Elias Estabrook was a recent UUSC grassroots mobilization intern whose work focused on engaging youth. In the following blog post, he reflects on his time as a UUSC intern and the questions that youth face as they try to make positive change in the world.

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
— Rev. Howard Thurman

What does this mean for young people like me? Rev. Howard Thurman's widely cherished and respected words capture what I grapple with as I seek out opportunities to learn about the world and make a difference. Where and how will I discover what truly makes me come alive? And how can we help other youth discover that for themselves?

Over the past two months, after an eight-month immersion experience abroad, I've settled into UUSC's office in Cambridge as an intern for grassroots mobilization. Just as I did in my rural, Senegalese host community, I've taken on the challenge of examining the role of youth in social change — and formulating ways for them to engage as leaders and aware members of society. In particular, I've focused on youth activism with respect to economic justice, from fair trade to restaurant workers' rights.

In my final week, I had the opportunity to attend parts of the National Youth Justice Summit, a UU College of Social Justice program. It was a privilege to see how 10 young Unitarian Universalists — much like I was just a few years ago — are tackling fundamental questions about social justice and developing realistic visions for how they can be agents of change. During the week, the youth forged connections as they shared perspectives. They were united by not only their UU faith and their leadership qualities but also their joint motivation and aspiration to make a difference. And that week can serve as the jumping off point for something even bigger.  

It was a blessing to end my stint at UUSC with such an interactive week. As we closed one of the sessions, assembled in a circle with joined hands, I voiced my gratitude for seeing my hopes for engaged young people manifested in the wisdom and determination of these eager leaders. Even though I spent much of my internship at a desk shaping important research and creative ideas into strategic information kits and workshop programs, being face-to-face with young UUs for a short time was ultimately the most gratifying. It made the youth-led social-justice movement I was envisioning and writing about incredibly real.

The world needs youth leaders to take on the complicated challenges of our time. But there are far too many for one young leader to take on alone. And so, as Howard Thurman believes, we need more youth who are intrinsically motivated and passionate about the good they can do in the world. As they explore, they will discover what they are most drawn to, whether it be campaigning for marriage equality or coordinating job-training programs for marginalized youth.  

Bringing out this enthusiasm and conviction is, of course, easier said than done. Reaching and harnessing this energy was one of the greatest challenges of my work. How do you motivate youth to contribute to social action, to understand and get involved with an important human-rights campaign? These were the questions I pondered. Yet, after this National Youth Justice Summit, this task seems much more possible. Surrounded by lively, inquisitive, and invested youth, I find my optimism about our generation reaffirmed.

When I picked up my 11-year-old son from his friend's house on Monday, both boys told me about an amazing video they had just seen on YouTube that showed a really bad man named Joseph Kony who forced children to become soldiers. As a result of the exponential attention the Invisible Children Kony 2012 video is getting, you are probably hearing a lot about Uganda, Joseph Kony, and his horrific tactics. Kony is unfortunately alive and well (you can even track his actions), and it is indeed crucial to stop him from brutalizing more children. For me, the biggest issue the video leaves open is what happens to the children who survive Kony. At UUSC, we believe it's crucial to consider what happens to those children soldiers once they are freed or escape, as thousands have.

Since 2008, UUSC and our partner Caritas have helped over 20,000 of the Acholi people in northern Uganda rebuild after the brutal war between Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan government. When these people returned to rebuild their villages after the war, they faced the challenge of what to do with the thousands of abducted children who escaped or had been released. The true tragedy of this war is that Kony made children murder and mutilate others in their villages precisely to guarantee that their communities would reject them, making his army their only refuge. The amazing story of heroism is how so many of these returned child soldiers have been able to draw on their resiliency not only to escape but to try to rebuild their lives in the face of initial rejection by their own people.

With the advice of our partner, UUSC found that the best way to help these former child soldiers gain acceptance was to integrate them into community activities, not treat them as a separate group. When I first visited Acuru in 2009, a formerly abducted soldier refused to sit in the circle of villagers or even attend the meeting, because he felt so shamed and rejected. One year later, in the same village, he was sitting in the back row — but he was part of the meeting. He was also leading an oxen team and was a member of the dance troupe. "I got a chance," he said. "This kind of work helps heal me." Our experience in Uganda has taught us that people have incredible wells of resilience that can be tapped if you believe in them and see them as survivors, not victims.

