Background Information
We know that nationally, our youth are in crisis. The Center for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Data Summary and Trends Report 2011-2021 reports that “42% of high school students felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row that they stopped doing their usual activities” (CDC, 2023, p. 60). This was a 14% increase over the 2011 findings, where the percentage of high schoolers who “seriously considered attempting suicide” increased by 6% from 2011 to 2021 and those who “made a suicide plan” increased by 5% (CDC, 2023, p. 58).
Locally, in 2023, Monroe County Community Voices for Health completed a community-wide healthcare audit to identify gaps in care across the region. According to the Monroe County Health Department and the Community Health Improvement Plan, which had a subcommittee that focused on mental health, “interviewees identified some significant gaps for young people in the community as it related to substance use and mental health and overall resilience.” In particular, gaps named include the “need for DCS approval before initiating some community-based services,” the decrease in youth transitional housing with the closing of a local program, lack of family and youth therapists who stay in the community for more than a few years, diversity in service providers, and costs associated with services which may not be covered by insurance (Taking Action against Substance use in Communities (TASC) - DRAFT project end report, Prepared by Monroe County Health Department, December 2023).
Based on these national and local findings and our anecdotal experience in our community as parents, religious professionals, educators, and therapists, we know young people in our community are struggling to thrive - and some are struggling to survive. We also know that many youth in our community are vaping, having physically-aggressive and dangerous sexual encounters, and are exposed to drugs at an early age. In addition, we hear from teens who report staying up all night on more than one occasion supporting friends who were suicidal, despite having no training and no system of support for their own mental health as stand-in counselors. Whether the youth of our congregation are personally experiencing these crisis or not, they likely know people who are, and witness the effects first hand.
Overall, we see a need for sanctuary among youth today: a place where all are welcomed as they are, where they can safely share their hopes and dreams as well as their fears and despair, where they can build resilience, skills and connections needed to thrive and lead in these challenging times.
VISION
We envision a Youth Empowerment Program that ultimately will be a youth-led space for young people to develop the skills, attitudes, resources, and connections necessary to thrive and lead as they cope with an unprecedented scope of stressors: fears of gun violence, climate anxiety, a sense of political instability, pressures of social media, the opioid crisis, growing rates of teen suicide, rising costs of college, worries about escalating global conflicts and the possibility of war, criminalization of health care, and more.
This comprehensive youth program would involve a weekly meeting where youth could share a meal, get help with homework, and engage in a simple youth-led participatory worship service. Each week there would be one or more workshops offered, designed to build skills in areas that youth identify as priorities.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Currently, our youth program is still in a re-building phase. After the COVID pandemic shut down our 2019-2020 youth group, we tried multiple times to restart weekly meetings. Through these efforts and conversations with youth and their parents, what we found is that youth are extremely busy, feel a great deal of stress over academic achievement and social status, and have little to no time to pursue hobbies, spend time in nature, or other “recharge” activities.
Given these circumstances, it is not surprising that so few youth are available for our programs. It’s also apparent that no matter what resources and quality programming we might offer on a weeknight, it’s unlikely that we’ll have significant turnout on a consistent basis.
Therefore, we recognize that our first step in building a Youth Empowerment Program is to build community among youth and develop leadership among both youth and their advisors. Once we build a critical mass of at least 30 youth and 8-10 adult advisors, we will begin to collect answers to our guiding questions: What do youth most worry about? What skills and resources do they need? What gifts and skills do they bring? How can we best help them navigate our changing world? Meanwhile, in order to support a robust youth program, we recognize that we need to provide some growth opportunities for the congregation as a whole. Our aim is to nurture the congregation as a community of care, moving past the silos that developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other traumas experienced in our congregation in the last several years.
In 2025, we plan to focus on Phase 1, described below.
PHASE 1: Community Building and Leadership Development
Phase 1 will focus on rebuilding UUCB's youth program by re-engaging with the congregation's teens and also building leadership both with adult advisors and potential youth leaders. We will achieve this through both direct programming about mental health and leadership training as well as social activities meant to increase peer bonds. What we heard from youth during listening sessions was a desire for low-pressure, fun social events. The main goal of this phase is to have many opportunities for engagement for the UU's teens to re-establish bonds, connection, and trust. This phase will also consider how the congregation as a whole can both support teens' mental health and also address mental health concerns for the congregation as a whole. The grant will fund this phase of the program development.
YOUTH:
Group experiences (Holiday World, camping trips, art studio, etc.)
Faith-building experiences (regional youth conferences, UUA General Assembly) Leadership skill-building (Peer pastoral care training, Bradford Woods Teambuilding Experience) Advisor recruitment and training (Youth Advisor Training with Nico Van-Ostrand; free programs such as Mental Health First Aid training, Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA) courses)
CONGREGATION:
Guest speakers and workshops on mental health, community building, and becoming a trauma informed congregation;
Support for staff and lay leaders in learning about and modeling practices that support mental health Mental Health First Aid training for members of the congregation
PHASE 2: Collaborative Program Design
In early 2026, leadership will check back in with youth participants to design the next year of programming. Specific attention will be given to both youth and parents through listening and brainstorming sessions to create a sustainable program. Leadership will also engage in strategy meetings to address issues that arose during Phase 1. Additionally, teens, leadership and the congregation as a whole will focus on how to continue fundraising to support the group in 2026. The goal of this phase is to make sure the progress of 2025 and the support of the grant money makes a continued and lasting difference.
Components:
- Listening sessions (What do youth need? etc.)
- Brainstorming sessions (what program components might fill those needs?) Research/problem solving (Fundraising plans; how to work with teen schedules; skilling up needs; find or develop a Youth Spiritual and Mental Health Resilience curriculum; find or develop a comprehensive adult leader training program)
- Develop a plan (when to meet; activities/workshops; guest speakers/facilitators)
PHASE 3: Pilot Program with UUCB youth and friends
This will be the launch of the Youth Empowerment Program, designed with and for our congregation’s youth and the friends they invite to join. It will be necessary to have a critical mass of youth involved so that the programs are well-attended, energetic, and effective, so it’s not possible to predict a start date at this point. The aim of the program will be to support youth with skills, resources, and experiences they need to navigate the challenges of the times. Exactly what that will look like will depend upon the particular youth involved and the circumstances of the time.
PHASE 4: Expand to a Community-wide Program
Adult and teen leadership will meet regularly to talk about the needs and direction of the Youth Empowerment Program. Care will be given through listening sessions to receive input from a wide variety of participants. When the timing is right, leadership will reach out to other community youth groups or other youth communities in need. Special attention will be paid to identifying organizations that may benefit from partnership from the UU Youth Empowerment Program. Additionally, how to continue funding the program will be discussed and addressed.
Components:
- Continue assessing community needs
- Identify resources needed
- Develop partnerships with stakeholders and other organizations
- Create plans for programming, staffing, funding, outreach
This 4-phase plan demonstrates how the grant money from phase 1 can impact the program and youth for many years by creating a robust and engaged Youth Empowerment group.
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MHI Grant Information
Read MoreIn February, 2024, UUCB was accepted into the Center for Congregation's Mental Health Initiative (MHI) grant program. The initial grant team consisted of Stephanie Kimball, Sarah Gettie McNeill, Debbie Fish, and Jackie Hall. This team attended four educational sessions over the course of several months, and in October of 2024 submitted a detailed project proposal.
The Center for Congregations granted UUCB $40,000 to be spent on the initiatives we specified in our project proposal. Part of our congregation's commitment is to provide a ten percent match ($4000). Grant activities are to take place between January 1 and December 31, 2025; unused funds will be returned to the Center for Congregations.
