"As Unitarian Universalists, our call to the work of youth ministry rests on our 
spiritual commitment to build the world we dream about—a world in which our 
faith communities welcome people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds 
to join hands in nourishing our spirits and healing the world."
-- The Youth Ministry Working Group Report, 2009.


resources for youth group advisors

 NEW!  Central East Region resources pages for youth ministry organized around the structure of the Web of Youth Ministry keeping us focused on the whole of youth ministry: 
  • Youth-Adult Partnership—describes youth adult partnership with a graph to help understand the spectrum
  • Healthy, Present, Safe Adults — a one page summary of boundaries and what makes a safe adult, with links to more information to support adults in understanding their role
  • Experiential Education — the concept of experiential education pedagogy is helpful in both our teaching of pedagogy to adults and in our pastoral care training for youth and adults
  • Exploring Identity— compilation of links for identity exploration for deepening UU identity and for other aspects of youth identities
  • Spirituality— a blog post and resources that emerged from conversations among UUA field staff around spiritual practice in youth ministry

More from the Central East Region:
  • UU Metro NY Calendar of Events for Youth, includes registration links
  • Metro YAC (Youth Adult Council) provides oversight and structure for youth-oriented programming, including social and working conferences ("Cons") and training. YAC is also serves as a resource for congregational youth groups.

Resources from the UUA:
Blog, Listserves & Social Media:
  • *Blue Boat Home, a blog hosted by the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). It is a space to share stories, successes, resources and information for youth, young adult and on-campus groups and individuals, as well as the advisors, staff and adult allies who work with them.  Subscribe to their blogs at the bottom of the webpage (click here). 
  • *Advisor-L discussion list, an email list for youth advisors to discuss questions and share best practices about working with youth.  Click here to sign up. 
  • *UUA Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries monthly newsletter.  Published by the UUA Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, this monthly e-newsletter will keep you informed about the latest resources and opportunities for Unitarian Universalist (UU) youth and those engaged in youth ministry. Click here to view recent issues.  Click here to sign up for the newsletter.  
  • *UUA “Youth Ministries Updates” monthly e-newsletter.  Click here to sign up.  
  • See the UUA's Social Media Resources page for tips on how to use new media and improve your online presence and communications. The UUA's New Media for Unitarian Universalists blog is also helpful.
  • *The Unitarian Universalist Youth Ministry Facebook page shares what is going on in our congregations as well as resources and opportunities through the UUA Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.
  • Follow the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries' Twitter feed (@Twitter Feed @YAYAUUA) for breaking news of interest to UU youth and young adults.

Additional Resources:
Activities & Curricula:
  • Youth-Friendly Discussion Guide by Kenny Wiley for the movie, Selma.
  • *Deep Fun: Games and Activities, documents the games that have been cherished by UU youth through the years.  It is organized into five chapters, loosely based on Denny Rydberg’s “Five Steps to Building Community”: bonding, opening up, affirming, stretching, deeper sharing and goal setting, plus quick energy breaks. 
  • Finding Your Path by Rev. Dr. Michael Tino, offers good ideas for discussion, reflection and activities during structured youth time. 
  • Sharing the Journey: Small Group Ministry With Youth, to help individuals build relationships, experience a greater sense of belonging, and feel supported in their spiritual journey in the congregation.
  • Popcorn Theology: PG, PG-13 and R movie clips with discussion prompts
  • A Chorus of Faiths, to develop UU youth as interfaith leaders. Youth explore values of service to our community and religious pluralism through stories from our Sources and personal storytelling, and coordinate an interfaith service.
  • Exploring Our Values through Poetry, utilizes poems that are concerned with elements of the spiritual life: acute observation, conscious and continuous inquiry, the unveiling of reality, hope and hopelessness, the afterlife, and the tenderness of the human condition. 
  • A Place of Wholeness, learning to talk about what it means to be Unitarian Universalist. Whether delivering an "elevator speech," taking part in an interfaith dialogue, or conversing with friends at the lunch table, youth need practice in describing our multifaceted faith in terms that are personally meaningful and true. 
  • Virtue Ethics: An Ethical Development Program for High School Youth, “our thoughts and actions become habits and our habits shape our character.” We have some control over our character. We can shape the person we want to be by making intentional, thoughtful decisions.

Events and Training
​Forms and Policies