Youth Ministry

All youth in 7th grade and up are invited to participate in our Youth Ministry. The activities and meeting times are determined by the interests of the group and range from meeting other UU youth to inspiring community service projects. We will have one group for senior high youth and one for junior, but will work together for some special projects. Our Youth Ministry programming includes growth opportunities in the areas of worship, youth-adult relations, connection, social action, learning, and leadership. Our youth always have lots of fun together while leading our community in being “principle activators” by putting our UU values into action.

Coming soon in our Senior High Youth Ministry ...

Regular ongoing groups

Coming soon in our Senior High Youth Ministry ...

All meetings start at 7pm unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, May 13: No youth meeting (Do something nice with your mom!)

Not enough youth around on Saturday, May 19 for Amusement Park field trip. Should we do a game night in the Brackett Room on May 20th? Or another activity? When could we do the Amusement Park field trip instead?

Sunday, May 27: Is anyone around?

Sunday, June 3: Bridging Sunday and LS graduation (dinner out for younger youth???)

Saturday, June 9: Pride Parade (during the day; return around 3)

Friday, June 15 to Sunday, June 17: Briding CON in Arlington. If any youth under 18 want to go to this, we need an adult chaperone (or two who split the weekend).

Friday June 22 to Sunday June 24 … CAMPING and PTOWN ….. Mass Audobon Wellfleet (We NEED one more adult chaperone for this).

Regular ongoing groups

Coming-of-Age Program

In addition to our Youth Ministry activities, our 9th graders also participate in the Coming-of-Age program. A highly regarded program is the Unitarian Universalist tradition for recognizing our teenage youth as they are becoming adults. The goal for this program is for the youth to explore and define their self-identity as UUs. This includes but is not limited to actively participating in discussions about deep theological questions; developing a close relationship with a First Parish mentor; exploration of their own deepening spirituality; exploration of social injustice and involvement in Social Action work; and involvement in meaningful "community" worship. A program highlight is the presentation of personal credos during the Coming-of-Age worship service in the Spring.

Our Whole Lives Program

First Parish of Sudbury is pleased to be offering the Junior High program of our Our Whole Lives this year. The Unitarian Universalist Association writes, “Our Whole Lives helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.”

Breakfast Club

This "sunday morning" small group offers our 12 to 14-year-olds more autonomy as they begin carrying our UU principles into the world with deeper theological explorations, unique activities, and inspiring community service projects. Our youth will focus this year on exploring each of the six UU sources as they engage in art projects and go on “neighboring faiths” visits that will inspire their own UU faith.

STOP

Our 7th and 8th grade youth will also be invited to participate during the winter season in an incredible community program called STOP, Students Together Opposing Prejudice. This interfaith program honors coming together, learning about the other religions in our area, and recognizing prejudice and doing what we can to stop it. First Parish of Sudbury enthusiastically supports this program and encourages all of our youth to participate. This program will be on Wednesday evenings this winter.

Morris Dancing

Morris Dancing All youth ages 10 and up are invited to participate in Morris Dancing on Sunday afternoons. Tom Kruskal has been leading Hop Brook Morris since 1990 here at First Parish of Sudbury . They perform ritual dances from England at festivals and events around the Boston area. There are many adult groups performing these dances, but they are one of the few kid's teams. Morris dancing comes from the Cotswold region of England and is a springtime ritual dance done in the small agricultural villages around Cambridge and Oxford. The bells, sticks, and colorful costumes combine with the vigorous dancing to wake the earth and drive away the evil spirits of winter and guarantee a good crop that summer. These dances are hundreds of years old and were passed down through the generations to us today.