The Youth program at the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga focuses on the 6 pillars of youth ministry: Building Community, Social Action, Worship, Learning, Leadership and Congregational Involvement.

Youth programs are offered to young people ages 12 – 19. Youth Group is youth-led with the support of the DLL and their Youth Advisors.

Building Community: The social aspect of youth programming, community building offers time to bond, share values, establish trust, generate intimacy and practice acceptance. It is the time we spend getting to know one another.

Social Action: One of the ways we, as Unitarian Universalists, express our faith in the world. This can take many forms, including service projects, witness events, advocacy campaigns, education, and community organizing. Doing social action as a youth group may be a single event during the year or longer-term engagement with certain issues.

Worship: An important and meaningful aspect of youth ministry, worship may take place as part of youth group gatherings, as non-traditional “circle worship,” or with youth involvement in weekly Sunday services. Some youth groups plan an entire Sunday service for their congregation every year.

Learning: Learning happens during many youth group events, whether they are social action, leadership, worship and even social gatherings. Curricula, discussions and skill-sharing sessions are also great opportunities for learning.

Leadership: Youth leadership takes many forms, from elected positions within a youth group and service on committees to taking on responsibility for individual projects or jobs. Making space for youth leadership gives youth the opportunity to learn to work together, facilitate, foster cooperation, and collaborate with others.

Congregational Involvement: Congregational involvement means having the opportunity to share one’s gifts with the UCM congregation, connect across generations and participate in the life of the congregation – not just the youth group.

For more information about UCM Youth Programs, contact Caitlyn at flc@uucm.ca

At the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga, Youth in grade 7 – 9 will be participating in Our Whole Lives throughout the year mainly on Sundays. There are a few additional weekend activities throughout the year.  We are proud to offer this program which is led by training facilitators.

The OWL program at UCM is a blessing for today’s parents concerned about teen sexuality.  It is our belief that honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. It dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives. For these reasons and more, we are proud to offer Our Whole Lives (OWL) at UCM, a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education curricula for use in both secular settings and faith communities.   Youth will need to enroll in the OWL program and parents should plan on attending a workshop in September. Check our Calendar.

For more information about UCM Youth Programs and OWL, contact Caitlyn at flc@uucm.ca

At the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga, Youth meet every other Friday for a variety of activities. The youth, with the assistance of capable youth advisors, plan their own activities. For more information about Friday night programs, contact Caitlyn at flc@uucm.ca

In addition to Friday nights, youth at UCM will be able to participate in:

• Social action projects
• Lead a Sunday Service
• Hold our annual Halloween Party Haunted House and St. Nick’s Pancake Lunch.

Youth can obtain volunteer hours at a variety of UCM events throughout the year.

To get your teen involved with the youth program at UCM email Caitlyn at flc@uucm.ca

At the Unitarian Congregation Coming of Age programs, we explore not only what it means to be Unitarian Universalist (UU), but what it means to be you. Over the course of a year, our youth gather for fun workshops, retreats, and justice projects. With mentors and guides, participants explore what they believe, what they find meaningful, and how to build a spiritual “toolkit” to help them as they face the joys, sorrows, wonders, and challenges of being human. At UCM, most Coming of Age programs culminate with a rite of passage where each youth shares a Credo, a statement of their beliefs and values. At UCM, we design our own Coming of Age programs with input from our Youth and the coming of Age Handbook as a resource.

To get your teen involved with the youth program at UCM email Caitlyn at flc@uucm.ca