Opus is a spiritual retreat and summer camp for Unitarian Universalist Young Adults age 18-35.
 

They worship, have workshops, touch groups, and social justice oriented activities. It runs 5 days and is held in one area for a 2 year period and then moves on to a new area. The past two years it has been located in the mid Ohio area and I had the opportunity to visit for a few hours and do some love interviews. I heard from YAs in their 20's to one aging out this year and enjoying his final year at Opus. By the way if you wonder what Opus stands for...well it's not an acronym for anything. It's just the name of the group.



Dominic Giafagleone gives his passionate and  heart felt thoughts on life and what it's like to be a Young Adult in this day and age. Loving  to name drop he's one that shows his appreciation and admiration for those who are thought provoking and inspirations to his life and involvement as an activist.

He is a member of Beverly Unitarian Church in Chicago.

 
Update May 2016: Check out  in Whiting, Indiana, as Dominic and other activists gathered at Lake Michigan for a Native-led water ceremony and prayer --- and then hundreds marched to a BP refinery known to process large amounts of Canadian tar sands. (read more...)
 

 

Final Credits: music thanks to:

"Carefree", "Open Those Bright Eyes", "Sweeter Vermouth"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

OPUS #2 The Rant! with Dominic Giafagleone – UUPP 032

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COP21  Paris – Will Unitarian Universalist Congregations Become Organized to Ensure Earth’s Future for Our Descendants?
Hear what the results of the Paris COP21 UN talks were from our UU representatives William McPhearson and Jan Dash. Aly Tharp, Program Mangager for Commit2Respond is co-hosting and asking the improtant questions that we want to know the answers to.
Are we organized as UU Congregations to make a difference when it comes to Climate Justice?
Can UUs have an influence over Climate Justice locally?
Emissions – what does the trajectory look like between now and 2100?
 




 Co-Host, Aly Tharp –  is the Program Manager for Commit2Respond and has been  staff network coordinator for the UU Young Adults for Climate Justice, a covenanting community of activists aged 18 to 35 years old, supported by the UU Ministry for Earth. Aly graduated from Austin College in May 2012 with a Bachelors of Art in Environmental Studies and has devoted most of her time over the last three and a half years to grassroots movements for environmental and climate justice. Aly resides in North Texas with her family and twelve pets.

Webpage: UU Young Adults for Climate Justice

Twitter: @UUYACJ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uuyacj
LinkedIn: Aly Tharp
 
Jan Dash – links to important sites
the Climate Portal
the Paris Conference blog on the Climate Portal
The talk with slide on CO2 emissions by different countries
2nd edition of my book with the chapter on Climate Change Risk Management
Dr. William McPherson is a retired environmental diplomat. Author of books on ideology and environment, he has participated in international conferences on climate change and worked on a number of environment issues, including coal use, petroleum transportation and renewable energy.
 
Links:
Sabotaging the Planet: Denial and International Negotiations: 

Ideology versus Science: Climate Change Denial: 

 
UU Coalition of State Advocacy Networks
UU-UNO Envoy Program
 
Final Credits: music thanks to:
“Carefree”, “Open Those Bright Eyes”, “Sweeter Vermouth”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

COP21 - Climate Justice, What the Countries Agreed On In Paris

Youth have a great opportunity to find out if becoming a minister is what they want to do. The Summer Seminary Program provided through the UUA is a way to experience what it would be like to attend a seminary program. The attend workshops that introduce them to a variety of areas within the ministry and experience the preparation it takes to speak in front of their peers inside of the “Preach-Off”.  They discover if it’s their calling or it can create more engagement in their own congregations worship committees.
Luminary Leaders is an invitation that sprouts from attending the Summer Seminary Program. They further develop leadership skills through the support of their peers.
Steven Ballesteros and Alex Jensen are alumni of these programs after attending in  2014 and 2013. They share there experience and what other youth can expect to gain from the experience. Both are going into the ministry and this has added to the growth of their abilities in preaching and ministering in areas they are passionate about.
 
Steven Ballesteros Bio:
“I was born and then raised in Tucson, Arizona by my two adoptive moms,
along with my biological sister. I spent most of my teens in a variety
of athletic and artistic extracurriculars while traveling, hiking, and
attending churches with my family. I have spent the last 6 years
involved in Unitarian Universalist leadership from the congregational
to national level. I have dedicated my time and talent to a variety of
leadership roles, including dozens of committees spread between two
churches, volunteering at the UU Camp DeBenneville Pines, and
attending UU leadership schools. I currently serve as member of the
UUA Nominating Committee, co-chair of the General Assembly Right
Relationship Team, and as Faith Development Intern to the Edmonds
Unitarian Universalist Church of Edmonds, Washington.”
Steven on LinkedIn
Favorite Quote:
“We are often called to do the difficult, if not the seemingly
impossible, and it is vital to our spiritual growth that we not ignore
these challenges.”— Janice Marie Johnson
Alex Jensen Bio:
Alex Jensen is a second year student at California State University, Monterey Bay, where he studies Human Communication. Alex has been a Unitarian Universalist since middle school, where he joined Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Fremont, California. A graduate of the UUA’s first Summer Seminary (2013) and a Luminary Leader alumnus, Alex is discerning a call to ministry.
Links:
Alex on facebook
Alex on linkedin
Email: robertalexjensen@gmail.com
Favorite Quote:
“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. But from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.” ~The Reverend Theodore Parker, Unitarian Minister
 
Here’s where you can learn more about Summer Seminary

Final Credits: music thanks to:
“Carefree”, “Open Those Bright Eyes”, “Sweeter Vermouth”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.

