Present: Kate Kidder (SC); Greg Dubow (Mid-South); Leif Anderson (Western Canada); Stuart Neils-Kraft (Heartland); Kristen Harper (Adult at-large); Steve Feinstein (SC, Adult at-large); Chris Hillman (Adult at-large); Kelsey Boler (People of Colour Caucus); Jacob Larsen (Canadian At-Large); Nat Balder (Clara Barton); Annie Abernethy (Pacific Southwest); Lindsey Bater (Metro New York); Matt Moore (SC); Charise Sowells (People of Colour Caucus); Jenifer Tsoi (Post-High Transitional Age Range Representative); Chris Weber (incoming Position on Appraisal); Micaela Christopher (SC); Emily Young (New Hampshire/Vermont); Jason Tanzman (Central Midwest); Jennifer Dunmore (People of Colour Caucus); Kayle Hoehn (Mountain Desert District); Laura Belzer (Mountain Desert District); Alexandra Stewart (Junior High Transitional Age Range Representative); Sara Halperin (Northeast); Sasha Hood (Pacific Central).

Absent: Julie Slater (Outgoing Position On Appraisal); Leah Dugan (People of Color Caucus)

Dates: July 28-August 3rd, 2001

Table of Contents:

Project Proposal: A Taskforce to Explore the Creation of a Federation between Massachusetts Bay District and Ballou Channing District

Co-Sponsors: Maura McGill, Alex Pirozzi, Nan Moore

Point Person: Maura McGill

Primary Aid: Alex Pirozzi

UU Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.

Specific issue addressed: Within the BCD and MBD YRUU communities there has been a loss of unity and strength. BCD YRUU has had a rocky history over the past 4 generations of YRUU with inconsistent support for district programming and youth empowerment. MBD YRUU is growing rapidly and needs help steering the direction of how to keep intentionality and purpose in the community with this fluctuation of size. There is a need for change to sustain youth empowerment and to continue to have an environment in MBD and BCD, which reflects our YRUU/UU Principles and Purposes.

Hope To Achieve:

• A revival of the use of a youth federation geographically Down Eastern Mass, Cape Cod and Rhode Island.
• Formation of a task force with youth and adults from both respective districts with a goal of probing the idea to help both districts grow and foster new leadership in a strong, supportive and spiritual environment
• A federation which will support the BCD Youth Adult Council (YAC) and the MBD Steering Committee (SC) in areas which each feel challenged.
• A two-year trial basis of a united BCD/MBD YRUU Youth Federation
• An opportunity to share gifts jointly from the districts.

Short Term Goal: On a trial basis is the intention of the youth leadership, specifically the elected Youth Council Representatives from BCD and MBD, to strengthen both youth communities.

Steps to achieve:

1. Formally Present the Federation plan to the BCD YAC

2. Formally Present the Federation Plan to the MBD SC

3. Organize a joint SC/YAC meeting to explore and form the task force for the federation who will work in partnership creating goals and assess challenges of both districts.

4. Facilitate the joint meeting with the SC/YAC to develop mission statement as well as job descriptions for the task force who will work in partnership creating goals and assess challenges of both districts and create an application process

Who: Maura McGill, Alex Pirozzi

5. Formally present the task force mission statement to the MBD/BCD RE Committees

districts that month)

6. Continue to have the task force meet on a Bi-monthly basis with the intention of creating 2 joint MBD/BCD conferences

7. Compose a resolution for Youth Council 2002 relating to the revival of this federation.

Evaluation: Have the task force evaluate their effectiveness and how they can be more effective/more productive.

What Local and District People Can Do:

• Participate in meetings
• Give input to Alex Pirozzi and Maura McGill
• Apply to be on task force

Long Term Goal: To have the federation be a new strong self sustaining community within the MBD/BCD YRUU communities.

