by Austen Petersen, Director of Religious Education
On Sunday, July 23, Williamsburg UU hosted a workshop for our adult youth advisors and youth advisors from Coastal Virginia UU. Guest speaker Betty Jeanne Rueters-Ward and I led the gathering, which focused on youth empowerment in our congregations.
Betty Jeanne Rueters-Ward has been a Consultant, Trainer, and Curriculum Developer at the Unitarian Universalist Association for the past 18 years. Ms. Rueters-Ward teaches a flagship course in youth ministry at the Starr King School for the Ministry, and has held multiple leadership positions in the Unitarian Universalist world.
Participants in this interactive workshop shared their stories about their experiences as youth, and we connected that with the idea of empowering the youth in our congregations and denomination as a whole.
These elements are foundational to youth empowerment:
- Freedom with Responsibility
- Leadership Development
- Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning
Out of this meeting arose a hope for our youth to get together with Coastal Virginia and Newport News congregations. CVUU is also hosting their own OWL program, just as we are this coming fall.
A big thank you to Kate McGaw for providing lunch, to Dave Wilcox for providing AV support, and to our team of amazing volunteers for this upcoming semester for the high school program.
- Kate McGaw, lead
- Karine Borges
- Lesley Henderson
- Patrick Jones
- Catherine Mountjoy
Now is the time to register for our fall programming, which is part of our theme based ministry, Soul Matters.
On September 10, WUU Religious Education begins the 2023-2024 year, with classes for children and youth at WUU most Sundays from 10:20-11:20. Here’s what we’ll be offering for families on Sunday mornings:
- Preschool: The Rainbow Connection
- Lower Elementary: Soul Matters
- Upper Elementary and Middles: Soul Matters
- YRUU (High School): Soul Matters
In addition to our Sunday classes, we’ll also offer Our Whole Lives to two groups on Tuesday evenings this fall: one course for rising high school juniors and seniors and another course for adults 55 and over!
Learn more about our Religious Education programming, and contact austen@wuu.org for more information. Register for WUU Religious Education now!