The OWL (Our Whole Lives) seventh-to-ninth group had a great snow weekend at camp. We had 13 adults and 12 youth attending February 10 through 12 (that was prior to the giant end-of-February snow). The kids were heard saying, “We want to hang out more!” It warms the leaders’ hearts to hear this. And so early in the program! The youth thrived in their free time together. They went sledding and seemed to really enjoy each other’s company.
The facilitators have commented that these youth are incredibly thoughtful and respectful of each other, and seem to really be engaged with each other and the material. We understand they’ve had some incredible conversations. Facilitator Lisa Moran said, “This group continues to impress me, with how much we can laugh together, be silly at times, and yet always come back to thoughtful discussions about topics that are extremely complicated and difficult for anyone to get into, let alone people their age. I feel extremely fortunate to be able to work with this program that was so essential to my own upbringing and spiritual journey as a young person. OWL was a huge part of helping me navigate my adolescence, my relationships, and my sexuality. The Coming of Age and youth group programs that followed really solidified my faith as a UU, and I’m excited to see this work continue to benefit our youth community.”
The parents who trekked up the mountain enjoyed the snowy wonderland. Most of the time they were prepping to feed the youth and facilitators. But they had some down time for socializing and nature-loving.
Don’t you wish you were in middle school again so you could join in the fun? Hmmm… Maybe not. But we’re still rebuilding the Youth Religious Exploration program post-pandemic and would sure love to have your support! Email the team to find out what the kids are needing and talk about what feeds you.