Will Summer Seminary and Luminary Leadership Programs Create Our UU Future?

Answers to the question “How is Unitarian Universalism as a religious denomination uniquley positioned to serve and impact society,” along with some favorite quotes from former UU Perspective guests: Bart Frost, Kenny Wiley, Brian Tideman, Elizabeth Mount, Gleb Tsipursky, Fred Small, Anita Mills, Kathy Smith, Patty MacAfee, Domonic Giafagleone, Cyllis Dreamer, and Micaela Corcoran.
Check out more about them and hear complete episodes by clicking on their names!
Favorite Quotes:
 Lisa Presley:
– Surprised people behave badly
– Transparency, transparency, transparency
– Feed health, starve dysfunction
– Diversity: where you count the people; Inclusion: where the people count.
– Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right  – Henry Ford
Bart Frost
But love is really more of an interactive process. It’s about what we do not just what we feel. It’s a verb, not a noun . –Bell Hooks
Rev. Fred Small
“When conditions are sufficient things manifest. When conditions are no longer sufficient things withdraw. They wait until the moment is right for them to manifest again.” –Thich Nhat Hanh
Anita Mills:
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto -from a song by Violeta Parra
Translation: Thank you to life which has given me so much
(my own – soon to be bumper sticker!) You can change the world!
Kathy Smith:
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. – Theodore Parker
 Kenny Wiley:
Strong people don’t need strong leaders. – Ella Baker
 
 
Final Credits: music thanks to:
“Carefree”, “Open Those Bright Eyes”, “Sweeter Vermouth”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Baker’s Dozen #3 Quotes & Questions of Former Guests – UUPP 044

Did you realize that 7/12 of the AA 12 steps have a religious reference and can be a put-off to those non-believers. Even though Alcoholics Anonymous says a Higher Power can be anything you want…a door knob….yeah right! Higher power itself doesn’t align with great number of Athiests, UUs and such. So what’s the alternative where you can get support if you want to live a sober life? Secular Organizations for Sobriety is available for that purpose.
Valerie White (episode 42) give us insight into her journey of becoming sober when she hit bottom in 1985. 28 years sober and the experiences of creating her own group of SOS, has given her the opportunity to be open with others in way that helps them to live a sober life. She writes quarterly articles to support others who suffer with the disease.
Links:
The movie: The Anonymous People
LifeRing Secular Recovery
SMART recovery
James Christopher Books
Unhooked 
How To Stay Sober 
 
Final Credits: music thanks to:
“Carefree”, “Open Those Bright Eyes”, “Sweeter Vermouth”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Secular Sobriety When Your Beliefs Don't Align With AA

Polyamory: It is the idea that you can love more than one person as long as you’re doing it openly, honestly and with the full consent and participation of all involved.
Valerie White will tell you all different aspects of Polyamory. Where do people find each other who are poly amorous? Why would you get involved in Polyamory? Is it a choice or orientation? Does the 3rd person live with the first couple? How does that work? Anyways, it’s a fascinating subject no matter if your are a part of it or not.
Bio:
Valerie White has been a Unitarian Universalist for 53 years, lawyer, and director of Sexual Freedom Legal Defense and Education Fund, Valerie White has spoken on polyamory at many national and regional conferences.  She has written for many periodicals, including Loving More, The World and The Humanist, and served on the boards of Church of the Larger Fellowship, Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness (their first president), Interweave and UU’s for Jewish Awareness.  She has been president of the Unitarian Church of Sharon, MA and currently chairs the worship committee.  A long-time sexual rights activist, she was president of the Vermont Civil Liberties Union.  She has lived in an open triad for 21 years and is helping raise 13-year-old twins.
Favorite Quote:
“My feeling about technique in art is that it has about the same value as technique in lovemaking. Heartfelt ineptitude has its appeal and so does heartless skill; but what you want is passionate virtuosity.” John Barth, Giles Goat Boy
Website Links:
Sexual Freedom Legal Defense and Education Fund
Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness
Loving More
Books of interest:
Loving More: The Polyfidelity Primer
 Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality By Christopher Ryan
 Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships
 The Ethical Slut
 More Than Two
 Opening Up
 
Final Credits: music thanks to:
“Carefree”, “Open Those Bright Eyes”, “Sweeter Vermouth”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

OPUS #2 The Rant! with Dominic Giafagleone – UUPP 032

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