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Children & Youth
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Recipe
for Creativity
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Mix together 20 caring, well-intentioned, intelligent people (including
one minister, one youth, two board members, three committee chairs, six
people who do not have children in the RE program, seven religious
education teachers, two youth advisors, three OWL leaders, five RE
committee members, three new members and friends, and one DRE—yep, if you
are adding the numbers, several folks wear more than one hat!) for a
little more than six hours of brainstorming, interactive discussion and
prioritizing to stimulate their minds.
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Add excellent brunch food from quinoa salad to quiche, coffeecake
to cookies, eaten in community and sunshine to nurture their bodies (thank
you RE Committee members and friends).
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Open the day with inspirational words and a song sung together, and close
the day with an interconnected circle of hands held to warm their hearts.
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Provide child care for those who need the support to be present.
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Hold all in the container of respect and belief in what a small group of
people with similar values and a love of children and youth can do.
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Allow time for sharing and speaking with open hearts.
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Lisa Ashley, DRE |
What do you get?
“Ah-has and yums,” according to one participant, plus a big helping of renewal,
reassurance, inspiration, creative ideas, excitement and a sense of connection.
The two-part RE
Visioning Workshop process was one in which all who wished to be heard were
heard, and many, many great ideas and creative solutions were shared.
Learning spirits were nurtured with background provided on what is currently
going well in RE and questions were answered for those new to Cedars and new to
the RE program. Small groups had time to brainstorm and “open the window” to
express new ideas and passions.
The top two priorities
were:
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Hold more
intergenerational events for fun and community building between adults and
children and youth.
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Give more energy and
focus to youth programming.
Other priorities with
close votes included:
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Articulate our UU faith for children and adults; a class for this, plus a fun
night of UU Knowledge Bowl |
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Support teachers to become facilitators of interactive RE classes rather than
as traditional teachers talking “at” our kids and youth |
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More music: in the classrooms, with an intergenerational choir, and in
intergenerational events |
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Balancing rituals with learning in the classroom and supporting parents to
learn and grow spiritually along with their children |
The group began working
on “how do we do these things?” and this work will continue into RE Committee
meetings this summer and beyond. “Portfolios” will be created on the RE
Committee and each person on the committee will manage the portfolio.
Portfolios could include
(but are not limited to): Intergenerational events, Youth programming,
Communications (photography, brochures, website updates), Child care,
Registration and membership support, Teacher support, and Music liaison.
If you would like to help develop what happens next, please attend our next RE
Committee meeting on June 16 at 7:15 pm in the Sterling Building, 600 Winslow
Way East, Bainbridge Island. If you don’t want to be a part of the working
committee, please answer yes to helping when the actual events roll around and
someone asks. The RE Team wants to help shape our future in the coming year
with a new, inclusive, fun-loving and experiential approach to spiritual
learning together. Woo hoo!
Lisa Ashley,
DRE
RE Table Welcomes All
Check
out the RE table before or after church. We offer an informational flyer for new
families, registration forms, and pamphlets from the UUA. We will post photos
from classes and events on the bulletin board. An RE Greeter will be there every week to help newcomers find their way
to church and classes. Contact Lisa Ashley or Terry Siebert if you’d like to
help with the Greeter Table one Sunday a month.
RE Scholarship Fund Available
Some RE programs cost more
than our pledges are able to cover. In those cases, we ask families to pay
extra for an activity, such as the Coming of Age program (The Quest). In
order to ensure that our programs do not become a hardship for families, we have
limited scholarship funds available. Money will be awarded at a 50% subsidy of
the total cost of the event. If you want to request a scholarship, contact
Lisa Ashley.
Questions? Contact:
Lisa Ashley or call the
Church Office at 206-780-0373.
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Between Sundays
is designed to help parents and other adults answer religious questions
raised by children and youth. |
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uu&me!
is a magazine
that helps kids think about what really matters. |
Between Sundays and uu&me! are projects of the
UUA's Church
of the Larger Fellowship.
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