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Welcome to the Children’s Religious Education program at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara. Here we believe that our children are the future of our congregation, our faith, and our world.
We want to support our children and youth and encourage them to be the unique and special individuals that they are.
Our Educational Approach:
·Recognizes the individuality of each child or young person
·Provides an opportunity to interact and learn from peers and others
·Uses age-appropriate curriculum, stories, and activities
·Creates a nurturing, safe, and fun environment
We expose our children to many different religious traditions and provide a safe place for them to ask questions. We do not force our beliefs on our children but rather encourage them to explore ideas and come to thoughtful conclusions.
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.
YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) is our High School youth group that meets weekly in Blake Meeting Room 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!
I’m delighted to be joining the USSB staff as Youth Coordinator, and leading the dedicated team that works with our high school group, YRUU. It’s a great privilege to spend time with young UUs, and it’s also just about as fun and rewarding as it gets.
I’ve been involved in teen programs at this congregation since I was in high school myself, and some of my dearest friends today are people I got to know in those incredibly formative years. More recently, as a facilitator and mentor with our Coming of Age Program, I’ve been honored to accompany our 8th graders as they make the transition into high school. All of us who’ve passed through the territory of our teen years know what an exhilarating ride it can be, and how good it is to have friends and allies by our side. That’s what YRUU is all about.
We have an exciting year ahead of us, with an initiation campout at Skofield Park September 3rd, a social justice trip to New Orleans in late March, and plenty of bonding and deepening in between. We’ll kick things off with a get-to-know-you meeting on Sunday afternoon, August 22 from 6-8pm at my house. If you’re going into 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade this year, I hope you’ll join us.
If you have any questions or just want to chat, you can find me on Facebook, email me at
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, or give me a call.
Yours on the journey,
Elizabeth Schwyzer
For Infants and Toddlers
Loving and attentive childcare is available for babies to 2-year olds in our Nursery and at Starr King Preschool.