What Local and District People Can Do:

• participate in events organized by task force
• attend task force meetings
• give input to YCRs

Resources YRUU has that we need: information on LRY federations

How This Will Further the Vision and Purpose of YRUU: This task force is the start of celebrating and exploring youth empowerment from lost traditions of LRY. This helps build the YRUU movement, its traditions and heritage, and develops a stronger communication network in MBD and BCD YRUU.

How This Will Benefit the Denomination/Greater World: By reclaiming our heritage and by doing so sets a standard for other districts to consider.

Fiscal impact: none.

Project proposal: Published Awards and recognition for progressive and really cool con's 2001/2002 (not discussed)

Co Sponsors: Kat Shiffler and Katie Test

Point People: Katie n' Kat

Primary Aid: Kat n' Katie

YRUU/UU Principle: Acceptance of one another and our encouragement to spiritual growth in

our congregations; The goal of world community with peace liberty and justice for all.

--Woo hoo.--

Specific Issue Being Addressed: Need for public (all YRUU youth) awareness of happenings of other districts distribution of progressive ideas and information, fostering wholeness and community in YRUU, and making JAHNNEY DEPPS easier! Also to keep history and records of CONs.

Hope to Achieve: A long standing tradition in synapse, something to strive for as a district, as a local church, and for YCRs.

Short Term Goal: To publish the awards page in synapse, the continental publication of YRUU.

Steps to Achieve:

1. Inform all district YCR's and distribute application forms on paper.

2. Make application to publish in Fall 2001 synapse, give to Youth Office

3. Send out email reminder to all YCR's

4. YCR's get responses from churches and send to Kat an Katie (YCR's)

5. Email reminder again! yipee.

6. Compile all of the responses, and make awards

7. Recruit 1st year YCR for next year’s project

8. Make layout

9. Send to synapse

Evaluation: YCR's response, and end product in Synapse

Long term goal and process: Repeat project steps every year, adding a rotating YCR to the project to keep continuity, and to make a longstanding tradition. Repeat for many years to come. YAY!!!

Not Discussed

Resolution to Reaffirm YRUU's Continental Nature and Improve Accountability to Canadian UU Youth

Co-sponsors: Leif Anderson, Jacob Larsen

Point person: Jacob Larsen

Primary aid: Leif Anderson

UU principle: The goal of world community; The use of the democratic process in our congregations and in society at large.

Statement of belief: Individually, we have only that which we ourselves possess. We gather into community to share our unique gifts and increase our knowledge, collective experience and resources. Canadians and Americans have different national experiences and together our experiences in our communities give us the perspective to speak to the pain in the world and build a world community of love.

Specific Issues Being Addressed:

• The new arrangement between the UUA and the CUC (Canadian Unitarian Council) neglects that youth programming relies on adult participation and by isolating youth programming from the rest of congregational life, Canadian UU youth risk alienation and lack of support.
• Currently, the Canadian at-large on Youth Council does not require Canadian input and is therefore not necessarily reflective of Canadian interests.
• YRUU's bylaws and policies and procedures refer only to the UUA and its districts, which in the future may not include Canadian congregations and their youth groups.

Hope to achieve:

• An ongoing, collaborative, working relationship between YRUU and the Canadian Unitarian Council for strengthening youth programming in Canada.
• Involve Canadian youth in the selection process for their at-large representative on YRUU Youth Council.
• Ensure that YRUU's bylaws and policies and procedures reflect YRUU's goal of maintaining its strong continental nature.

Short-term goal: Work with the CUC to ensure its new service delivery model empowers and includes youth.

Steps to achieve:

1. Have one Canadian youth serve on the CUC's Implementation Team, which will design the CUC's new structure.

2. Ensure that nominations for next CAL (Canadian at-large) are available in the Canadian Unitarian and on www.cuc.ca

Steps to achieve:

3. Submit nomination form to the CUC

4. Begin a review process of the YRUU bylaws to ensure Canadian applicability and bring results before Youth Council 2002 for discussion.

Steps to achieve: just do it.

Evaluation:

• Be in dialogue with other member's of the CUC's Implementation Team and solicit input from them.
• Submit a report to the 2001-2002 Steering Committee.

