An invitation from YRUU Youth Advisor Amy White
I’m writing to welcome you, or your teen or grandteen, to our high school teen group YRUU at UUCW for the upcoming year! The goal of YRUU is to have a welcoming space for teens to build community with one another while having fun. YRUU is different from middle school and younger religious education at UU churches in that it does not have a set curriculum, and instead allows for teens to spend time with one another in an environment outside of school, where they can be free to be themselves. Please feel free to share this information and our upcoming events with your teen(s), who are welcome to join whenever they are interested and available.
When does YRUU meet?:
Following our 10 am service, the YRUU group will meet from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm this year in the upper level of the church, in our room with couches. We will also have some fun events scheduled outside of this time.
Why does YRUU meet then?
We have some teens who work in paid positions for the church in the nursery and/or teach other RE classes. This allows for those teens to both assist the church and then participate in youth group after their work during service is finished. If your teen wants to participate but would need a ride to or from, please reach out and we can work out a carpool option.
What does YRUU have planned for this year?
Sept 10 from 7-9 pm – Welcome bonfire for YRUU teens, new incoming 9th graders, and our current members, on Sunday evening. Please consider having your teen bring a lawn chair, and the option to bring a snack to share, such as something to roast over the fire (creativity welcome!) or just themselves! No pressure :). The bonfire will be on the east property where our fire pit is located, and we will have youth and adults around to direct you from the church entrance.
Sept. 17 11:30 am – First official day of YRUU – – outdoor fun and games and snacks after we meet one another
Sept. 24 10 am – Older YRUU members will be leading the worship service to present their Boston trip experience! We invite all teens to come to service to watch their fun and antics, and for the incoming 9th graders, to get excited about your own trip to Boston in a few years! We will have a YRUU meeting with snacks and food following the service.
Our events for October, November, and December will be determined by those teens who attend in October and choose their events. Other activities can include a ropes course, corn maze, volunteering to serve a meal at Guest House, and more. There are a few planned activities that are teen favorites – a regional UU youth overnight held Fri-Sat, Dec 1-2 at UUCW. The overnight is a fun opportunity where our teens get a chance to meet other local SE WI and Northern IL teens from other UU churches and promises to involve a late night in the church with lots of safe shenanigans.
Who leads the YRUU group?
We have a dedicated group of six adult advisors, with at least two advisors present each week to facilitate discussion and guide the time together. Advisors include Miles Bognar (former YRUU teen!), Amy White, Hannah Schley (former YRUU teen!), Bree Chamberlain, and Jennifer Jaworski, and Matt Umstot. Four of the six advisors are teachers! I am lucky that we have such a great group of adults to lead this group.
We hope your teen will consider joining us to try out and meet our welcoming teens. Many of our alumni have made lifelong friends into college and beyond during YRUU, and we hope to provide this opportunity for lasting friendship again this upcoming year.
*If your teen is definitely interested and an incoming 9th grader or new to our group, please reply to just me, Amy White, with their name and pronouns and address, and we can send a welcome postcard from one of our current teens.
*If you are interested in volunteering for special events, such as an overnight chaperone or providing bakery for a bake sale, or driving kids to a local con (UU teen conference), please let me know.
Thanks everyone! Wishing you a great year.
Sincerely,
