Unitarian Universalist Congregational Conversations on Youth Ministry Results

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Unitarian UniversalistCongregational
Conversations on Youth MinistryResults
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What exactly is a buzz?

• a low, vibrating, humming sound, as of bees,
  machinery, or people talking
  
• a rumor or report
• This presentation summarizes the results of
  congregations who had conversations about youth
  ministry AND returned their report forms.
  
• Other congregations did not return their forms
• and that is okay!
• The best part about UU Conversations on Youth
  Ministry is the conversation
  itself.
  

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Did conversations differ from district to
district?
Of course! Please see the district fact sheet
for results and quotes from congregations who
returned report forms in your district.

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who participated in a conversation?
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• celebrate the buzz!
• 74 congregations completed report forms and sent
  them to the Unitarian Universalist Association.
  
• 17 districts were represented and 1 region of
  Canada.

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Key Buzz Areas

• Intergenerational Community Relations
• Mission, Vision and Priorities
• Curriculum, Resources and
• Transitional Age Youth
• Leadership Development and
• Opportunities for Practice
• Serving the Spiritual Needs of Youth

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intergenerational community relations

• how youth and adults interact in the congregation

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Where do youth feel included?
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Welcoming Youth in the Congregation

• Sixteen percent (16) of the congregations noted
  that congregation members were welcoming and
  supportive of youth.
  
• inclusive
• accepting
• caring

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Youth space, youth-adult space

• Almost all of the congregations (97) who
  participated had a youth group.
  
• Only 18 congregations reported that they had a
  Youth Adult Committee.
  
• intergenerational music and performing arts bring
  youth and adults together through spirituality
  and art.
  

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Friendship is key for youth group success

• strong bonds among youth in the youth group
• social aspect of youth group is positive for
  youth ministry in their congregation

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What is the District Buzz?

• Time to reflect!

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Youth-adult partnership

• How do Youth Adult Committees function in your
  congregation?
  
• What are other ways youth and adults can work
  together in congregations?
  
• What does youth-adult partnership mean to your
  district?

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Factors Discouraging Intergenerational Community
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How bias works in our congregations

• ISSUES
• adults biases about youth
• youth biases about adults
• general lack of respect, understanding or
  acceptance
  
• STRATEGIES
• Work to change youth and adult attitudes about
  each other by
  
• Working to eliminate bias.
• Holding youth-adult forums to discuss
  intergenerational issues and youth needs.

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Congregations tackle the systems

• ISSUE
• lack of systems through which youth could be
  integrated and involved in the community.
  
• STRATEGY
• make changes to the structures of congregational
  life in order to improve youth ministry.

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Include all ages in logistics

• Include both youth and adult programming in the
  scheduling process
  
• Improve communication methods within the entire
  community through
  
• youth announcements
• community calendar listing of youth group events
• update youth about congregational business

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Welcoming Congregations

• Over 80 of congregations who participated were
  Welcoming Congregations.
  
• Many created strategies to improve
  intergenerational community
  
• Could there be a relationship?

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Transforming congregations

• Reducing bias
• Intergenerational family events
• Holding forums
• Outreach to members of a congregation
• Creating safe space

• Reducing bias
• Intergenerational family events
• Holding forums
• Outreach to members of a congregation
• Creating safe space

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What is the District Buzz?

• Time to reflect!

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Promoting intergenerational community in
congregations

• What can we learn from the Welcoming Congregation
  process?
  
• What else do we need to learn in order to improve
  youth ministry?

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mission, vision and priorities

• valuing youth ministry

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visionary commitment to youth ministry

• Commitment of youth and adults success
• shared values
• focus
• Lack of a clear vision can impair success
• Complete a visioning process in congregations

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What is the District Buzz?

• Time to reflect!

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One district, one vision, many paths

• How can congregations share their vision for
  youth ministry with each other through the
  district?
  
• Is youth ministry a shared focus in your
  congregation?
  
