On Friday October 15th I landed in Winnipeg, soon to arrive at my first Regional Fall Gathering as a CUC staff member. In a few hours I was also going to be attending a Youth Con, the first one since I was about seventeen! I was excited and nervous, conscious that I was stepping into some new territory.
Well the excitement was warranted, the nerves were not. Both the Gathering and the Con were great successes and I have to say that I feel the small part I played in both events was successful too.
As anyone who has ever been involved in planning a youth conference can imagine, this con didn’t exactly come together in a smooth, linear fashion! But it did come together – fully complete with workshops, touch groups, games, mailboxes, hug buttons, heartfelt discussions, yummy gluten free and meat optional meals, visioning, sleep deprivation, community building, rocky horror and worship every night.
This con also came together with a lot of hard work from many individuals. Firstly there were the youth in Winnipeg who, despite many of them being new to cons, were willing to take this one on, along with all the responsibilities that came with it. For some, this meant stepping up to be in a leadership role as Con staff. For others, this meant stepping back, offering mentorship and support as experienced, con-veterans. And for others, who had never been to a con before it was just stepping in, and offering their trust this unknown.
Along with the willingness to make this con happen from the host youth group in Winnipeg, this con would not have came together without the strong support and commitment from the youth advisors from Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton. Thank you so much for offering your presence and wisdom and well-restedness! The con also came together with guidance, patience and a little cajoling from Andrea James, DRE in Winnipeg, who among other things acted as the link between the gathering organizers and the youth and who also put together the whole registration package. Thank-you Andrea!
But ultimately this con came together because 23 youth from Lakehead in Thunderbay across to Calgary, Alberta were willing to come and take part. Like some of the Winnipeg youth, there were many at this con for whom this was a first experience and there were also several youth in first time staff roles. All of this newness meant that the planning process went a little differently than usual, and adults were involved more at that level than they often are.
For my part I really didn’t do that much. I offered two workshops during the con – one on some visioning around what is important in Youth Ministry in the Western Region and the role of the RRYSC (Radical Religious Youth Steering Committee) there and one on worship planning. Other than that, prior to the con, I offered my suggestions in a few places, pointed out some resources that might be useful and bore witness over email to the fantastically coordinated, organic, intergenerational team that sprung to life to put all of the pieces together. It was really privilege to be a part of and I am very thankful to all the organizers for including me.
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For those who don’t know, the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg occupies an amazing, renovated old house situated on the banks of the Assiniboine River, and this space was able to host the entire gathering within its walls. The Youth used the whole of the downstairs space, sharing it at times with the Young Fun program and the rest of the gathering used the upstairs rooms. Everything and everyone co-existed together for the whole weekend, sharing space and time together but also being separate at times as well. I find this physical aspect of the weekend to be a fitting reflection of the gathering’s theme of Shared Ministry. That weekend we all had the chance to minister to one another in some way. By sharing, singing, working, eating, listening, and serving together, the people of the Western Region renewed old connections and created new ones, all of which, I hope will have a positive ripple effect across the region. I know that this con was especially important for the Youth and Youth Allies who attended it, and that in the Western Youth community, those ripples will be felt as bigger waves of change and growth.
Already there are plans for another Con to be hosted in by the Youth Group at the Unitarian Congregation of Saskatoon, for sometime in late February or early March. Talk was begun about who to help Western Youth make it to CanUUdle XI in Toronto this May and wheels have begun to turn all over about how youth ministry can be nurtured from Rockies, through the Prairies, to the Canadian shield. I hope to be in touch as we continue visioning about what role the RRYSC can play in this work and about creating opportunities for more training and learning to support this ministry.
Thanks to all who came and gave of themselves, we are all changed and enriched for it.
In faith,
a
