Frequently Asked Questions about the Status of Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU) and Youth Ministry
1. What is YRUU?Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU) is a continental organization sponsored by the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). It began on January 1, 1983.
But YRUU has other meanings within the Association.
The term “YRUU” is often—although not always—used to describe local youth groups and district-sponsored events and services, even if these entities have no connection with the continental organization. “YRUU” is also used to name the identity some youth feel as Unitarian Universalists. Finally, it is sometimes used to refer to the services provided by the Youth Office of the UUA. This multiple use of “YRUU” to describe a specific continental leadership structure (most visible as Youth Council and Steering Committee), various UU youth activities, a sense of identity within a UU youth community, and UUA services in support of youth ministry, has led to some confusion and concern about what is happening with YRUU.
2. What's happening with YRUU?
In October of 2004, the UUA Board of Trustees passed the following: “MOVED: To request that the President convene a consultation for the purpose of renewing the Association's vision of its ministry for and with youth.”
A two-year consultation process to gather input on UU youth ministry followed, beginning in February 2005, and culminating with a Summit on Youth Ministry in July 2007 (see Question 3). A clear consensus emerged from both youth and adult stakeholders that the present continental structure of YRUU does not well serve the majority of UU youth or UU congregations.
Therefore a conversation is taking place around ending that continental structure and replacing it with a structure that better supports our congregations and districts in their ministries to and with youth.
This conversation is not about ending congregational and district youth ministry, whether called “YRUU” or not. It is about strengthening, deepening and broadening youth ministry at the local and district levels where most youth ministry is delivered, while still providing for important continental opportunities for youth. This conversation is also not about ending or curtailing UUA support for youth ministry, but rather about making it as effective as possible.
3. What is the “Consultation on Ministry to and with Youth” and the “ Summit ”?
The Consultation on Ministry To and With Youth was the process convened by UUA President Bill Sinkford and Youth UUA Board Trustee Megan Dowdell at the request of the UUA Board of Trustees to assess and revision our Association's ministry to and with youth. Beginning February 2005 with the Convocation on Ministry to and with Youth, the process solicited input from a variety of stakeholders in Unitarian Universalist youth ministry. Over 5,000 Unitarian Universalist participated over the course of two years (February 2005—July 2007). Structured conversations were held within congregations, districts, and stakeholder organizations. In addition, individual surveys were conducted with youth ages 12 and up, and with youth advisors. Through these consultations, the process built on the ideas and needs of youth and adults at the grassroots level.
For an overview of the wisdom gathered through this process, read the Consultation on Ministry to and with Youth Summary Report (PDF, 76 pages).
The Summit on Youth Ministry, the culminating gathering of the consultation process, met from July 16-20, 2007. The Summit brought together 54 youth and adult leaders from throughout the Association to make recommendations for change. Over the course of five days in this focused working conference, youth and adults collaborated to create a new vision of youth ministry. Their recommendations are based on the reports of congregational, district and stakeholder conversations, youth surveys, and discussions at the Summit itself.
For a full report of the Summit on Youth Ministry please read the Summit on Youth Ministry Report (PDF, 27 pages).
4. Who has the authority to fund YRUU?
The Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
5. Who has the authority to end the current YRUU structure?
The Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
6. When will the YRUU structure end or change?
The Board of Trustees has not yet received a proposal to end the current structure of YRUU or change its funding, so the Board has made no decision.
The Summit recommended “that YRUU Youth Council discuss the possible future role of YRUU in a congregationally based model of youth ministry…. [a conversation] that needs to feed into and inform the UUA Board's decision-making process about Unitarian Universalist youth ministry's mission and structure. This must include an evaluation of ending the current YRUU structure .” [Emphasis added - page 18 of the August, 2007 “ Summit on Youth Ministry Report” cited above.] Youth Council met immediately after the Summit in July, 2007 to have this discussion and instructed their elected Steering Committee to continue to participate in conversations about the future of YRUU.
7. Does the YRUU Steering Committee have a say in this process?
Yes.
YRUU representatives have been members of every committee, task force, and working group in this process.
In addition, questions and issues of change for YRUU have been before each YRUU Youth Council meeting and YRUU Steering Committee meeting since the Youth Council meeting of July 2003 when Youth Council member Jennifer Dunmore introduced a resolution called “Common Ground III: Can we just change the world already?” which proposed goal setting and re-imagining of youth ministry and YRUU.
From February 8-11, 2008, the newly formed Youth Ministry Working Group, an implementation committee appointed by the UUA President and charged with realizing the recommendations of the Summit, met at the same time and place as the YRUU Steering Committee in order to receive their input face-to-face. Both groups will meet again in April 2008 at one location to provide another opportunity for the Working Group to hear from the Steering Committee.
In addition, a YRUU Steering Committee representative serves on the Youth Ministry Working Group.
8. Who will create a new structure?
As a natural continuation of the Board-authorized consultation process, and at the recommendation of the Summit, President Bill Sinkford has appointed a Youth Ministry Working Group to move the Summit recommendations forward into implementation.
This 15-member working group has youth, young adult, and adult members including representatives of key stakeholder groups and UUA staff.
