Coming of Age: Youth Visits to UUSC

Every person should be able to live to their full potential. At UUSC, we honor this notion every day through our eye-to-eye partnerships, working alongside people from all backgrounds to create a more just world. As UU youth navigate the path to adulthood — figuring out how to live up to their own potential — we want to support them in connecting with and taking action on their values.

As a human-rights organization grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and core UU principles, UUSC provides numerous opportunities to put the ideals of Unitarian Universalism to work. We advocate for civil liberties, the human right to water, workers' rights, and the rights of people left out of traditional recovery efforts in the wake of natural disasters and war. We also do our best to give our members and supporters the tools they need to be advocates for change.

In all of our work, we look for grassroots organizations to work alongside. In Egypt, we worked to help activists publish a comic book about Martin Luther King Jr.'s life to spread the idea of nonviolence during the revolution. In Haiti, we are working with a peasant movement to build an eco-village that will provide homes and farmland to people displaced by the earthquake. Leveraging these partnerships not only allows us to act in accordance with our values but avoids redundancy and allows UUSC to focus on the work more effectively.

Working with youth is another of our key partnerships. As part of coming-of-age programs, many congregations organize a trip to Boston for their youth. They come to visit the Unitarian Universalist Association, see sites important to the history of Unitarian Universalism, and many visit UUSC headquarters in Cambridge. UUSC's work represents a practical application of the principles of the UU faith. Visiting the UUSC represents a unique opportunity to not just see our shared values on display but in real-world applications.

During a youth visit, we look at UUSC's history, mission, four program areas, and how we act in accordance with UU principles. We play a game based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And we do our best to make sure youth leave with a better idea of how to put their values into action.

Contact csj@uusc.org to schedule a youth visit. Youth visits are typically conducted on Fridays and last about 1.5 hours. A suggested donation of $200 helps cover the costs of the visit and support our work.