I GOT THIS E-MAIL AND WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YRUU IN PCD!
Anybody got some incite into whats going on?
Report from Summit Released Summer Youth Ministry Summit
Those who may not recall the back-story of this important initiative can read the brief history online. The work began two years ago, with a national survey assessing how well we minister to (and with) our youth. There followed numerous congregational and district-level conversations with all the various stakeholder groups, about which youth were being well served, and which were not, and what kind of youth ministry did we want to create. This past summer, those in the photo met at a Summit on Youth Ministry to go through all the data, and we now have their report.
The diverse group of youth and adults lays out a clear vision calling for "a youth ministry that is central to the articulated mission of Unitarian Universalism, offers multiple pathways for involvement in our faith communities, and is congregationally based; multigenerational; spirit-centered; counter-oppressive, multicultural, and radically inclusive." (Read that a couple more times.)
The group focused on six aspects of youth ministry, and prepared recommendations for each:
1. Meeting the Spiritual Needs of Youth
2. Welcoming All Youth in a Multicultural World
3. Building a Multigenerational Faith
4. Organizing Youth Ministry for Success
5. Moving Beyond a One-Size-Fits-All Ministry
6. Preparing and Supporting Adults for Youth Ministry
Perhaps the most controversial part of the report is the observations it includes about YRUU:
There is a question as to whether the current YRUU structure can support the Summit's vision for youth ministry. YRUU has been allowed to function without a clear sense of mission or accountability. There are questions of whether YRUU as we know it can support visions of youth-adult partnership or youth empowerment. If YRUU continues to exist, it must have a clear, defined mission as a part, not the whole, of our youth ministry.
Therefore, we recommend that YRUU Youth Council discuss the possible future role of YRUU in a congregationally based model of youth ministry with diverse leadership structures and a variety of congregational and extracongregational ministries to and with youth. Youth Council's conversation needs to feed into and inform the UUA Board's decision-making process about Unitarian Universalist youth ministry's mission and structure. This must include an evaluation of ending the current YRUU structure.
It's a very thoughtful, comprehensive, and incredibly impressive piece of work, and I truly hope it will be widely read--this is important stuff. I don't see it published online yet, though I'm sure it will be soon, and I will call your attention to that as soon as I've got the information. In the meantime, I'd be happy to share the 27-page report with anyone who would like it sent as an attachment. It's well worth reading. . .and comes with great photos!
Anybody got some incite into whats going on?
Report from Summit Released Summer Youth Ministry Summit
Those who may not recall the back-story of this important initiative can read the brief history online. The work began two years ago, with a national survey assessing how well we minister to (and with) our youth. There followed numerous congregational and district-level conversations with all the various stakeholder groups, about which youth were being well served, and which were not, and what kind of youth ministry did we want to create. This past summer, those in the photo met at a Summit on Youth Ministry to go through all the data, and we now have their report.
The diverse group of youth and adults lays out a clear vision calling for "a youth ministry that is central to the articulated mission of Unitarian Universalism, offers multiple pathways for involvement in our faith communities, and is congregationally based; multigenerational; spirit-centered; counter-oppressive, multicultural, and radically inclusive." (Read that a couple more times.)
The group focused on six aspects of youth ministry, and prepared recommendations for each:
1. Meeting the Spiritual Needs of Youth
2. Welcoming All Youth in a Multicultural World
3. Building a Multigenerational Faith
4. Organizing Youth Ministry for Success
5. Moving Beyond a One-Size-Fits-All Ministry
6. Preparing and Supporting Adults for Youth Ministry
Perhaps the most controversial part of the report is the observations it includes about YRUU:
There is a question as to whether the current YRUU structure can support the Summit's vision for youth ministry. YRUU has been allowed to function without a clear sense of mission or accountability. There are questions of whether YRUU as we know it can support visions of youth-adult partnership or youth empowerment. If YRUU continues to exist, it must have a clear, defined mission as a part, not the whole, of our youth ministry.
Therefore, we recommend that YRUU Youth Council discuss the possible future role of YRUU in a congregationally based model of youth ministry with diverse leadership structures and a variety of congregational and extracongregational ministries to and with youth. Youth Council's conversation needs to feed into and inform the UUA Board's decision-making process about Unitarian Universalist youth ministry's mission and structure. This must include an evaluation of ending the current YRUU structure.
It's a very thoughtful, comprehensive, and incredibly impressive piece of work, and I truly hope it will be widely read--this is important stuff. I don't see it published online yet, though I'm sure it will be soon, and I will call your attention to that as soon as I've got the information. In the meantime, I'd be happy to share the 27-page report with anyone who would like it sent as an attachment. It's well worth reading. . .and comes with great photos!
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SF Bay Area
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