adult district leadership bodies; and
Invest financial support in youth and young adult district leadership bodies; and
Provide and promote youth and young adult conferences and leadership development events on the district level; and
Attend to the needs of youth and young adult constituents with marginalized identities and their congregations by providing resources and opportunities within the district and Associational level; and
Support youth and young adult self-directed anti-racism and anti-oppression trainings; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the 2008 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges all Unitarian Universalist continental institutions to:

Invest financial support in youth and young adult programs, initiatives and staff; and
Provide accessible resources for youth and young adult constituents at the district and congregational level; and
Provide accessible resources for youth and young adult constituents, especially marginalized identities, who are currently not supported at the district and congregational level; and
Provide and promote youth and young adult conferences and leadership development events on the Associational level; and
Allow for an authentic youth and young adult voice by having youth and young adult continental leadership bodies; and
Support youth and young adult self-directed anti-racism and anti-oppression trainings.

Written by Victoria Mitchell and Kimberlee Tomczak.

A video transcript of that discussion is available here.

Some powerful points of those on the “Pro” side were that over 85% of YRUUers who graduate never return to Unitarian Universalism, and that this resolution lays the foundation for the much needed support for the YAYA community. Powerful points on the “Con” side included that there are not enough details in the resolution, and the fear that this resolution only lays the groundwork for promises that the UU community and leadership cannot keep, and that this is only a way to make a false end to this issue, “patting ourselves on the back” for a job well done, when in reality nothing has been done at all. There were valid points from both sides, however, the resolution is passed. What is important now is to prove those on the “Con” side wrong. One important point that was raised is that this resolution is an urge, and not a mandate. The UUA cannot tell congregations how to use their money, and for this to become a nationwide effort, the work needs to be brought home, at the congregational level.

What does this have to do with us? Anyone who thinks that the UUth of Columbia are immune to this should read the Annual Report for UUCC: there is no money allocated for YA programming. What YA program? A new goal for us has arisen, to become that YA community that the congregation would be willing to financially support, and the increase the strength of the dwindling UU YA community.

AOAR Again?

In the resolution, it is again emphasized, the anti-oppression/anti-racism theme. As discussed earlier, it was evident in browsing the resources available to YA and campus ministries that the UUA feels that we are very important in the fight against oppression and racism. However, another point raised at GA is that the greater UU community need sot be careful not to just pass of this issue to the YAYA, saying “oh, they’ll deal with it.” This raises a question for us: Is this the issue we choose to tackle? It is our choice what our work is, and it does not have to be what is encouraged by the UUA. This will be reviewed in later meetings and discussions.

And what about the rest of us?

One of the biggest problems often brought up about UU social action is that “nothing is actually ever done.” Now, looking around at everything UUs have accomplished, it is hard to fully agree with this statement. However, anyone who has sat in any sort of social action discussion or any action committee knows where this frustration may arise. The other issue is that the greater UU community seems to think everyone is like the people in that room: visionary, inventive, and a leader. But not everyone is like that, and many of us are task-oriented, those of us that like to see action items, and want to be able to look at what needs to be done, and say “Oh, I can do that.” There are many who would like to participate in social action, but don’t know what to do, not including sitting at discussions of the problem that oftentimes, seem to go nowhere. Thus, an interesting action item for us would be to create such a system, first for our congregation of UUCC, and then perhaps spreading it to the rest of the YAYA and even UU community.

Remind me where we are?

This group is in a bit of a lull at the moment, as many of its members are away on vacation. However, it is important to remind the congregation that we are still here. By winter, we plan on having an announcement ready to present to the congregation regarding our progress thus far.

Flaming Chalices

Unfortunately, the Flaming Chalices for UMBC will most likely not be official before the Involvement Festival in the fall. The paperwork was submitted, however, the committee that regulates these issues stopped meeting before the paperwork was submitted in early May. However, once approved, there is no reason not to put up flyers and start then, while also preparing for tabling at the spring involvement festival.

I Can Take The Next In Line

2008-06-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

Moving Forward
Alright it's been a while. End of year stuff, always a bit nuts. Anyway, next meeting, is on the 6th of July. We are meeting at OBIC at 12:00 after the service, from where we will either find a place to just sit and talk, or we might go and eat somewhere, so for anyone planning on coming, be prepared for either.

