Children and Youth

I am firmly of the belief that the purpose of Unitarian Universalist religious education is to produce more Unitarian Universalists. If we truly believe that we have found something of value here, then we should do all that we can to share it with young people, and help them develop a UU identity that will serve them throughout their lives.

I drew my first paycheck from a church when I was 13 years old and began working in the nursery of the church of my raising. I began teaching Sunday School to three-year-olds that year as well, and by the time I finished high school, I was a regular nursery attendant, and taught third grade Sunday School on a volunteer basis. My first regular church employment began on my 21st birthday, when I became the Youth Program Director of a small urban mainline Protestant congregation.

While I was in graduate school, I worked in the nursery of the First UU Church of Austin, and then progressed to being their Youth Program Coordinator. This is when my journey with Unitarian Universalism began in earnest. I have loved working with children of all ages in UU congregations, but my heart is with our high school youth. I have had the privilege of leading high school programming in three UU congregations, and each one has changed me for the better and deepened my own Unitarian Universalism.