Youth Religious Education

Statement of Purpose

Our purpose on Sunday morning is to nurture and minister to the children of our church community and to provide opportunities for our children and youth to actively engage in the process of forming religious beliefs and values. We seek to:

• Celebrate and affirm in community those ideals which have united Unitarian Universalists throughout history.
• Develop a commitment to Unitarian Universalist values which translates into action.
• Care for one another and reach into the larger world with our caring.
• Build a church family where children, youth and adults interact, nurture, and care for one another.

Director of Religious Education

Trudy Mandel is our Director of Religious Education. A member of the Unitarian Universalist faith since 1972, Trudy joined UCN in 1980. During the past 20-plus years she has raised a family of eight natural and adopted children in the U.U. tradition. She is a certified director of religious education with the Unitarian Universalist Association since 1994 and has attended Meadville Lombard Theological School since 1996. She is currently completing her master's degree in religious education. As director of religious education at UCN, Trudy works closely with our parish youth, guiding our Coming of Age program. A registered nurse with more than 30 years experience, she co-teaches our About Your Sexuality curriculum. On the district level, Trudy serves the Central Midwest District of the Unitarian Universalist Association as religious education consultant. She is a member of the Liberal Religious Educators Association.

Introduction to Sunday Morning Church School

Each Sunday morning is a wonderful opportunity for teachers, children and parents to interact. The curriculum our children study provides a rich introduction to our Unitarian Universalist faith and encourages spiritual growth and learning. The curriculum provides the base from which our children grow their religious roots but it is the totality of the experience on Sunday morning that allows our children to develop a depth of meaning from those roots. By becoming part of our church community, making friends with peers and adults, and worshipping together to affirm life our children have the opportunity to share our religious community. As we dedicate ourselves to living our religion we develop an awareness of a church family to whom we turn for support. We gather on Sunday not only to go to school, but to be together. Please feel free to communicate with the teachers, the Religious Education (R.E.) Committee and the Director of Religious Education (D.R.E.) throughout the year.

Introduction to the Curriculum

Throughout our curriculum the Unitarian Universalist Principles are stressed and referred to. During the Pre-School and early grades children learn about themselves as individuals. Children learn who they are and how they develop, both physically and emotionally. An awareness of the church and the part it plays in their lives is explored. Our curricula place emphasis on the development of self-esteem and critical thinking. The older child is encouraged to think about the values of religion and the meaning it has for them as well as for those around them. The big questions that deal with life, death and the unknowns we encounter in life are explored and discussed. As our children move into the teen years a Youth Group is waiting to offer companionship, shared experience, and a feeling of belonging. Our Jr. and Sr. Youth Groups meet weekly and offer a social anchor on which youth can rely. Youth are encouraged to attend church services and to become active members of our church community. As the youth step into adulthood a 'Coming of Age Ceremony' welcomes them to full participation in the congregation.

Nursery

A nursery for infants from new born to two years of age is located in the lower level of UCN. Our nursery is equipped with a cirb, changing table and supplies, and toys appropriate for infants and small children. Our nursery is staffed by volunteers who are knowledgeable in infant and child care (many of them are grandmas). Parents of infants and small children are encouraged to leave their infants or young children in the nursery in order that they can enjoy the adult service. Upon coming to our nursery a picture will be taken of you and your child. In this way, you will be able to be identified with your child by our staff. If, for any reason, our nursery staff are unable to meet your child's needs, the child will be brought up to the "Quiet Room" area in order to be united with you. In this way, we hope to insure a quality level of comfort for both you and your child.

Our "Quiet Room" is located at the west end of the Worship Hall. It is equipped with a changing table, toys, and amenities that allow the care of small infants and children. Parents are welcome to visit the Quiet Room with their children under three years of age. The worship service can be viewed and heard from the Quiet Room. Our double pane windows allow sound to travel in but not out. We encourage parents of young children to take advantage of the room.

Preschool (2-4 years) : Celebrating Me and My World

The Preschool program provides a curriculum and lesson plan for children each week. Teachers and assistants care for children and help is provided when needed for all of your child's personal, physical, emotional and educational needs. Pre School children are provided with a formal lesson but our learning session is very open and flexible. Children who are unable to sit through a story and/or lesson are allowed to play with toys that are provided. Our aim at this age is to make the experience one that is fun for the child. Parents are welcome to attend or observe sessions whenever they feel the need to. A snack is provided for your child at the end of the session. If your child has any particular dietary needs, please inform our pre-school staff of this.