Mark Your Calendars!

2008-05-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

Support our YRUUs
IMPORTANT REMINDER!! It's been mentioned already, I know, but it's important that you all remember: JUNE 8TH, 10:00 SERVICE AT UUCC!!! We will be attending the Bridging Ceremony for the YRUU Seniors. It is very important that we attend and show our support, and to ensure them that although they may be leaving one community, there is another one ready to embrace them, and that the end of YRUU is by no means the end of their UU experience.

All Done
All the papers have been turned in for the UMBC branch of the group, and now we are just awaiting a response from Sheryl Gibbs.

Hope finals went well.

The End of an Era

2008-04-27T12:50:00.003-07:00

For all of you that are in college, good luck on finals! Study hard!

A Statement of Empowement

2008-04-14T05:29:00.001-07:00

Our Voices
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the UU YAYA Empowerment statement. This is what it ended up looking like:

UUth of Columbia
7246 Cradlerock Way
Columbia, MD 21045
email: uuthofcolumbia@uucolumbia.net

To Home, From College

With the recent developments concerning YRUU, and the transformative period that is to follow, we (the young adults of UUth of Columbia) thought that it would be a good idea to have campus ministries from around the nation get involved for several reasons: (1) The decisions about YRUU will most likely affect us, and (2) many of us have been through YRUU, and can offer insight about our experiences. The vitality of the youth programs is a main factor affecting the vitality of young adult programs. This statement is a compilation and summary of the responses that we put together concerning our experiences in YRUU.

What worked:

YRUU, like most other youth groups, is a great way for teens from many experiences to come together. Moreover, it is an excellent opportunity for teens to meet people who, even with different backgrounds, may hold the same set of beliefs. Our YRUU program, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, occasionally held film/discussion sessions, which were very successful.

What didn’t work:

Around 2005, there was an incident that split the group. The adult advisors wanted to introduce an Intimacy and Ultimacy (I&U) program into the structure of our YRUU. The vote was put up to the youth, who decided against this installment. However, the adults at that time decided to put the program in anyway, and offered two options: participate in the I&U program, or leave. Our youth are more adult than people realize, and are capable of making their own decisions. More than half of the group walked out that day. The idea behind youth empowerment is that teens are supposed to recognize that they themselves have the power to change, not that the adults want them to help change. This starts with making teens all over the nation part of the decision-making process, and then honoring the teens’ decisions.

Also, it was noted that the personality of YRUU (and much of Unitarian Universalism), while it respects differences in religion, sexual orientation, as well as many other things, it is not really conducive to free expression of political credos.

What we wished the UUA had provided us (Note: It is possible that some of these things may already be provided by the UUA and that our congregation just did not take advantage of them. In that case, the UUA should make it clearer how to obtain and easier to find these resources.):

The item at the top of the list was expected: money for food. This extends to funding for social opportunities in general. We also wish that there had been more social opportunities available at which we could meet other UUs.

Teens, for the most part, are already in school. Though religious education is certainly a part of YRUU, we felt that much of this education could be brought about by participation in social action opportunities. While in recent years, the adult advisors at UUCC have been excellent in finding both local and remote opportunities for social action, we would have liked to see the UUA helping more in providing these opportunities and making them easily available to homework-laden high schoolers.

How we’ve been affected:

One of our members said: “I'm not sure YRUU affected me as much as Quest (and neither affected me nearly as much as OWL, for sure), but it still helped me feel like part of a community of young UUs. Strangely, I didn't really get a sense of defining my own principles (at least in a concrete, elevator-speech-type way) until I participated in the JPD Bridging Ceremony in DC at the end of my senior year (spring 2006). This is why I wish we could have done more conferences and things with UU teens from outside our congregation (see above).”

The youth are an essential part to the soul of Unitarian Universalism, and the continued support of the YRUU program is the key to the empowerment of this piece. What seems to be missing is a feeling of cohesion among the nation’s youth. Yes, they are connected in that they are all based on the principles of Unitarian Universalism. However, what needs to happen is the creation of a structure whose character is that of one, large, youth body with the individual groups not so congregationally centered, but globally centered.

