First Unitarian Church

CHILDREN & YOUTH CLASSES FOR 2012-13

Children and youth in Preschool (3 years) through high join the community for the first part of worship at 11 a.m. and then go to their prospective classes until 12:30.

NURSERY (birth-4 years)
Location: Church’s lower level, Nursery

We provide a safe, clean environment in which to support each child in initiating play activities at the developmental level they manifest. Each week our paid staff, Cathy Castaneda and Sandra Sotelo provides a loving presence as they engage children in games, stories and crafts with seasonal and holiday themes throughout the year.

3-5 year olds
We Are many, We Are One & Chalice Children

The curricula, We Are Many, We Are One and Chalice Children, are based on the philosophy that young children learn about religion through relationships. What is a person? Who am I? How am I related to others? What are my responsibilities? What kind of world do I live in? These are religious questions that children begin to answer as they become acquainted with themselves, other people, and their environment; all responses are mediated by the significant adults in their lives.

1st-4th Grades Love Will Guide Us

In this program, participants learn to seek guidance in life through the lens of our Unitarian Universalist Sources, with an emphasis on love. Together we ask questions such as, “Where did we come from?” “What is our relationship to the Earth and other creatures?” “How can we respond with love, even in bad situations?” “What happens when you die?”

5th-8th Grades Junior High Youth Group The Questing Year

The junior high youth group meets on Sundays from 11:30-12:30.
The Questing Year invites participants on four quests tied to the themes of self, church, mystery, and social action:
Inner Quest – Who are you? What are you like? How are you different? What’s your place in the world?
Unitarian Universalist Quest – What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist? What’s special about UUs? How do UUs live out their principles?
Mystery Quest – How can you understand what you can’t see? Like God? Or the great mystery? Or spirit and spirituality?
Action Quest – How can you make the world a better place?

In addition to the Sunday morning curriculum youth get together for once a month social activities-First Friday Fun Nights, join with other middle school youth for weekend conferences: Middle School Unitarian Universalist Gatherings MUUGS (Middle School UUs) and a junior high backpack trip in June.

9th-12th Grades Senior High Youth Group (Youth Group Room)

The senior high youth group meets on Sundays from 11:30-12:30. The group offers its members a safe place to share their lives and find support and friendship among open minded and loving peers. The group engages in discussions about issues relevant to youth’s lives and communities. They plan social and service projects throughout the year. And they participate in youth conferences in area Unitarian Universalist churches under the auspices of the Pacific Central District of Unitarian Universalist Congregations and Y.R.U.U. (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) PCD YRUU . The youth group’s empowering philosophy educates youth to be leaders within the group, church community and denomination.

K-1st Grade
Curriculum: Our Whole Lives
Sexuality Education

Our Whole Lives is a positive, comprehensive, and age appropriate educational program that promotes sexual health and is informed by the guidelines of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS).

The goals of this eight week curriculum are:
1. To strengthen and support each child’s sense of self and self-esteem.
2. To help children understand the place of sexuality in human life and loving.
3. To help children recognize and appreciate their bodies as good and beautiful,
private and special.
4. To help children gain understanding and accurate information about human sexuality,
reproduction and gender identification.
5. To help children prepare for the normal changes they will experience as they grow and
develop.
6. To help children develop interpersonal skills that will keep them safe and healthy.
7. To help children learn to make decisions that respect themselves and others and that
anticipate possible consequences.
8. To engage families with the Our Whole Lives program in open communication about all
life questions.

Parent Orientation and class time to be scheduled. If interest in participating in the course please RSVP to Rev Geoff Rimositis, GRimositis@sanjoseuu.org

COMING OF AGE PROGRAM FOR 8TH-10TH GRADERS

The First Unitarian Church of San Jose will be offering a Coming of Age Program, beginning in September 2012 through May 2013, for youth entering 8th-10th grades.

Coming of Age is an opportunity for youth to: challenge themselves both physically and spiritually; develop meaningful relationships with other youth and adults; gain a greater understanding of Unitarian Universalism and what it means to them and; to have lots of fun enjoying the many gifts life presents to us.