Kindergarten (4-5 years) : Special Times / Rainbow Children

Special Times acquaints children with the Jewish and Christian heritage out of which our Unitarian Universalist faith has grown and engages them in celebrations of the Jewish and Christian holidays and other ‘special times’ such as the Shabbat/Sabbath, Thanksgiving, and everybody’s birthday. Special Times will help children appreciate our Jewish and Christian heritage and recognize the special quality of time set apart for worship and celebration. Children will also better understand how important ritual celebration, tradition, and wonder are to all peoples. As these ‘special times’ are presented the values behind our U.U. Principles and Purposes is drawn upon and there meanings explored.

Our Special Times curriculum has been paired with Rainbow Children. This is a curriculum of affirmation. It affirms the inherent worth and beauty of self, family, community, and human diversity. In Rainbow Children the focus is on racial and ethnic diversity and deals with these issues at conceptual levels this age group can understand. Rainbow Children also deals with self-esteem. It is about our own worth and identity, for when we are sure of the goodness within us, we have no need to hurt others.

Grades 1-2: Special Places - Haunting House

This is an experiential curriculum based on the idea that all of us have special places with special memories that 'haunt ' us. The idea of community is strengthened as the children learn and experience together the wonders and mysteries of animal and human experiences and as children learn about special times and places in their lives. The feelings behind and intertwined with the experiences they have had are explored.

It is through this curriculum that the idea of sexuality is explored on a very basic level. Material is presented in a matter of fact way. This is a very important year for your child. The basic understandings of conception, birth and death learned during this year will be the understandings that future study in relation to sexuality will be based as your child grows toward the fifth and sixth grade years when they will take the Our Whole Lives curriculum. (See the OWL section in this booklet for further information.)

Regular attendance is important with this curriculum as each lesson builds itself on the previous one. The curriculum is taught in units of three to four lessons/unit. The lessons are very active with much hands on and experiential material. A staff of three teachers and three assistants is provided to guide the class. Feel free as parents to join in with the class or to help out with activities at any time. Extra hands are always welcome. During the sessions children will be making large cardboard houses which they will bring home with pride at the end of the year. A community house will also be built as the children learn what it means to work together in a spirit of cooperation.

Grades 3-4: Holidays, Holy Days, and Troll Patrol

The premise behind this outstanding curriculum is that people of all religions find meaning in celebration. The children actually create and participate in religious ceremonies from Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Native American religions. Each lesson includes the story behind the celebration, along with a look at what we as Unitarian Universalists can learn from the event. Holidays and Holy Days is educational and fun for children, teachers and parents as well.

Parents, please feel free to get involved with your child’s class as they study the various holidays and their traditions. You may even find it a good time to re-discover or establish some traditions that can be shared at home. If you have artifacts, articles of worship, or traditions you wish your child to share with the class feel free to contact the teacher or D.R.E.

The fourth grade year is a pivotal year for your child. The years ahead of them in the U.C.N. church school program will allow them to further learn and develop their faith and value system. Upon entering their fifth grade year your child will begin seriously studying the various faiths and belief systems found around the world. They will be guided to think seriously about their faith and to weigh its value when compared to other world faiths and values.

During the latter half of the fourth grade year the fourth graders will meet with the D.R.E. periodically to study the U. U. Principals and Purposes. Fourth graders become members of our Troll Patrol and are assigned special responsibilities. These responsibilities are ‘sacred’ and ‘vital’ to the ways in which we participate in and practice our faith as a congregation.

Grades 5-6: God Images

One characteristic of being human is the ability to ask questions abut the ultimate nature of life, questions such as:

What brought all that is into being?

Why must we die and what happens after death?

What are the forces and powers which control the world?

How can we be in tune with those powers?

Why is it that people have problems with each other?

How can we learn to get along peacefully with each other?

What makes life worth living?

One of the ways that humans have always answered these universal religious questions is with images of God. For example, we have imagined that which created everything to be God and we have explained all the details in myths. We have called the basic forces which surrounded our lives, God, and have devised all sorts of ways to be in harmony with those powers. We have seen the mystery of death and what happens after death as something which is under God's control and have lived our lives in relation to those beliefs. Further, human social patterns and life-styles have been determined in accordance with beliefs about God's expectations.