We urge the UUA to seek continued responses from young adults and youth as it goes through this process, and we thank those reading this statement for taking the time to do so, and for recognizing the gravity of this situation. There are many doors that are opening up, many golden opportunities to take advantage of, and we hope that the UUA does recognize them.

Shall tomorrow find its place,

UUth of Columbia

We Are Titans

2008-04-02T14:17:00.001-07:00

Paperwork...
Alright so a few of us got together yesterday (Tuesday, the 1st) to discuss the campus ministry. It wasn't a very detailed talk; we just went over a lot of the paperwork. Because there are just enough of us at UMBC to start the group, it wasn't difficult to "elect" our first officers, as of right now:
President: Richard Blissett
Vice-President: Jessica Baker
Secretary: Gary Thompson
Treasurer: Glen Fortner

Last Call!
This is the last call for input to the UUA statement. Thank you for those of you that have responded. I will put together a statement from all of your responses this week and send it to you all via email. Please read it and respond over the weekend, and then I will send it next week.

People Wanna Know
I thought you'd all be interested in this email from Jamal Raheem, a member of the Steering Committee for JPD Young Adult and Campus Ministry.
"Hi Richard. I looked over your website extensively, truly excellent work! From your email, your looking to covert your current congregational ya group into a formalized campus ministry (group). The idea of an "involvement table" at Involvement Fest next semester sounds great (which is an event aimed at involving students in campus activities from what I've gathered). So you know, I'm carbon copying your emails to the Steering Committee, and we'll be discussing your group during our next meeting. In the meantime, consider having some of our SC members visit your group, and discuss campus ministry and any other topics related to UU YACM. Peace."

The Real Deal

2008-03-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

More Professional? Yes
We have succeeded in obtaining a uucolumbia.net email alias. It's been changed on the ConnectUU site. Everyone say hello to uuthofcolumbia@uucolumbia.net!

Get REAL!
This is the action campaign from the UUA website regarding the REAL Act:
"As a person of faith, I am deeply committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our nation's young people. Therefore, I urge you to co-sponsor the Responsible Education About Life Act (REAL) which will provide federal funding for medically accurate, comprehensive sexuality education programs.

The REAL Act (S 972, HR 1653) is based in reality, protecting teens by promoting abstinence while simultaneously providing them with the contraceptive and STD/HIV prevention information they need to make responsible decisions if and when they become sexually active. I respect people's abilities to make responsible personal decisions when given accurate, age-appropriate information about sexuality, relationships, and healthy communication.

Currently, the US Government only provides federal funding for abstinence-only programs. A recently released report, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found no evidence that abstinence-only programs increased rates of sexual abstinence. Also, students in the abstinence-only programs had a similar number of sexual partners as their peers not in the programs, as well as a similar age of first sex.

Please help provide the necessary information for our young people by funding comprehensive sexuality education programs that work! Co-Sponsor the REAL Act today!"

On March 17th, there is a nationwide call-in day. Please check it out and add it to your calendars. For those of you at UMBC, I know you have time. It's spring break.

We Believe

2008-03-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone that attended the March 2nd meeting.

The Future of YRUU
Just to clear up any confusion, in case anyone has heard about this, this is what happened, and is happening, with Continental YRUU:
YRUU was originally meant to be an umbrella program for UU youth groups throughout the nation. Over time, the higher-ups, as well as many lay leaders, began to realize that the current structure of YRUU may not be doing what it was originally intended to do. After a two-year evaluation process by the UUA that included input from sources, both pastoral and lay, from the entire denomination that ended in July of 2007, this report concluded that what YRUU is today does not fully serve the needs of the youth. Here's where the blowup happened: Through a series of miscommunications between the review board and the Steering Committee, the Steering Committee and Bill Sinkford, Bill Sinkford and the rest of the denomination, it was released that the UUA would be ending funding for YRUU, without much further explanation. Understandably, this was met with much anger from UUs all around the nation. The UUA just recently released another statement, straightening out what they meant to say. It is true that the UUA may be terminating its funding for YRUU as a Continental endeavor, however this does not imply that YRUU as a program is going to be eliminated. It is the opposite; the UUA in starting a long transformation process to produce a new program that will better serve the needs of the youth.
Reasons why we should care:
-We went through YRUU.
-Part of this new plan may merge the YRUU board and the Young Adult board, the latter of whose jurisdiction we fall under.
-The UUA will be seeking input from UUs everywhere during this time of reflection, so what we should do is to put together our experiences: what we experienced in YRUU, what worked, what didn't work, what we wish we had, what we with the UUA had provided, etc. Think about it; we will elaborate as time goes on.

