Religious Explorations: Recent posts to social media

Image credit: Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice

Here are recent posts to social media in my professional role as Administrative Coordinator for the Religious Explorations program at the Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

For Call and Response/UUA Blogs, religious educator Aisha Hauser is asking white parents of white children to discuss racial inequality, instead of exercising what she describes as their privilege of being able to opt out. “Children notice when racism happens, when things are not fair for everyone. It is up to parents to draw out children’s observations and help children process.”

Registration opens March 2 for Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, taking place June 24-28 in Portland. Opportunities to sign up to volunteer also begin on March 2. Adults who donate 24 hours of service (14 hours for youth) do not pay a registration fee.

The Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice will offer one-day “Activate” training for young people, June 24 in Portland. This training is open to youth who attended ninth through 12th grade during the 2014-2015 school year. Attendees will discuss climate change and their role in it as people of faith, and the program will conclude by developing action plans to articulate and engage justice work during General Assembly and back home.

Summer Seminary offers an opportunity for Unitarian Universalist youth to explore the call to ministry. Open to students who were in grades 10 to 12 during the 2014-2015 school year, the program will focus on ordained ministry and credentialed leadership in religious education and music. Offered by the UUA in collaboration with the Iliff School of Theology and the Pacific Western Region, Summer Seminary 2015 will take place July 29 to Aug. 3 in Denver, Colo. The deadline to apply is March 15.

As addressed by Tandi Rogers at “Growing Unitarian Universalism,” the UUA’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries offers “best practices" to include youth during multigenerational events. “Each local faith community should develop its own safety and inclusion guidelines reflecting its unique situation, context, insurance, and state and local laws.”