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Episode 2 - The Gap
In this episode, we'll look more closely at two defining expressions, congregational culture and young adult culture, how they interact, and what they mean for the future of UUism.
Guests include:
Peter Scales at First Unitarian Church of Victoria
Jim Sannes and Ellen Papenburg from Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice (CUSJ)
Casey Stainsby and Reverend Danie Webber, CUC Youth and Young Adult programming staff
Camellia Jahanshahi, Rising Together host
Z Brimacombe with Ilara Stafaniuk-Gaudet from Loving Justice group,
Brenagh Rappaport and Maya Ferguson Klinowski, hosts of Gathered Here
Reverends Anne Barker and Linda Thompson, CUC's Congregational Life Team
Questions for further discussion
How can we fully embrace the culture that is emerging from Young Adult (YA) spaces so people can experience it throughout their lives (instead of ending at 35 years)?
Consider the analogy of Young Adult co-creative culture being like contemporary theatre while congregational culture is like classical theatre: How does playing a role feel different than filling a role? Why is this significant?
In what ways could elements of co-creative UUism be intertwined with elements of classical UUism in a way that could be compelling for all ages?
In what ways can we lean into our shared belief of interdependence so that we become communities that feel like unified teams where life challenges and spiritual growth are faced collectively rather than individually?
What is one thing you could immediately do differently within your UU community so there is an emphasis on deep relationships between people of all ages?
Notes and Research Links
‘Gone by 2040’: Why some religions are declining in Canada faster than ever, Global News, Jan. 8/22
Young Adults & Beyond: Final Report August 2024, Canadian Unitarian Council.
Young Adult Ministry Resources, Canadian Unitarian Council (Retrieved Sept. 11/24)
Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice (Retrieved Sept. 11/24)
Abolition: A World without Prisons & Police. Tulane University (Retrieved Sept. 11/24)
Remembering Maiken (Dani) Cooper, Canadian Unitarian Council (Retrieved Sept. 11/24)
Contact : [email protected]"
Sending Unarmed Responders Instead of Police: What We’ve Learned, The Marshall Project, July 25, 2024.
Gathered Here , Canadian Unitarian Council (Retrieved Sept. 11/24) (Online group for Young Adults)
Note 1: The CUC's Youth and Young Adult Team have pointed out that Young Adult culture is the same as Youth culture.
"I want to add, which is to complicate the narrative that the CUC at some point just decided to invest in YA programming and now we have this community/problem. I don’t want us to forget that everything that’s going on now has decades (centuries) of history behind it. The continental youth and young adult movements have long histories. The YAs who were part of sparking the current national YA situation were very much involved in and inspired by continental UU young adult organizing (OPUS, CUUYAN). And many of them, in turn, were raised in continental UU youth events. This would be a whole other podcast episode or series to really investigate but I suspect that a lot of the brilliance and a lot of the roots of the current challenges have their origins in these broader, longer movements. One thing to watch that will give more context to this is the movie "Why Are You You?" . That is currently in production- it’s a documentary about the continental YRUU movement." Casey Stainsby
Note 2: "The naming of "young adult" was inherited from the UUA. When we became more autonomous in 2001, Young Adult support was still funded, to some degree, by the UUA - and so their age definitions became ours. We've never shifted from this." Rev. Linda Thompson
Note 3: "Adults at the Annual Conference and Meeting *also* plunge into a kind of UU utopia that lasts for only 72 hours. Adults and YA's both yearn for keeping that conference flame alive in their hearts when they get home." Peter Scales
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By Canadian Unitarian CouncilIn this episode, we'll look more closely at two defining expressions, congregational culture and young adult culture, how they interact, and what they mean for the future of UUism.
Guests include:
Peter Scales at First Unitarian Church of Victoria
Jim Sannes and Ellen Papenburg from Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice (CUSJ)
Casey Stainsby and Reverend Danie Webber, CUC Youth and Young Adult programming staff
Camellia Jahanshahi, Rising Together host
Z Brimacombe with Ilara Stafaniuk-Gaudet from Loving Justice group,
Brenagh Rappaport and Maya Ferguson Klinowski, hosts of Gathered Here
Reverends Anne Barker and Linda Thompson, CUC's Congregational Life Team
Questions for further discussion
How can we fully embrace the culture that is emerging from Young Adult (YA) spaces so people can experience it throughout their lives (instead of ending at 35 years)?
Consider the analogy of Young Adult co-creative culture being like contemporary theatre while congregational culture is like classical theatre: How does playing a role feel different than filling a role? Why is this significant?
In what ways could elements of co-creative UUism be intertwined with elements of classical UUism in a way that could be compelling for all ages?
In what ways can we lean into our shared belief of interdependence so that we become communities that feel like unified teams where life challenges and spiritual growth are faced collectively rather than individually?
What is one thing you could immediately do differently within your UU community so there is an emphasis on deep relationships between people of all ages?
Notes and Research Links
‘Gone by 2040’: Why some religions are declining in Canada faster than ever, Global News, Jan. 8/22
Young Adults & Beyond: Final Report August 2024, Canadian Unitarian Council.
Young Adult Ministry Resources, Canadian Unitarian Council (Retrieved Sept. 11/24)
Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice (Retrieved Sept. 11/24)
Abolition: A World without Prisons & Police. Tulane University (Retrieved Sept. 11/24)
Remembering Maiken (Dani) Cooper, Canadian Unitarian Council (Retrieved Sept. 11/24)
Contact : [email protected]"
Sending Unarmed Responders Instead of Police: What We’ve Learned, The Marshall Project, July 25, 2024.
Gathered Here , Canadian Unitarian Council (Retrieved Sept. 11/24) (Online group for Young Adults)
Note 1: The CUC's Youth and Young Adult Team have pointed out that Young Adult culture is the same as Youth culture.
"I want to add, which is to complicate the narrative that the CUC at some point just decided to invest in YA programming and now we have this community/problem. I don’t want us to forget that everything that’s going on now has decades (centuries) of history behind it. The continental youth and young adult movements have long histories. The YAs who were part of sparking the current national YA situation were very much involved in and inspired by continental UU young adult organizing (OPUS, CUUYAN). And many of them, in turn, were raised in continental UU youth events. This would be a whole other podcast episode or series to really investigate but I suspect that a lot of the brilliance and a lot of the roots of the current challenges have their origins in these broader, longer movements. One thing to watch that will give more context to this is the movie "Why Are You You?" . That is currently in production- it’s a documentary about the continental YRUU movement." Casey Stainsby
Note 2: "The naming of "young adult" was inherited from the UUA. When we became more autonomous in 2001, Young Adult support was still funded, to some degree, by the UUA - and so their age definitions became ours. We've never shifted from this." Rev. Linda Thompson
Note 3: "Adults at the Annual Conference and Meeting *also* plunge into a kind of UU utopia that lasts for only 72 hours. Adults and YA's both yearn for keeping that conference flame alive in their hearts when they get home." Peter Scales