How this will further the vision and purposes of YRUU:

• Strengthen continental connections and ensuring UUism remains an international faith in the future.
• Encourage communication between youth and adults within the Canadian UU scene.

How this will benefit the greater denomination and/or the world: This is a reaffirmation of our commitment to world community.

Fiscal impact: zilch

Bylaw changes required: nada

P+P changes: zippo

Consensus

Resolution to Change the Election Process of the General Assembly Youth Caucus Business Manager

Co-Sponsors: Laura Douglas and Jacob Larsen

Point Person: Laura Douglas

Primary Aid: Jacob Larsen

UU/YRUU Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and the society at large.

Specific Issue Being Addressed: Since the youth caucus business manager is elected from first-year youth council representatives at youth council, the electee may not have even attended general assembly, and thus may not have sufficient knowledge of youth caucus business structure.

Hope to Achieve:

1. Election of the youth caucus business manager to be held within youth caucus, modeled after the election of the working action manager (WAM) and youth observer to the board of trustees.

2. To continue the connections between youth council and general assembly youth caucus, the business manager must write a thorough report after youth caucus. Then send it to the youth office, who will carry it along to youth council.

Short Term Goal: Elect the youth caucus business manager from youth caucus at general assembly.

Steps to achieve:

1. At youth caucus 2002, elect the youth caucus business manager for general assembly 2003.

Long term goal: Instigate communication between youth caucus and youth council by exchanging reports involving the events of youth caucus and the events of youth council.

steps to achieve

1. Following youth council 2001, write a report to share with youth caucus involving the events of youth council.

2. Following youth caucus 2002, write a report to share with youth council involving the events of youth caucus.

3. Following youth council 2002, write a report to share with youth caucus involving theevents of youth council.

How This Will Further the Vision and Purposes of YRUU: This will encourage leadership outside of youth council, by electing a non-youth council member to youth caucus staff.

How Will This Benefit the Greater Denomination and/or the World: By preparing youth to be leaders within the community.

Fiscal impact: none.

Consensus

Resolution to Conduct a YRUU Long Range Planning Meeting

Co-Sponsors: Sara Halperin, Samantha Trumbull, Jennifer Dunmore, Nat Balder, Maura McGill, Kathryn Mareci, Laura Belzer, Greg DuBow, Eric Swanson, Nan Moore

Point People: Maura McGill (Logistics & Finance), Kathryn Mareci (Attendance & Program)

Primary Aids: Sara Halperin, Nat Balder, Laura Belzer, Eric Swanson

UU/YRUU Principle(s): Youth Empowerment; Build greater understanding between youth and adults; Free and responsible search for truth and meaning; The right of democratic process in our communities.

Specific Issue Addressed: The Youth-designated program money expected under the Mind the Gap fundraising program has already begun to arrive, but how it will be spent and who will control it is unclear. YRUU needs to build alliances and coalitions within the UUA power structure, both to obtain their perspective and solicit their endorsement of YRUU’s plans and structure. Also, YRUU’s last overall visioning and evaluation process was the 15-year review, conducted principally by adults. We believe the YRUU community should have a greater voice in its own evaluation.

Hope to Achieve: Plan and execute a YRUU Long-Range Planning Meeting during the second half of 2002, with participation from UUA executive leadership, UU professional and interest groups, YRUU youth, and YRUU advisors. The goals of the meeting will include group bonding, visioning, goal-setting, and long-term planning for YRUU in general, and specifically for Mind the Gap funds. We expect that this meeting will produce a coherent long-term plan with buy-in from YRUU leadership, UUA governance, and UUs at large.

We anticipate that this four- to five-day event will have about 50 attendees, about half "targeted" for their role or history, with the remainder filled through an application process. The application process will be designed to ensure diverse representation to the greatest degree possible, and strive to maintain a 2:1 youth-to-adult ratio. We expect to hold the conference in New England to increase accessibility for UUA employees and reduce travel costs.

Short Term Goal: Information Infrastructure

communication for the group.

