Programs for Children and Youth

Pre-School Through Elementary Program

Mission Peak has a three-year theme rotation for the direction of our religious education offerings for children: one year of Judaism and Christianity, one year of Unitarian-Universalism, and one year of World Religions. This rotation is repeated every three years, providing a broad educational experience for a student as she or he moves through the program.

The 2009-2010 year's theme is: World Religions. All the classes study World Religions in an age-appropriate way:

Preschool - Kindergarten are using the standard UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) curriculum "We Are Many, We Are One." Because these children are too young to understand the concepts of different religions, this curriculum lays the foundation for learning about other religions later by teaching an acceptance of diversity in an anti-bias environment.

Grades 1-2 are using "Stories about God," which fosters the understanding that God can take many forms and is called by many names. Each lesson includes a story about some aspect of God, taken from one of the world religions, feminist experience, science, or the ordinary and extraordinary experiences of life.

Grades 3-4 are developmentally ready to start learning about various religions. They are primarily using the curriculum "A World of New Friends" which includes lessons on Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism, Judaism, and Earth-centered religions. This curriculum will be supplemented by lessons from "Holidays and Holy Days" and "One Family" to provide two to three lessons on each religion.

Grades 5-8 are doing "Neighboring Faiths" this year. The program is about visiting other places of worship. Each religion is studied on three consecutive Sundays: the first Sunday is an introduction to the religion, sometimes with a visiting speaker; the second Sunday (or Friday or Saturday) is a visit to the place of worship; and the third Sunday is a discussion of the visit and the relation of the religion to Unitarian Universalism.

Coming of Age Program

In alternate years our 8th graders participate in the Pacific Central District's (PCD) Coming of Age (COA) program. With other UU youth in the district, they pursue activities such as a ropes course, a Faithful Fools mini-street retreat, and a nature vigil.

The Coming of Age program is designed to help our young people:

• Explore their own spirituality
• Develop a deeper understanding of Unitarian Universalism
• Continue the lifelong process of values clarification
• Recognize and accept responsibility for the consequences of their decisions
• Explore their options for service to the church and to the community
• Deepen their relationships with each other and with adults in the church, and
• Come to a positive understanding of their capabilities and test themselves against their own preconceived limits.

Youth Group (7th through 12th Grades)

The Youth Group Advisors are Michealle Havenhill and Laurie Fiatal.

Children's and Youth's Religious Exploration (CaYRE Committee)

The CaYRE Committee meets every other month with the Director of Religious Education (DRE) to:

• Plan and coordinate the children's religious education programs.
• Help recruit and train teachers
• Be responsible for organizing the nursery.
• Provide support for the youth group
• Participate in the intergenerational services.