Youth Group & Programs
UUFSB Youth Group and LIAC Youth Programs
The Youth Group is comprised of high school age youth (grades 8-12) who gather every week for worship, fun, food, social action, and deepening relationships. It is an ongoing group that seeks to foster spiritual depth, clarify both individual and universal religious values and create a peaceful community on Earth. A part of the Unitarian Universalist youth movement, this group welcomes all high school students in our faith community. We attend regional CONs (youth conferences) and participate in the Long Island UU community through LIAC (the Long Island Area Council).
In late spring, we schedule our Midnight Run to help the homeless in New York City.
Midnight Run
Over the years, our senior high youth group has participated in Midnight Run, a volunteer organization dedicated to finding common ground between the housed and the homeless.
In over 1,000 relief missions per year, Midnight Run volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City. The late-night relief efforts to create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding and affection. That human exchange is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.
Midnight Run is not a solution to homelessness. The goal is to forge a bond between housed and homeless people by establishing a foundation of sharing and caring from which solutions may evolve. Through Midnight Run, volunteers come to see the homeless as real people, not a commodity. And homeless men and women learn that many mainstream adults and teenagers have commitments and concerns that go beyond their own lives and families.
You can support the Midnight Run in the following ways: donations of clothing (men’s clothing is most needed), food (soup mix, coffee, tea, bottled water, individual canned fruits or snacks), blankets, towels, and toiletries (travel size). Cash donations can also be turned in to the youth group as they will be purchasing some items for the Run.
This year’s Midnight Run is scheduled for April 2023.
LIAC PROGRAMS
The Long Island Area Council (LIAC), a network of all the UU congregations on Long Island, serves as a beacon for liberal religion, promoting denominational awareness through education, advocacy, service and spirituality.
Click here for the LIAC website.
LIAC offers 3 programs for our seventh through twelfth grade youth. In order to participate, parents or guardians must be members or friends of the UU Fellowship at Stony Brook.
The Coming of Age (COA) program prepares youth in grades 7-9 (ages 12-15) for the transition into young adulthood. Through a series of projects and weekend classes with trained leaders and a personal mentor, youth explore and develop their own religious philosophy, better understand Unitarian Universalism, develop friendships with other UU youth and discuss issues important to them. Their efforts are recognized by their home congregations and by the greater UU community at the completion of the program in June. See https://liacuu.org/coming-of-age-coa for more information.
Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a comprehensive UU sexuality education program designed for use in religious communities. There is a course for youth in grades 7-9 (ages 12-14) and another for youth in grades 10-12 (ages 16-18) – two different age appropriate series of lessons. Led by adults who have received special training, the program addresses the current needs of the youth and helps prepare them for healthy, meaningful relationships in the future. The OWL program addresses not only the physical aspects of sexuality, but also the spiritual, emotional, and cultural ones, taking a holistic view of sexuality. See https://liacuu.org/owl-our-whole-lives for more information.
Sophia Fahs Camp is a UU camp located in Connecticut. Children and youth from the Long Island Area entering grades 3-12 gather with their families for one week in August each year. Families and staff share spiritual experiences in a safe, beautiful and natural environment. It is a time for community, worship, family, and fun. See https://liacuu.org/sophia-fahs-summer-camp for more information.
LIAC UU Student Activity Fund
The Student Activity Fund (SAF) is a grant program funded by the Unitarian Universalist Veath Program at Shelter Rock that enables high school seniors and college students to perform significant service to the community while earning money to help finance their education. The program is sponsored by the Long Island Area Council of UU Congregations (LIAC).
The purpose of SAF is to encourage young Unitarian Universalists to live their religious values through internships in social action, advocacy, and service provision.
See https://liacuu.org/saf-student-internships for more information.