If You're Here, You Already know
I spoke a bit about this site. I also highlighted that links to our ConnectUU profile are in the right module.

A Legitimate Email
I emailed Paula, the administrator for UUCC, asking for a uucolumbia.net email for this group. Still waiting for a response. Just thought I'd let you all know.

Action Campaigns
On the UUA website, there are several things called action campaigns that I'd like you all to check out. Basically, they're pre-written campaign letters for different issues ranging from preventing war in Iran to reducing carbon emissions. You just read them over, and sign the ones you believe in, and the UUA will send the letter with your name on it. It's a bit like a petition...except not really. It'll make more sense once you see it. Please check them out, and then email me at uuth.of.columbia@gmail.com about which ones you did so we can keep a record of this for our social action endeavors.

UMBC Campus Ministry
I believe we've discussed this issue once before, but never with much seriousness. The fact is that we are currently strictly congregation-based with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia. However, there are little to no resources readily available for congregation-based ministries, and tons for campus ministries. This does not mean that UUth of Columbia will not be affiliated with UUCC anymore; in fact, UUCC will still be the home base for the group. With this structure, it is possible to have this group administer to several campuses. For those of us at UMBC (there are quite a few of us), we want to get ourselves ready enough so that we can possibly do tabling at next semester's Involvement Fest. Jessica is currently looking into a few things with that.

What Are We Again?
Both Maureen Harris and Jennie Fitzpatrick agree that we should have a short statement about our UU identity in our mission statement. This is what we came up with on Sunday:
"We seek to achieve these goals through continuing involvement in and exploration of our Unitarian Universalist faith."
Tell me what you think.

Typos Abound!

2008-02-05T17:31:00.001-08:00

Typos Abound!
I didn't realize until this morning that I'd put "group" instead of "growth," and "international" instead of "intergenerational" in the mission statement. Therefore, these were the responses I got from Jennie Fitzpatrick and Maureen Harris:

"I think it sounds great. Question, in the second line did you mean "spiritual growth" instead of group? And, I think your idea about being connected to the UU Faith is good. UUCC is now spending time on developing a UU identity, you might want to couch it in those terms. You could add something like "and assists members in developing their UU identity". Good work!"
-Jen Fitzpatrick

"Sounds good so far! I assume you mean “emotional and spiritual growth” (not group). And I’m curious about the international part . . . can you tell me more? I think something about being connected to the UU faith is a great idea, too. Good work! As always, let me know if there’s anything I can do to support you."
-Maureen Harris

I fixed the errors and sent the right versions, as well as updating it in the right module here.

Sent to Maureen

2008-02-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Additional Feedback
I forwarded the email I sent to Jennie Fitzpatrick about the mission statement to Maureen Harrris, who is the youth director at UUCC. Just thought I'd let you know.

It starts...

2008-01-28T12:20:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much for those of you that attended the January 20th meeting.

Good job everyone!
We drafted what seems to be a very workable mission statement.
"The mission of UUth of Columbia is to create a supportive environment which encourages emotional and spiritual group through participation in community action and the international community."
As you can see, I'm using that right now over in the right column.
I'd personally like to add another sentence that highlights our connection to the UU denomination.
I've sent what we have to far to Jennie Fitzpatrick, former Youth Advisor, Vice-President, and President-elect of UUCC (She had to resign because her husband came down with a rare carcinoma, and she needs to attend to her family now. Please keep the Fitzpatrick family in your thoughts.).

Formal email lists
The Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry is no longer providing UUYAN email lists, as a reflection of "the changing relationship between the Continental Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Network (CUUYAN) and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and makes for more transparent accountability regarding our lists." Not quite sure what that means, but I will be still trying to get another email list, hopefully though UUCC. However, We will need to finalize our mission statement before applying for that. I also don't know if the UUYAN email list still works, but there is a link to it in the side module.