Each youth participating in the program will have a mentor (an adult member from the congregation) who will serve as an important companion throughout the year.
The Coming of Age Task Force will help each participant choose a mentor that is right for him or her.

In addition to each participant’s local congregational involvement there will be a series of three retreats and a celebration dinner during the year in which we will join with other Unitarian Universalist Coming of Age youth from around the bay area The retreats will give youth the opportunity to do some fun and challenging activities like a Ropes Course, Nature Vigil and a street retreat with the Faithful Fools Street Ministry in the Tenderloin section of San Francisco.

It is a program that requires a commitment from youth and their families and a level of maturity to be able to face the challenges of developing relationships with a diverse group of youth and an adult mentor. Youth must be willing to face the reality of homelessness and poverty that they will see in the Tenderloin and be willing to share their evolving sense of what it is they believe with the congregation in their credo statement on Coming of Age Sunday, May 19, 2013.

If you would like to register for the 2012–13 Coming of Age Program or find out more information please contact Rev. Geoff Rimositis GRimositis@sanjoseuu.org

Children/Youth Summer Program Begins June 10-August 26

There will be a summer program for children and youth this summer beginning June 10 and going through August 26. The PreK-K group will continue to meet on Sunday mornings drawing from a curriculum developed by the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, Long Island, NY. There will be a combined 1st-7th grade group that will have an environmental theme led by Jenn Castro. And the Senior High Group will be working on a mural in the youth room and other art projects with Madeleine Bodisco-Alexander.

Junior High Backpacking Trip, August 2-6
Youth entering 6th-8th grades are invited to join us in this year’s backpack trip in the Meiss Wilderness in the Sierra Mountains. For more information contact Rev. Geoff Rimositis, GRimositis@sanjoseuu.org, 408-309-7796

Senior High Camping Trip, Santa Cruz Island, July 29-August 4
All UU Youth in High School next year are eligible to participate in the week-long trip to the Channel Islands. This is a wonderful chance for the bridging 8th graders to get to know their Senior Youth Group. We will drive to Santa Barbara, board a Channel Island Ferry and debark in Scorpion Cove for a week of adventure. Snorkeling in a kelp forest in the sheltered cove, kayaking to sea caves, hiking Santa Cruz Island’s trails, or hanging out in hammocks to watch the curious island foxes and bead, bead, bead - the youth will lead worship, play get-to-know-you and trust games, hang out under the stars at the beach. Cost is $200 For an application contact Colleen Cabot, colleencabot@earthlink.net; or come to church and visit the Island Table in Hattie Porter Hall after service.

UU PARENTS MEETUP GROUP
http://www.meetup.com/UUParents/
The Meetup group is a safe venue for parents and children who embrace a Unitarian Universalist philosophy to connect. The group was formed by parents in the First Unitarian Church of San Jose http://sanjoseuu.org who wanted an easy way to get to know like-minded parents. The philosophy of the church, and the Unitarian Universalists of this group, is love. Parents belonging to this group have many different lifestyles and beliefs, but we are united in our commitment to acceptance of each other and our children. Just go to our Meetup site, http://www.meetup.com/UUParents/ and fill out a few profile questions, which are meant to verify you are a parent with some interest in this group, and an organizer will approve you.

A Discovering Summer for Children 3-5 years of age
June 10-August 26

A Discovering Summer centers on four Unitarian Universalist Principles that guide the experiences offered in each session. Unitarian Universalists believe, as these principles state:

>That each person is special and important,
>That we should be treated fairly and kindly,
>That we should accept each other and learn together
>That we should take care of our earth, the home we share with all living things.

A Discovering Summer has these six goals for children:

1. To appreciate the worth of each person, including themselves. Learning to respect themselves and others lead children to touch and accept an ever widening ethnic, racial and cultural circle.

2. To work and play cooperatively. By learning to play and work together children also learn to compromise, negotiate, and share. They become more aware of each other’s needs. They begin to develop conflict resolution skills and social skills needed throughout life.

3. To recognize and express their feelings. Children need to learn the vocabulary of their emotions, to talk about them, and to learn ways of expressing them positively. Understanding one’s own emotions leads to compassion and empathy for others.

4. To explore and celebrate the rich diversity of humankind. Our children live in an increasingly diverse world. Yet racism, prejudice, and discrimination continue to be among our most pressing societal problems. Teaching appreciation of others and exploring our similarities and differences lead to greater tolerance and acceptance and enjoyment of others.

5. To explore and celebrate the natural world and to understand the interconnectedness of all living things Children have a natural sense of wonder. Helping them see themselves as part of all around them fosters caring, compassion, and love for the whole earth and its many creatures. Here are the beginnings of environmental awareness and taking personal responsibility for the planet.

6. To discover and express a spiritual dimension. Children’s spiritual growth is as important as the growth of their minds and bodies. We need to help children feel a part of their church community and introduce them to Unitarian Universalism, specifically through the Unitarian Universalist Principles* . The rituals and celebrations integral to the program will help children advance their life-long spiritual journeys.

*www.uua.org/beliefs/principles/

Spiritual growth and learning is a life long journey that begins in childhood. A child is already a spiritual being; to be honored and listened to. We can learn much from our children as they can learn much from us. As Emuna Braverman writes: “We can learn a lot from our children if we are receptive. Their perspective is clear and pure, unclouded by “experience” and cynicism. They haven’t learned to be self-conscious and they wear their hearts and their selves on their sleeves. We’re touched by their vulnerability and we can learn from their simplicity.” We are spiritual companions with our children. We learn and grow together. This is the nature of our spiritual cooperative.

The children have classes and programs each Sunday and it begins when they are in the nursery and come to feel that this is a place that people care about them and want to get to know them. They make friends and have fun. And their journey continues in preschool where they are introduced to ritual and come to understand that this is their church and religious community. They celebrate holidays and share their emerging thoughts and feelings as we celebrate how each and every one of us is special. They come and sit on the labyrinth in the center of our round sanctuary and each week listen to a story for all ages. And when they get a little older they light the chalice that begins each service. It is a child that leads us into worship each week.

In the elementary years they learn the stories of remarkable people that made a difference in this world and are then given opportunities to do likewise through acts of service and social justice. They learn about the faiths of the world and how we are different and what we share in common. We get out of the classroom and meet people of other faiths and experience their worship life and spiritual practices. We make interfaith friendships and in the process find in the diverse religions we study what might be true for us.

When a child enters into middle school s/he goes on the yearly backpack trip in the summer and learns what it means to be in community where we depend on each other. We experience the deep satisfaction of accomplishing something we thought we couldn’t do. And away from the distractions of the plugged in modern world we get to know each other and experience the beauty and magnificence of nature. There are the youth retreats throughout the year with youth from other churches. There is the human sexuality program where youth learn how to make good choices for their health and happiness. And then as an 8th grader youth spend a special rite of passage year going on retreats and having an adult mentor from the church who helps him/her with the process of their coming of age. And then we have a big celebration at the end. There are also the monthly fun nights going bowling or playing games in the park with friends.

When you get into senior high you are now up in the youth room looking out above our social hall, where youth share their lives, joys and struggles with their peers and youth group advisors. Here is a safe place where youth can be themselves and know that they will be loved for who they are even if the world outside the church seems to be a hard and cruel place.

After church they go out to lunch with friends most Sundays. They spend weekends throughout the year with other Unitarian Universalist youth in conferences where they experience a youth empowerment culture that is organized and led by youth with adults serving in advisory roles. Here they make friends that last a lifetime and it becomes that one place that practices a radical hospitality no matter what color is your hair or what group you’re in or out of at school. There are the summer trips to the Channel Islands and to our partner church in Romania every four years.

Of course there is much more to the spiritual journey of a child through our faith community that happens through the course of a child’s growing years. But as religious educator Maria Harris says: “The church doesn’t have a religious education program. It is the religious education program.” This is what we offer children and their families: a religious community that partners with them through all that life offers.