Young Religious Unitarian Universalists
Encyclopedia
Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU) is a youth organization within the Unitarian Universalist Association
(UUA) in the United States
and the Canadian Unitarian Council
. YRUU is primarily run by youth, ranging in age from 14 to 20, with mentoring adult partners. It is organized at congregational, regional and continental levels.
YRUU goals have included youth empowerment, social activism and building leadership qualities. YRUU members have often made their presence known in public demonstrations, for instance in the June 23, 2006 protest in St. Louis, Missouri
against Victoria's Secret
for allegedly printing its catalogues on paper from endangered North American forests.
YRUU is characterized by its own attendant culture; for instance, YRUU events and gatherings often involve interactive peer-led worship activities, use games to foster community building, and encourage youth leadership, often with the goal of creating an environment of trust, safety, and openness. This enables a deeper connection to other people, which some YRUUers or advisors describe as a .
Beginning in 1982, YRUU published the newspaper Synapse, which appeared three times a year. In 2005, budget cuts forced the publication to be switched to two online issues that were compiled into a single print edition. In 2007, the UUA's Office of Youth Ministries halted publication, claiming a lack of submissions and staffing, and announced that Synapse would be replaced by a newsletter that will be published three times a year.
In February 2008, UUA President William G. Sinkford
, in a letter to the YRUU Steering Committee, announced there would be no further funding for Continental level YRUU at the end of the fiscal year. “There is broad consensus that the current structure for continental youth ministry is not serving our faith well,” wrote Stafford. “It is true that continental YRUU, as we have known it, will be replaced at some point by a new structure that will serve us better.” Two months later, the UUA Board of Trustees announced it would cease its funding for the continental level YRUU activities in June 2008 and refocus its North American youth ministry endeavors. There is currently a working group on youth ministry that has been appointed to make suggestions as to the future structure of YRUU. YRUU is still operating at Congregational and Regional/District levels, with youth groups and conferences still definitely active.
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
(UUA) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Canadian Unitarian Council
Canadian Unitarian Council
The Canadian Unitarian Council is the national body for Unitarian Universalists in Canada.The CUC is a member of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists.- Principles and sources :...
. YRUU is primarily run by youth, ranging in age from 14 to 20, with mentoring adult partners. It is organized at congregational, regional and continental levels.
YRUU goals have included youth empowerment, social activism and building leadership qualities. YRUU members have often made their presence known in public demonstrations, for instance in the June 23, 2006 protest in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
against Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
for allegedly printing its catalogues on paper from endangered North American forests.
YRUU is characterized by its own attendant culture; for instance, YRUU events and gatherings often involve interactive peer-led worship activities, use games to foster community building, and encourage youth leadership, often with the goal of creating an environment of trust, safety, and openness. This enables a deeper connection to other people, which some YRUUers or advisors describe as a .
Beginning in 1982, YRUU published the newspaper Synapse, which appeared three times a year. In 2005, budget cuts forced the publication to be switched to two online issues that were compiled into a single print edition. In 2007, the UUA's Office of Youth Ministries halted publication, claiming a lack of submissions and staffing, and announced that Synapse would be replaced by a newsletter that will be published three times a year.
In February 2008, UUA President William G. Sinkford
William G. Sinkford
The Rev. William G. Sinkford was elected the seventh president of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in 2001. Sinkford was elected to his second and final term as president in 2005. His installation as president made him the first African American to lead the organization. He...
, in a letter to the YRUU Steering Committee, announced there would be no further funding for Continental level YRUU at the end of the fiscal year. “There is broad consensus that the current structure for continental youth ministry is not serving our faith well,” wrote Stafford. “It is true that continental YRUU, as we have known it, will be replaced at some point by a new structure that will serve us better.” Two months later, the UUA Board of Trustees announced it would cease its funding for the continental level YRUU activities in June 2008 and refocus its North American youth ministry endeavors. There is currently a working group on youth ministry that has been appointed to make suggestions as to the future structure of YRUU. YRUU is still operating at Congregational and Regional/District levels, with youth groups and conferences still definitely active.
See also
- List of youth organizations
- Youth-adult partnershipYouth-Adult partnershipYouth-adult partnership is the title of a conscious relationship which establishes and sustains intergenerational equity between young people and adults.-Activities:...
- Youth empowermentYouth empowermentYouth empowerment is an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people, including youth and adults....
- List of youth empowerment organizations
External links
- Canadian Unitarian Council Website - youth section
- Archive of the old YRUU website - Internet Archive's
- Unitarian Universalist Association Website - youth page