Kony continues to wreak havoc in central Africa, and he definitely must be stopped. We need to understand and take on our role in that — but it's important that we also understand the key roles Ugandans and Africans have played and continue to play. In the viral Kony 2012 video, the narrator's son Joshua clearly sees his father as a hero, but we want to hold up all the invisible heroes of this war in Uganda — the Ugandan religious leaders, parliamentarians, human-rights workers, parents, and NGO workers who struggled for years to bring attention to the war, to convince Kony to release children, and ultimately to bring peace to northern Uganda. As Semhar Araia says in the Christian Science Monitor, "We also know that young people's minds are open and hungry. They should be inspired by knowing Africa is empowered, saving itself and working with partners to remove Kony. That is the real story."

Check out more on UUSC's work with Caritas in Uganda:

UUSC is excited to be partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Association on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti for youth and young adults, August 20–27. In the post below, participant Ravenna McGuire reflects on their first day working at the eco-village and learning about the MPP community and history of Haiti.

Eight of us piled into the back of a white SUV. Our American legs, unaccustomed to pants in the summer heat, rubbed against our neighbor's. As we left the compound, tree trunks painted in the green and red of Mouvman Peyizan Papay (the Papaye Peasant Movement, or MPP) faded to dense fences of thin cactus stalks. A few minutes later we passed the first landmark that had become familiar — the washing river. The first time we crossed, a man was scrubbing his red Chinese-made motorbike in the middle of the brown water; the second time, a massive brown and white bull waited patiently while his hide was cleaned. This morning two men stood knee deep in the river, washing the floorboards of a white truck without doors. 

After 25 more minutes of pinballing across the road to avoid deep rifts in the red earth, we arrived at the entrance to the eco-village where we'd be spending the rest of our mornings. Mimine, the head engineer, guided us through the growing village. Two complete square houses, eight under way. The buildings are made almost entirely out of earth, with a rock and gravel foundation and clay walls. We got to work, passing stones hip to hip around the perimeter of the building to the men and women laying the foundation. Soon the group of Haitian children who'd been watching us joined us in line. Side-by-side, we sang Haitian freedom songs and Janis Joplin. The rock pile became smaller, and the foundation grew.  

Haiti has a troubled history, and its relationship with the United States is no different. We blocked trade soon after they won their freedom because we were afraid of the precedent set by a nation established through slave revolt. We established a Marine occupation in the 1900s, and we continue to ignore or oppress Haiti as convenient. But here we are, 13 young Americans, laying a house's foundation alongside members of the most political peasant movement in Haiti — largely because UUSC has proven time and time again, with its steady stream of volunteers and dollars, that it is committed to standing as an ally in the long term.

Today we sat in on a popular-education training, where community members from all over Haiti use music and pictures to discuss oppression and how to mobilize their community. We talked about a series of pictures, one with a large fish eating a mouthful of smaller fish as others swam in different directions. Then we saw the smaller fish organize into the form of a larger fish and chase the larger fish away. In the course of our discussion, one of our members asked if the smaller fish could ever ally with the big fish, to which the facilitator responded, "Selman si gwo pwason prann konsyans" — "only if the big fish is conscious enough." 

With the groundwork laid by UUSC and our community's continued commitment to serving as a partner — listening to the Haitians tell us what they want for their communities, how they want to mobilize, where they want us to put the rocks — we can make huge strides in supporting progressive, sustainable, incredible projects like the MPP eco-village. And we can make baby steps toward addressing the many, many missteps that we as a nation have taken in our dealings with Haiti. If we're big fish, let us at least be conscious ones.

UUSC is excited to be partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Association on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti for youth and young adults, August 20–27. In the posts below, two participants share their first impressions.  

The following post was written by Ravenna McGuire on Sunday, August 21, about the group's drive through Port-au-Prince.

Our group left the Palm Inn, near central Port-au-Prince, in three white vans. We were silent, our eyes glued to the windows as our convoy passed opulence virtually on top of devastation — high walls guarding tennis courts next to piles of white rubble. Winding through neighborhoods and makeshift refugee camps, we made a left and came upon the crushed National Palace. Of the three majestic white domes, one has caved into itself, one has broken into massive shards like a giant shattered teacup, and one is completely gone. Today marks almost exactly 18 months after the catastrophic earthquake shook Port-au-Prince, lifting it into the air and then shattering its foundations. Entire university classes were lost — if the third-years were in the basement, the third-years were killed. The National Palace faces the Champ de Mars, where large statues of Haiti's heroes now tower over hundreds of tents. I kept imagining the U.S. Capitol dome and what it would mean to Americans to have one of our most recognizable national symbols left in disrepair for a year and a half. It just seems so unfair, in a country where so much has been taken, that this symbol of great pride would remain in pieces as well.

The following post was written by Jessica Hallock on Monday, August 22, after the group's Sunday arrival at the headquarters of the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPP).

