by Director of Learning & Family Ministries Dawn Star Sarahs-Borchelt
Remember the good old days of Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU), our high school youth group? It was 30 members strong, with a youth leadership team, several advisors, and annual trips and retreats, and the teens sold donuts at coffee hour.
It’s been a long time since this picture of youth programming at MLUC was accurate, and things are different now! Today’s teenagers are overprogrammed with school and other extracurriculars to a level that I think is hard to imagine if you aren’t living it or living adjacent to it. They also have access to community online in ways that didn’t exist even 15 or 20 years ago. Teens who are queer, trans, or neurodivergent, or who love things outside mainstream pop culture, can find their people online any day of the week, at any hour.
Does this mean teens don’t need what we have to offer as a church anymore? No, it just means we have to try different ways to be present, provide care, and empower them than what we used to do. Our approach this year is eclectic!
Our core group of youth is participating in our Coming of Age (COA) program. We offer COA every other year, and it consists of classroom time with teachers, working on credos or capstone projects with support from an adult mentor, and planning and presenting a worship service to the entire congregation in early March. I can’t wait to see what they offer us!
We’ve also held a few Sunday morning youth group meetings, including one with Rev. Lisa to learn about their work with MLUC and a trip to an escape room (they got out with just two seconds to spare!). We’ll have more youth group meetings after the COA service.
Every other week (approximately), a group of three to five youth meets for a continuation of the role-playing class we offered over the summer. There are a few youth who really aren’t very interested in our other offerings but are very connected to this role-playing game. If you aren’t familiar with role-playing and why it might be right in line with our Unitarian Universalist values, let me tell you! Role-playing games allow players to imagine themselves into different characters. Psychologically and spiritually, being able to imagine oneself into another’s perspective to better understand life challenges is an amazing tool for growth. Players must work together; if they don’t, their group won’t progress through whatever challenges the dungeon master has set before them—and it quickly becomes boring. Players bring their mental and emotional creativity to bear to solve problems. The main concern people express to me about role-playing games (or video games, or Nerf battles, etc.) is about the violence, and, as a pacifist myself, I understand why. However, conflict and violence are real things that we all experience to different degrees throughout life. Role-playing ways to respond to danger and deal with the feelings that come up so intensely when you’re fearful, angry, frustrated, or simply aggressive can be an extremely powerful tool for emotional growth. The teen years are an age-appropriate time to begin exploring these concepts.
Have a great idea about something our youth might enjoy doing or a way for them to connect with your church group or activity? Let me know!