In earlier times, images of God included beliefs about all of these things, whether they were concerned with the ultimate nature of the universe, values underlying communal life or the purpose of living. Meaning, values and the nature of ultimate reality were united and interrelated in God images. In modern times, we have diversified our sources of answers to these questions. For many questions today, we look to scientific and scholarly research for answers, for some questions we find answers in the arts, for others our answers come from the traditions and patterns of life that we have inherited and many of us also find meanings in religion.

Junior Youth Group(Grades 7-8)

The seventh and eighth grade class function as a group of youth in search of knowledge as well as fun, camaraderie, and mutual support for each other. Curriculum topics are drawn from a wide range of areas and deal with personal growth issues, exploration of value systems, the study of other faiths and practices, as well as the creation of ones’ personal theology.

Adult advisors meet with the youth weekly and guide social as well as educational activities. Local, district, as well as regional U.U. activities are provided throughout the year to familiarize the youth with the world wide scope of our faith. Social justice activities are encouraged as Junior Youth and Senior Youth groups join to accomplish shared goals.

Junior Youth members are encouraged to become involved in additional programs being offered at U.C.N. such as the Our Whole Lives course that relates to sexuality, the Coming of Age Program, and Youth Social Justice Committee.

Senior Youth Group (Grades 9-12)

U.C.N. encourages attendance and participation in the Youth Group by any interested youth of the congregation, as well as their friends. Meetings are held weekly. The format for the group is determined by the youth in consultation with their adult advisors. Values and issues of interest to the group are discussed in depth.

Sr. Youth Group will meet in two different venues this year. On the first and third Sunday of each month the Sr. Youth Group will meet in the Sr. Youth classroom of the Thoreau Housefrom 10:30 A.M. to 11:45 AM. On the second, fourth, and fifth Sundays of the month, the Sr. Youth Group will meet in the Sr. Youth classroom of the Thoreau House from 12:00 noon to 1:00 P.M.

Senior Youth routinely attend Y.R.U.U.(Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) conferences that are held at various churches in our district. These conferences are held every three months and involve a weekend of travel and fun for the youth. Y.R.U.U. is the national organization of Unitarian Universalists that services our youth ages 14 to 21. Members of the Youth Group are entitled to receive a copy of Synapse, a publication put out by the Y.R.U.U. Becoming involved in the Y.R.U.U. organization helps youth to see the broader aspect of our faith and to realize that they are not alone. It provides age appropriate contact for our teens who seldom run into people in their every day life who share or understand their faith process. Often inter-conference friendships and even E-Mail contacts result with youth from all over the nation and the world.

Our Whole Lives (OWL)

The Our Whole Lives curriculum is offered to young people 11 years of age and up. The twenty eight session course is given over a two year period. Youth learn how to deal with their own sexuality as they share values with other youth and adults. The various types of sexuality are discussed as well as conception, birth control methods, and concerns related to sexually transmitted diseases. During this school year the first half of the curriculum will be presented. Youth interested in the curriculum who are not already enrolled should speak with Trudy Mandel, D.R.E. regarding registration for the 2005/2006 school year. Prior approval by each youth’s parents must be provided before starting the course. Parent education sessions are provided prior to the start of each new course. Parents are encouraged to attend these. Effectiveness of the OWL course is greatly enhanced when parents are willing to become involved and are aware of what the youth are learning. Weekly updates are sent home in order to assist parents with this process. The fact that your child is involved in the course provides an opportunity for parents to openly discuss sexuality issues with their children, issues which might go unexplored, had the child not taken the course. This year UCN is offering an adult OWL class for adults of the church. Parents of OWL youth are encouraged to take this course in tandem with their youth.

Coming Of Age Program (COA)

This program is open to youths 13 years of age and older. Young people may become voting members of our U.C.N. congregation when they have attained the age of 14 years. The youth must demonstrate knowledge of the Unitarian Universalist faith and of our congregation, its purpose and bylaws. This program prepares the young person to become a responsible, voting member of our congregation. It spans a nine month period and is aimed at teaching the youth what it really means to be a Unitarian Universalist. Youth are paired with an adult congregation member who serves as a mentor to the youth during the course and on into the early phase of their membership. Youth meet with the instructors and designated advisors to learn of their responsibilities as members of U.C.N. and of the U.U. movement. They are guided in forming a faith statement that meets their own personal beliefs and are assisted in further defining that belief. Celebration and ceremony are provided at the completion of the Coming of Age program as the youth is welcomed to the voting congregation by our adult body of members. If your child is interested in this program please see Trudy Mandel, D.R.E.