What I think is pretty nifty is all the programs around food that are happening here. See, part of what MPP cares about is food sovereignty. So what we've been eating on this program — our lettuce, beets, and carrots — is all locally grown and organic. For dinner, among other things, there's been goat meat. Even some of our trip's vegetarians have tried it, since it's free range and ethically raised. And beyond that, there's products being produced for sale, made from these local ingredients. We had MPP peanut butter and mango jam this morning (and were assured that we could take some home), and we keep hearing about the facility to dry mangos for sale.   

UUSC is excited to be partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Association on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti for youth and young adults, August 20–27. In the post below, trip leader Evan Seitz, UUSC's associate for experiential learning and youth services, gives a quick update after the group arrived in the Central Plateau on Sunday.  

Just letting you know the group arrived safely in Papaye this afternoon at the training center of our partner the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPP)! This first thing we did was have a delicious lunch of pizza, beet and carrot salad, and cold passion-fruit juice. In the late afternoon, we had a chance to meet MPP's inspirational founder, Chavannes Jean-Baptiste.

We are aware that tropical storm Irene may pass over Haiti late tomorrow or Tuesday. If it does pass near here, we plan to sit out the rain and wind in our dormitory — a very well-constructed building (in fact, the second story was completed just several months ago with help from a UUSC grant). We have plenty of water and food as well. While the storm may disrupt our work plans at the eco-village, the group will be safe.

We will be posting updates about our experience here on the UUSC JustWorks blog and over at the UUA's Faith Without Borders blog — check back daily for the latest entries.

Thanks to everyone for your support of these young adults as we embark on a week of service and learning!

August 22, 2011

The UUSC-UUA JustWorks trip to Haiti for youth and young adults has just begun! As one of the UUSC staff people on our most recent trip to Haiti, I'm really excited for this group of young people to be introduced to our partner the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPP). They will be learning directly from them and lending some muscle power to an eco-village project, which will provide homes and sustainable livelihoods for 40 families displaced from Port-au-Prince by the earthquake.

Founded by Chavannes Jean-Baptiste in 1973, MPP is a national grassroots movement that trains and empowers small farmers to improve their lives and support their livelihoods. Our week in the Central Plateau in May left me deeply inspired — by the sights, smells, and sounds of the countryside; by the thoughtful engagement of the trip participants; and by the people and work of MPP.

The MPP logo is a good place to start to understand the organization's roots and aspirations. At the center of the logo is a drum that represents traditional Haitian culture. MPP is dedicated to preserving the food, dancing, song, and history that make the Haitian people unique. Development and change that disregards the richness of Haitian culture is not progress.

The hand tools on either side of the drum — a machete, a pick-axe, and a hoe — symbolize the peasants and their agricultural way of life, most specifically a traditional form of agriculture that uses organic, non-mechanized methods. MPP rejects the practices of industrial agriculture — and its many problems — found elsewhere in the world. On the May trip to Haiti, our muscles became familiar with these tools, whether we were using pick-axes to dig ditches for the eco-village foundations or machetes to prepare tires for the Road to Life gardens. From rainwater collection to organic farming techniques, MPP uses environmentally sustainable methods to lessen their impact on the earth and to ensure their self-reliance. Something like 90 percent of what we ate at MPP was grown, raised, produced, and prepared right at MPP (some of my favorites were the MPP peanut butter, mango jam, and fresh beets).

The palm tree at the pinnacle of the MPP logo represents liberty — the freedom of the Haitian people to live their lives as they wish, the right to self-determination. This palm tree grows out of the foundation of Haitian culture. For MPP, freedom does not mean turning their back on their culture and history.

And finally, the part of the logo I most love — the conch shell, which represents a sounding call for solidarity, the gathering of community. As an organization based on cooperative structures, MPP relies on strong community relationships. In May, Chavannes told us about the first MPP meetings in 1973: "The first subject we spoke about was love. We reflected: What is love? What is friendship?" He even composed a song that spoke to the vision of community they wanted to cultivate. We witnessed myriad ways that the people of MPP foster strong ties, from their organization as collectives and the local radio station they run in the Central Plateau all the way down to a dance party that celebrated the graduation of a training class.

The 11 youth and young adults that have embarked on a UUSC-UUA service-learning trip will become part of that community for the week they're there and beyond. They will be a living embodiment of UUSC's eye-to-eye partnership model — as they listen to their work-site instructions, as they haul rocks and build foundations, and as they create connections with MPP members. To read about their experience, keep an eye on our JustWorks blog and the UUA's Faith Without Borders blog as they begin their adventure!  

UPDATE: For current opportunities to take part in a service-learning trip to Haiti, visit the UU College of Social Justice website.