A key task of the Youth Ministry Working Group will be to review, critique, and re-shape a draft of what a new structure for effective UU Youth Ministry might look like. This draft, drawn from the extensive input and imagining of the entire consultation process, is being prepared by the UUA President and staff for the April 2008 meeting of the Working Group.
Following this meeting, the Administration will prepare a recommendation to the UUA Board of Trustees for Board action regarding an Association structure for Unitarian Universalist youth ministry.
9. What is the impact on YRUU at local (congregational) and district (or regional) levels?
What is happening now is a discussion of ending only the current continental YRUU structure and replacing it with a structure that helps our congregations and districts better serve our youth (see Questions 1 and 2).
The immediate impact on local and district youth ministry should be limited as they continue the good work they are doing. The long range impact will hopefully be significant and positive as youth ministry is served “at a more robust, flexible, diverse level than YRUU currently offers.” (The Consultation on Ministry To and With Youth Summary Report, page 6.)
The entire consultation process envisions a stronger congregational youth ministry and recognizes the vital and expanding role of districts, district staff, and interdistrict collaboration in youth ministry. One of the recommendations of the Summit , for example, is an effective mechanism for sharing the best practices and success stories of youth ministry in our congregations and districts. In addition, interdistrict staffing and collaboration, already underway at the initiative of the districts themselves, are innovations worthy of support in a new structure. Many other examples of learning from and supporting local youth ministries can be found in the Summit recommendations.
10. What will happen to UUA services to youth such as trainings, curricula, continental gatherings, etc?
Services are continuing and will continue. Most will be evaluated and revised to best support the goals of the youth ministry envisioned by the Summit . Some examples follow.
- What will happen to youth trainings?
Trainings are not only continuing, they are being evaluated for improvements.
For example, the Office of Youth Ministries is convening a task force to evaluate the Chrysalis program (Spirituality Development, Leadership Development, Chaplain, and Advisor Trainings) from February 28- March 2, 2008. This group of experienced trainers, District and Lifespan Faith Development staff will create a vision for a more regional and congregationally-accessible training program. This re-imagining will be brought to the Youth Ministry Working Group to consider next steps.
- What about youth curricula and programs?
The Resource Development Office of Lifespan Faith Development continues to develop youth programs. The new curriculum project, Tapestry of Faith, includes plans for programs that respond to the needs expressed in the consultation process. Tapestry includes continuing support for Our Whole Lives , and Our Whole Lives for Young Adults and Sexuality and Our Faith for Young Adults have just been published.
- What about Youth Caucus at GA?
GA Youth Caucus is sponsored by the UUA Office of Youth Ministry and the UUA GA Office. It will continue to provide youth programming at General Assembly for UU youth.
- What about opportunities for youth from marginalized groups such as youth of color and BGLT youth to come together at continental levels?
Providing opportunities for community, identity, and leadership development for youth from historically marginalized groups has been one of the gifts of the present YRUU structure. The Summit recommendations affirm the importance of this dimension of our youth ministry and call for greatly expanding these opportunities in new ways. The Mosaic Project, under the direction of Laura Spencer in the UUA's Identity-based Ministry Staff Group, is an assessment of the needs of UU youth and young adults of color. This evaluation was one of the first recommendations of the Summit to be implemented and its findings will influence future decisions about structure, funding, and practice.
11. What about Youth Office staffing? Is the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Office merging with the Youth Office?
Plans to bring the Young Adult/Campus Ministries and Youth Ministries into one Youth and Young Adult Ministries Office within Lifespan Faith Development are progressing. Input from key stakeholders continues to be solicited. While this transition will take many months, the plan is to begin staffing this new office by the end of this fiscal year.
12. So what was the “miscommunication within UUA staff” that President Bill Sinkford referred to that has triggered this energetic conversation? And where does that leave us now?
A series of conversations among UUA staff about what could be clearly communicated to YRUU Steering Committee at its February 2008 meeting resulted not in clarity, but a misunderstanding. Thus, Steering Committee was told that the YRUU continental leadership structure and funding would end at the close of this fiscal year.
Only the Board of Trustees of the UUA can decide to end YRUU, a sponsored organization. The Board has received no recommendation to do so at this time, and has made no decision regarding the future of this organization.
That was the mistake: pre-empting a Board responsibility by announcing the end of the present YRUU structure. Naming a specific date made change suddenly feel real and final and anxiety-producing.
But acknowledging that change is coming is not a mistake. All participants in the Consultation process, including YRUU and non-YRUU youth, agree that we must fundamentally change how we minister to and with youth. All the visioning and recommendations from this multi-year process point to the need to replace the current YRUU structure with a different approach.
We have a strong and urgent consensus for change. We have not yet designed a new structure for our youth ministry, but Unitarian Universalists are deeply engaged in that process now. While it is unsettling to anticipate change without knowing what that change will look like, this time without all the answers is an opportunity to think boldly and creatively about our commitment to our youth and our future.
The youth ministry consultation process was highly transparent and inclusive. As we engage in the implementation process, those qualities continue to be important. To proceed with integrity, the process requires time, and therefore those engaged in this work acknowledge the frustrations and concerns inherent in transitions, and respectfully ask for patience.
For more information contact religiouseducation @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
