Youth Ministry Programs

Youth Group
All youth in 9th grade and up are invited to participate in our Youth Group. We hope to restart our youth group in the winter of 2023 The activities and meeting times are determined by the interests of the group and range from meeting other UU youth to inspiring community service projects. Our Youth Group programming includes growth opportunities in the areas of worship, youth-adult relations, connection, social action, learning, and leadership. Our youth always have lots of fun together while leading our community in being “principle activators” by putting our UU values into action

Youth Programming In Addition To Youth Group: 

Rites of Passage Programs for Youth

• Coming-of-Age Program
In addition to our Youth Ministry activities, our 9th and 10th graders are also invited to participate in the Coming-of-Age program. A highly regarded program in the Unitarian Universalist tradition for recognizing our teenage youth as they are becoming adults. The goal of this program is for the youth to explore and define their self-identity as UUs. This includes but is not limited to actively participating in discussions about deep theological questions; developing a close relationship with a First Parish mentor; exploration of their own deepening spirituality; exploration of social injustice and involvement in Social Action work; and involvement in meaningful “community” worship. A program highlight is the presentation of personal credos during the Coming-of-Age worship service in the Spring.

The program will next be offered in the 2023-2024 church year

• Our Whole Lives Program
First Parish of Sudbury is committed to offering a Grade 7-9 program of the values-based human sexuality education program: Our Whole Lives. The Unitarian Universalist Association writes, “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 the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.”

The program will next be offered in the 2023-2024 year

Social Groups:

• STOP Program
Our 7th and 8th grade youth will also be invited to participate during the winter season in an incredible community program called STOP, Students Together Opposing Prejudice. This interfaith program honors coming together, learning about the other religions in our area, and recognizing prejudice, and doing what we can to stop it. First Parish of Sudbury enthusiastically supports this program and encourages all of our youth to participate.  This program will run in the winter of 2023. For more details: https://stoptheprejudice.net

• Morris Dancing
All youth ages 10 and up are invited to participate in Morris Dancing on Sunday afternoons. Tom Kruskal has been leading Hop Brook Morris since 1990 here at First Parish of Sudbury. They perform ritual dances from England at festivals and events around the Boston area. There are many adult groups performing these dances, but they are one of the few kid’s teams. Morris dancing comes from the Cotswold region of England and is a springtime ritual dance done in the small agricultural villages around Cambridge and Oxford. The bells, sticks, and colorful costumes combine with vigorous dancing to wake the earth and drive away the evil spirits of winter and guarantee a good crop that summer. These dances are hundreds of years old and were passed down through the generations to us today.