• Is involvement in congregational life a priority
  for youth in your congregation?

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curriculum

• how congregations present youth programming

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Ministry to, ministry with

• Many youth programs are strong
• Some congregations changed their youth
  curriculum as a result of their conversation
  
• include youth in the curriculum selection
• youth position on the religious education
  committee.

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What is the District Buzz?

• Time to reflect!

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Does youth ministry curriculum?

• In your congregation, what do youth learn about
  our faith outside the RE wing or youth group?
  
• What is the relationship between youth ministry
  and adult education in your congregation?
  
• What are the differences between ministry to
  youth and ministry with youth?

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resources

• volunteers, staff, money,
• space and time

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Youth Advisors

• Congregations with youth advisors 61
• Congregations with a paid youth advisor 24
• Range of hours a youth advisor worked
• 1.5 - 40 hours per week
• What is the perspective of youth advisors?
• Stay tuned! The YOUTH ADVISOR SURVEY results will
  let their voices be heard!

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Resources for youth

• Strong adult volunteer base is vital
• Hire a staff person
• Advisors
• Youth ministers
• Funding is important to successful youth
  ministry
  
• Large and mid-size congregations may be able to
  allocate more money to youth ministry

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Where congregations goes for help
CONTINENTAL
LOCAL
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What is the District Buzz?

• Time to reflect!

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Resources for youth ministry

• How can a congregation better support adults who
  dedicate their time and energy to youth
  ministry?
  
• How can we include more adults in the lives of
  youth in their congregation?
  
• How can we better support youth ministry
  financially?

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membership policies

• how youth join a congregation

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Are youth members?

• Congregational membership policies impact youth
  in different ways
  
• Age requirements
• COA requirements
• Pledging money
• Voting ability

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What is the District Buzz?

• Time to reflect!

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Youth and membership

• What does membership mean in your congregation?
• How can districts support active youth membership
  in congregations?

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leadership development and opportunities for
practice
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Youth leadership

• leadership development or training opportunities
  for youth in congregations
  
• youth leaders contribute to the success of youth
  ministry
  
• youth empowerment is important to youth
  ministrys success
  
• connection between youth and social justice

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Opportunities for Practice

• congregations decided to provide training or
  workshops for youth leadership development
  
• congregation provided opportunities for youth to
  practice leadership
  
• Over a ¼ of congregations decided to include
  youth on committees
  
• Thirteen (13) decided to include a youth on their
  church board as a result of their conversation

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What is the District Buzz?

• Time to reflect!

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Youth leaders in their congregations

• In your district, what are the obstacles to youth
  leadership development?
  
• How can the district support youth leadership
  development in congregations?

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serving the spiritual needs of youth
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Spiritual Depth in Our Congregations

• desire to live out our UU principles
• community loves and cares about their youth
• support of ministers is vital to youth ministrys
  success
  

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Youth and Worship

• ISSUE
• Some worship services do not engage youth.
• STRATEGY
• Encourage youth attendance at worship services.

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Youth and Ministers

• support of ministers is vital to youth ministrys
  success
  
• increase interaction between the minister and the
  youth
  
• hire a youth minister or include youth ministry
  in a ministers job description

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What is the District Buzz?

• Time to reflect!

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Youth spirituality

• What types of spiritual practices engage youth in
  your congregation?
  
• How can district youth ministry support the
  spiritual needs of youth?
  

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Anti-Oppression Work
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Anti-oppression in youth ministry

• Racism and oppression affect youth as well as
  adults
  
• One congregation decided to implement more
  anti-racism and anti-oppression work as a result
  of their conversation

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What is the District Buzz?

• Time to reflect!

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Congregational anti-oppression

• Does your congregation have an anti-oppression
  program?
  
• How can UU youth ministry engage congregations in
  intergenerational anti-racism and anti-oppression
  work?

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Each community must create a vision of what it
wants for all young people.