Coming of Age is an innovative, year-long expedition for eight graders to reflect on their lives. The primary purpose of this program is to help youth discern for themselves what is means to be a Unitarian Universalist--individually and as part of the larger faith community. It involves workshops, sleepovers, campouts, social justice activities and a vision quest weekend. Coming of Age begins with a parent and youth orientation brunch.
To encourage youth to explore what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist;
To help youth move into the adult role of identifying and acting on personal beliefs and values;
To recognize and publicly honor the movement of a youth from childhood to adolescence within the Unitarian Universalist tradition;
To integrate our youth into Unitarian Universalism for the continuation of our heritage;
To provide parents with support and opportunity to help in their children’s faith development;
To provide adults in our congregation the opportunity to explore their own values and put them into practice by being instrumental in the development of our youth.
For more information click below for the program brochure.
YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) is our High School youth group that meets weekly in Blake Lounge on Sunday afternoons from 4-6:30. Any youth in grades 9th-12th is welcome to attend.
The purpose of YRUU is to provide our youth with a safe place to express themselves and explore new ideas. A covenant will be prepared at the beginning of the year that youth and adults in the group agree to respect. The progam is a balance worship, leadership delvopment, social justice and just plain fun!
This year we are building on the great example thethe YRUU youth set for us last year with another service trip, but this time our team will be multi-generational. Next March, sixteen adults and youth will travel to the Hopi and Navajo Nations in the Four Corners region of Arizona. We’ll be working with a fantastic grassroots non-profit, Sumi Nungwa, which means “coming together” in Hopi.” Longtime UU and founder of Sumi Nungwa, Cheryl Marzec, will lead us as we learn from and help Hopi and Navajo elders, inside communities that most Americans never see.
We’ll be working hard, for sure, but we’re also building in room for spiritual reflection, sharing and the unexpected. Growing takes room. Although only sixteen of us will be making the physical journey this time, we will go as loving representatives of our whole community, and there will be many opportunities for all of us to learn, grow and serve through this project.
It’ll all begin on Saturday, January 28, when Cheryl Marzec and one of the Hopi elders she works with will join us at USSB for “Reservation 101,” an introduction to life on the reservations. It will be a wonderful evening, and I encourage all of you to attend. They will join us again and share more of their stories with us at Sunday morning worship on the 29th and will also begin in-depth reflection/preparation with our travelers.
"Wellspring Wednesdays" is the main Adult Religious Education program here at USSB. Save the dates for our 6-week, Wednesday evening sessions during 2011-2012:
We welcome your children at Wellspring Wednesdays. Childcare is provided for each session in Starr King Preschool.
Registration for Fall Classes and workshops begins soon! You will be able to register by calling 805-965-4585 x229, or at the Adult RE table at Sunday Coffee Hour. There is a small registration fee for each class, and scholarships are available. You can download a Scholarship Application here. Dinner is free for registered participants!
Our Whole Lives Offered this Winter This winter the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara is offering a very important opportunity and class for youth who are 14–17 years of age and in the 9th to 11th grades—Our Whole Lives: Sexuality and Our Faith program. Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a values-based, comprehensive sexuality education curriculum developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. There will be a mandatory parent orientation offered in January. If you are interested in your youth participating in this program, contact LeeAnn in the Religious Education office.
Our Whole Lives is a series of sexuality education that helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture.
"Wellspring Wednesdays" is the main Adult Religious Education program here at USSB. Save the dates for our 6-week, Wednesday evening sessions during 2011-2012:
