Crossing Paths – Grades 6-8: Ages 11-13 and above
(10:45-11:45 am Sundays, September-May)

This course leads students through an exploration of various contemporary faith groups and seeks to work toward respect and understanding. Questioning is encouraged, and differences are encountered with open minds and hearts. We lift up the core pieces of other faiths, and we also compare and contrast those faith’s beliefs and practices with those of our UU faith. While the program is built around interfaith engagement, its focus is really on UU youth identity formation.

We strongly encourage our parents to come along on our visits. What better way to role model acceptance of our community members, educate ourselves a bit, and participate in some good old-fashioned interfaith goodwill?

Our Crossing Paths class is critical to our youth’s understanding of the basics of contemporary faith practices and the universal truths that they each encompass. This class helps our young people grasp the underpinnings of different faiths, clear up questions, and prevent misnomers so they can develop healthy relationships with the people they live, go to school, and work alongside.

Finally, Crossing Paths is an essential part of our students’ experience as they seek to create a personal credo in their teen years. Our Being a Teen (BATs) program for youth in 9-12 grade asks students to consider their own spirituality and search for truth as the beginning step in their lifelong spiritual journey. World religions may be addressed briefly in Being a Teen but are not taught explicitly. Having a working understanding of world religions will greatly enhance any young person’s experience in both writing a personal credo and being a religiously literate adult.

Wednesday Night Youth Programs
(offered September – May)

Our Whole Lives comprehensive sexuality education (OWL) – 8th-9th Grade: Ages 13-15

We will offer OWL in the 2024-2025 program year.

This program is a comprehensive sexuality course for 8th and 9th graders that helps participants to make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. Grounded in a holistic and diverse view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. This program is guided by trained adult facilitators selected for their knowledge of, and comfort with, the topic of human sexuality. This program is currently offered on an annual basis.  This year-long program requires a high amount of commitment from both students and parents and requires that students are registered before the class begins in September.

More information about the course: www.uua.org/re/owl

Please contact director of religious education Kim Hartman at [email protected] with questions or for more information.

Being A Teen (BATs) – High School grades 9-12: Ages 14-18
6:30-8:30 pm 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month

All Fellowship Youth in grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18) are enthusiastically welcomed and highly encouraged to join us in our 2023-2024 Being a Teen Program.

This comprehensive program focuses on four areas of concentration: UU identity, self-exploration, life skills, and sexuality (including elements from the 10-12th grade Our Whole Lives Curriculum www.uua.org/re/owl). These areas are interspersed throughout the program and are designed to be explored over a four-year period. This experience gives our youth the opportunity to continue forming their faith identity, do deep self-exploration, connect with Fellowship friends, and more deeply consider how they want to live their values today and as they grow into young adulthood.

The end of the year is celebrated by traveling and exploring our UU heritage together on our second Annual UU Heritage Trip. There is a fee of $250 for youth who participate in our UU Heritage trip.