Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane

Preschool

We Are Many, We Are One

This year long program offers young children the opportunity to learn about their religious community and tradition, as well as the freedom to discover and express their uniqueness. The four units in this program encourage children to use their minds, bodies, and emotions to develop their sense of identity and self-esteem within their Unitarian Universalist community and their world.

Kindergarten through Second Grade

Faithful Journeys

Defining what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist can be challenging. Our adults and youth often welcome this challenge; a questioning spirit is part of our faith. Yet, our children need to learn who Unitarian Universalists are, what we believe and how we can make decisions and act on our faith. Faithful Journeys equips children with language and experiences to develop and articulate a strong Unitarian Universalist faith identity. Through historic and contemporary stories of Unitarian Universalist faith in action, participants grow in their own personal agency; their capacity to act faithfully as Unitarian Universalists in their lives. Throughout the program, children have the opportunities to share their own stories of faithful action and represent them with footprint or wheelchair tracks on a Faithful Journeys Path.

Kindergarten through Second Grade

Wonderful Welcome

In this program, children identify intangible gifts central to Unitarian Universalism such as friendship, hospitality and fairness, and share these gifts with others. The gifts explored in Wonderful Welcome are all components of welcome, itself a core Unitarian Universalist value. Children are encouraged to think about the intangible gifts they bring to the world, and intangible gifts they receive. Children find safe, positive and intentional ways to relate to one another, their families, and the world around them as they investigate how they use gifts they cannot see or touch to welcome others in their lives.

Third and Fourth Grade

Holidays and Holy Days

In this program, participants learn about the origins and meanings of holiday and holy day celebrations. The authors state, "Holidays are the natural, age-old vehicle of religious socialization. Their festivities tell a story which children absorb with delight, through experiences far more than through words. Decorations, colors, costumes, dances, lights, songs, foods, festivity, gifts, excitement, pageantry, solemnity, ceremony, and ritual: it is these that tradition is woven, that memories, beliefs, values, fears, hopes, and reverence are transmitted. A holiday is not something to talk about; it's something to do." The program is divided into three calendar sections: fall, winter, and spring.

Fifth and Sixth Grade

Amazing Grace: Exploring Right and Wrong

This program guides sixth graders through ways to determine right from wrong and act on their new understandings. Its purpose is to equip them for moving safely and productively through the middle and high school years, when they will be continually tugged toward both ends of the ethics continuum. Through Amazing Grace, youth come to depend on their Unitarian Universalist identity and resources as essential to their movement toward understanding, independence, and fulfillment of personal promise. Includes the game Ethics Play where participants explore possible choices in age appropriate, real life situations.

Fifth and Sixth Grade

Riddle and Mystery:

Unitarian Universalist Responses to Big Questions

"Is there a God?" "What happens after I die?" "Does my life have a purpose?" These are big questions we all voice. Though Unitarian Universalists espouse different theologies, we agree on many answers to these questions. This curriculum helps young people understand that our individual search for meaning in the universe is supported and strengthened when we come together as people of faith. Participants explore our shared Unitarian Universalist beliefs and determine where their beliefs fit in the spectrum. Engaging, relevant activities range from the introspective ("What I Think Time" or WITT) to scripted dramas, Internet surveys and exploring Unitarian Universalist hymns for answers.

Fifth and Sixth Grade

Our Whole Lives

A part of the Unitarian Universalist Association's lifespan sexuality education curriculum Our Whole Lives, this program for Grades 4 through 6 is designed for boys and girls on the brink of puberty. It focuses on values, self-esteem, family relationships, the changes that occur during puberty, gender identity and sexual orientation, human reproduction, bodily and sexual health and safety, communication, and decision making.

Junior High

Families

A semester-long program for junior or senior high youth, this program explores the function of families and affirms that families come in all shaped, sizes and colors. Activities help youth celebrate their own families while exploring family diversity in the congregation. It culminates in a narrative/photo-documentary project that builds youth leadership skills and multigenerational community, and fosters in youth a greater sense of belonging in their faith community.

Junior High

Living in UUville

Living in UUville is a 10-Session program for youth by youth.  While the program can be led or co-led by adults, each Session is specifically designed to be led by a team of youth leaders.  The program can be used with junior and/or senior high school youth (7th to 12th grades). The goals of Living in UUville are to give youth an opportunity to explore the full meaning of principles of Unitarian Universalism in their lives within an environment that encourages individual initiative as well as teamwork in pursuit of multiple goals.  The program activities encourage youth to think about their own religious beliefs that will promote their own spiritual growth.

Seventh through Ninth Grade

Our Whole Lives

Our Whole Lives helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.

Senior High

Exploring Our Values through Poetry

This program uses poetry as the medium to explore participants' values in the context of their Unitarian Universalist faith. With contributions ranging from Tennyson to modern poet Shu Ting to Ishamael Reed, timeless themes such as "beauty, love, faith and surviving difficult time" are explored. Yet this is not just about sitting and reading poetry. Multiple learning styles are utilized as youth are encouraged to express themselves in art, song, and Faith in Action projects. The program includes instructions to help youth sponsor a poetry slam in their congregation or community.

Senior High

Sacred Threads

This curriculum introduces high school youth to some of the basic concepts, beliefs, and practices of major Asian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Zen, and various folk religions.