Youth Programs

Our youth groups are differentiated by each participant’s age and assigned year in school. Our current structure is as follows:

The Junior Youth Group includes grades 6, 7 & 8, who meet together for class lessons and activities. This group works with the curriculum "Compass Points." This is a values based program that explores individual perceptions and attitudes regarding spirituality, relationships and service to others.

Grades 8 & 9 are offered O.W.L. (Our Whole Lives). O.W.L. is a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum published jointly by the Unitarian Universalist Association. and the United Church of Christ National Council. Classes are held offsite and begin in January.

The Senior Youth Group is for young people in grades 9 through 12. They meet for classes twice monthly on Sunday mornings. This group uses a Small Group Ministry model and includes our Coming of Age program. Coming of Age asks youth to wrestle with the big religious questions and to begin to articulate their own developing belief systems. This program includes classes with the Minister and the Director of Religious Education and also a mentoring relationship with an adult from our congregation. Participating youth are encouraged to develop and present a personal Credo Statement at the close of the year.

Although we offer open enrollment through out the year, we encourage visitors who wish to attend a Junior or Senior Youth class to make prior arrangements with the D.R.E.. We find that our youth classes are most effective when the group dynamic offers consistency and confidentiality. To protect the integrity of the class experience, we ask that parents register their youth at the start of the year and encourage regular attendance. We do accept new youth during the year and will intentionally create space and time for new youth to enter and find a place in the group experience.

We require that participants in the O.W.L. program (which starts in January) attend our youth programming during the Fall session. Please see the D.R.E. for more information.