Picking Up The Pieces
Please check out "Picking Up The Pieces: Building a Culture of Peace" Spring Seminar. Now, if you all decide that it would be worth attending, we can try to gather some funds and whatever for the trip up to NY (Thursday through Saturday). Please look at it.

Young Adults and the Anti-Oppression Movement
Just as an FYI, I'm not quite sure why, but one of the requirements for a lot of the grants available to young adult groups include a criterion which includes "Accountability of program to historically marginalized groups and/or applicability of program to the JPD's anti-oppression goals." In other words, UUA wants young adults to be the main force in the anti-oppression movement. Thus, it would make sense to make the focus of any projects we plan right now connected to this endeavor.

ConnectUU
I made a page for us on the ConnectUU site. Please check it out and see if you agree with what's there.

Impetus

2007-08-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

The First Email
This is the content of the original email I had sent to Paige concerning the group:
"The college age group is unique in that we have spent 18 years trying to break free of the word "young," but now that we have, we are reluctant to call ourselves "old," as it would make life seem so much shorter. We need a college group, especially now, for many reasons. First, UUCC has seen most of its best YRUU days in the past few years, with this very special group of kids that is going through right now. However, once they reach college, each graduating class dissipates into the world. Of course, many stay friends, but the bond that the college group would try to maintain would be the bond between the kids and UUCC. At the bridging ceremony, Alex Calvin made a blessing on behalf of the young adult "community." I remember distinctly thinking at that point that Alex may be one of the only ones in that age group that still connects to her UUCC roots. I still talk to other college UU's like Peter Linton and Glen Fortner, and though they still may carry on the UU tradition, they are not as connected with the congregation they came from. The college group would hopefully provide a home base for college UU's, both local and global. It would not be like YRUU or Quest, and it probably wouldn't be part of the RE program at all, since the purpose is not really education. As college students, it would be easier for us to perform social action, and this would probably be another main part of the group."

Are We RE?
Scratch the part about it not being a part of RE. At the time when I had written this, I had the idea that RE only went to 12^th grade. The RE program actually, as I discovered later, encompasses all ages in a “Lifespan RE” program.

Speaking of RE…where we stand on RE and where RE fits into this group won’t be determined for a while. Right now, the RE Search Committee is going through the process of putting together a vision for the future of the RE program. I can tell you that also, we are lumped in as a sub-section of the adult community. So it is possible that we may be put as part of adult RE once the program is established (Adult RE is headed by David Russell). This might not be in a while, as the DLRE Search is a 2 year process, ending somewhere around June of 2009.

Helping Hands
As I said before, we’ve gotten support from the entire congregation, and specifically from Paige, Maureen Harris (Youth Director), Jen Fitzpatrick (YMC Chair), and Becky Reese and Nancy Corporon (Membership Committee Chairs).

Hurdle the Turtle
There are a few obstacles to overcome: The issue of regular meetings for those of us who are local is the biggest. With all of our different schedules, it is nearly impossible to set regular meetings up. Most of the work of this group will probably be done through email, which means that people have to be responsive. If email isn’t a good medium for you, please tell me and we’ll work something out. The issue of RE has already been mentioned.

Give Me A U!
Names considered (however briefly) included the following:

CAUSE (College Age Unitarian Support Environment)
U2C3PO (Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia College/Post ------)
VACUUM (Very Awesome College Unitarian Universalist ------)
CRASS, CRAP, CHUUSE...
Obviously, we didn’t get far. Please think of names and share them.

What Now?
The first project for the group should be one that includes those who are far away. We brainstormed ideas for projects, and the only feasible one would be to write to a government official about some cause (Again, any other ideas are welcome). I have information somewhere on something similar that UUCC did in the past, and I will send that to all of you as soon as possible. I will also send other sample social action things.

We've Got Help
We briefly discussed the possibility of getting a grant to do whatever we need to do, or even the need for a grant right now. We’ll discuss this more in the future.In terms of resources available for a group like this, well, there aren’t many. The UUA does sponsor something called “Campus Ministry,” but from what I can tell, this covers UU group based on campuses, not congregations.

I would still like you all to send me the names of anyone else you think would be interested.