Oftentimes when I am sitting at my desk, I find myself going from one link to another and becoming intrigued by a certain issue I find while browsing the web. As I was recently skimming through the UUSC website I found myself researching more and more into the Uganda situation. I came across information relating to a documentary that I had watched a bit of a few years ago titled Invisible Children. This was a film that was created by three young American men who decided to bring to light the situation that young Ugandan children are enduring: being taken away from their homes and families in the middle of the night and having to commit heinous and murderous acts that soon leave them emotionless and mentally disturbed.

As the hours passed, I found myself watching video after video relating to this cause and  thinking more and more about how disgusting it is that anyone could allow this to happen. As I read through the information which explained how the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) came into being, I noticed that it had listed one of the reasons for its creation as being a desire for the people of the rebel group to help to "obey" the 10 commandments. This, to me, seemed crazy. Surely if one is attempting to follow "God's way" — whatever it might mean to each individual — it could not mean in any sort of way having to mentally and physically scar a young boy. 

As I sit here typing this up, I cannot help but question: Is the LRA really attempting to pass their mission as being servants of God? Is this something they truly believe or this one leader's false message in an attempt to gain followers? It clearly must be. No human being in their right mind could possibly think that this is in any way normal.

Another thought came to me. If I were in those kids' situation would I be able to make it? What would be my daily thoughts once I was caught? If I had to harm my own family in any way to survive would I be able to do it in order to survive? Of course these are thoughts that no human being would like to think about. But at times I feel it is necessary in order to fully understand the situations that these children are facing.

My professor once asked us, "Had you been alive during the Holocaust would you have murdered someone else if instructed in order to stay alive?" Immediately every student in the class answered "NO!" Often it is very easy for us to assume that if we were in any situation we would do the right thing, but fear might just be the most dangerous thing known to man.

The point I am trying to make here is not a deep discussion into "What would you do?" Instead it is to bring light to the fact that at times people do not fully place themselves into the situation of others and truly grasp the reality of it — and because of that, effective changes are not able to be made. Charles G. Morris says, "Empathy depends not only on one's ability to identify someone else's emotions but also on one's capacity to put oneself in the other person's place and to experience an appropriate emotional response." When we become empathetic and relate our pain to those of others, then we are able to truly give ourselves to making a change.

I'm excited to share with others that this summer UUSC is able to offer four part-time unpaid volunteer and intern positions, intended primarily for high school students, at out Cambridge, Mass., headquarters! The position descriptions are online at www.uusc.org/jobs_and_internships, and the deadline to apply is June 30, 2011. All positions are excellent opportunities for students to expand their skills and gain valuable experience.

I know personally what a difference this can make. As a high school student, I volunteered part-time one summer for a state representative. While I only worked a day or two a week, that experience really improved my resume, and I believe it was a key reason I was hired for a competitive internship after my first year of college. Opportunities like these will only take part of a student's summer, but can make such a difference in future work opportunities!

Last summer, a young woman named Madzie served as a volunteer in our fundraising department. I enjoyed working with her on a variety of projects and talking with her about her plans and goals. I also suggested language to describe her volunteer position on her resume, something that I plan to offer for future youth volunteers as well. I hope that volunteering with UUSC will be a useful professional experience for the young people who work with us, and I am happy to talk with the students about their career goals and future plans.

The available positions focus on different areas of our work, but all will help students develop their administrative and office skills, learn about UUSC's human-rights work, and contribute to the success of our mission.

Young people seeking a meaningful, vacation experience are encouraged to apply! My contact information is on the job descriptions, and I look forward to speaking with you about these opportunities.

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.

UPDATE: Deadline extended until March 27!

Are you 25 or younger, living in the United States or the Middle East? The Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance (HAMSA), a UUSC partner that works with Muslim youth and young people by building bridges with their U.S. counterparts, is running its annual "Dream Deferred" essay contest. Inspired by the 1951 Langston Hughes poem that begins "What happens to a dream deferred?" — which helped propel the civil-rights movement in the United States — the HAMSA contest focuses on civil rights in the Mideast.

Craft a response to questions like "What is your ‘dream deferred': a vision of your society with civil rights for all?" or "What can the future look like if Americans — like you — partner with Middle Eastern reformers?" — and you might win part of the $10,000 in total prize money available! And you'll be contributing your voice to the essential dialogue on civil liberties in the Middle East, an area the United Nations calls the "world's least free region."

I think this is a really exciting project — youth have the power to change the world (among others, the youth activists that have been part of the ongoing protests in Egypt have proven that). It's so important that we hear what they have to say. And I can't wait to see what the winners put into words. I only wish I wasn't over the age limit for entering! If you're under 25, check out the essay questions, get typing, and submit your essay before February 20 March 27, 2011. And don't forget to review the full rules and guidelines. Write on!