Who: Eric Swanson

3. Identify People for Remaining Tasks: collaborate to flesh out the plan, facilitated by point people. The committee will recruit at least one adult of color to serve on the committee.

4. Complete Budget: coordinate completion of a budget for the project. On the assumption

that this event will be free for all attendees, we anticipate that the total cost of the event will be between $40,000 and $55,000.

5. Secure Funds: work with Youth Office to verify that we can allocate initial Mind the Gap funds for this work.

Evaluation: At frequent intervals throughout the process, the point people will work with the group to ensure everyone’s accountability, and that each specific deadline is met. In the end, if the event happens and the right people are at the table, we’ll consider our mission accomplished.

What Local and District People Can Do: Actually assist in distributing publicity. Recruit good applicants to help plan or attend. Contribute ideas for the visioning process.

Long-Term Goals: Lay a framework for a new generation of accountability and responsibility between YRUU and the denomination at large. We feel this will come from the meeting itself, so we have assigned no due dates or people responsible.

Resources YRUU Has That We Will Need: Information from the Youth Office. Support from Steering Committee. Initial Mind the Gap money for running the meeting.

How This Will Further the Vision and Purposes of YRUU: This meeting will vision and re-form the future path of YRUU.

How This Will Benefit the Denomination/Greater World: Stronger connection between YRUU and the denomination will help keep youth involved in our congregations, and release a new generation of great ex-YRUUers into the world.

Necessary Bylaw or Policy and Procedures Changes: None, but we will need to work with the UUA for release of funding for the meeting.

Organizations or Books that Have More Information: C*UUYAN recently held a similar meeting. We plan to consult with them for more insight.

Fiscal Impact: Estimated $40,000 to $55,000, to be funded by existing Long Range Planning meeting funds and initial Mind the Gap fundraising.

Consensus

Resolution to Create Partnerships in Strategies for Action

Co-Sponsors: Annie Abernethy, Mimi LaValley, Nathaniel Klein, Steph Sherrer, Sasha Hood and the Pacific Southwest District Youth Board

Point Person: Annie Abernethy

Primary Aids: Lindsay Bater, Casey Williams

UU Principle: Justice & equity in human relations, and the goal of world community.

Specific Problem: The lack of YRUU & the UUA’s relevance in anti-racism work to larger communities outside of the faith community. YRUU’s work in social justice and anti-racism focuses too much within, and needs to become more relevant to our societies by joining a larger movement working for our similar values, in the way that the School of the Americas mobilization did.

Hope to Achieve: A larger step towards becoming an anti-racist organization by becoming allies with communities of youth and people of color working in the struggle that disproportionately affects us all. Making YRUU’s resources available to groups that share similar principles and values and to gain resources from those groups. Join a major campaign related to the current and past YRUU Working Action Issue of Prison Reform and the War on Drugs, and to build a coalition to work on the Summer of Resistance.

Steps to Achieve:

1. Liaison relationships are built with progressive groups doing social activism. UU youth in their districts and local youth groups are encouraged to liaison and helped in finding someone to form relationships with.

2. Create a resource for how YRUU at the local, district, and continental level can do ally work with other progressive groups doing youth empowerment and social justice work.

3. Connect Leadership Development Conference Trainers with activist groups that do youth work in their local communities to lead youth empowerment and leadership trainings. If the group is a mainly adult group, invite youth from the area.

4. Each district finds a non-UU youth group to exchange a skills share, by trading an LDC workshop for a know your rights or anti- racism training, workshops on grassroots organizing, etc. Build a relationship with this group in which resources can be shared (e.g. skills, fiscal, institutional history).

5. Non-UU progressive youth groups are invited to social action conferences to share information through workshops, to create partnerships and collaborate on grassroots strategies.

6. With help from C*SAC and WAM, create a comprehensive list of groups across the continent doing grassroots, anti-racism, anti-prison, or schools not jails campaigning.

7. Link these groups to the YRUU website at uua.org.

8. Reps from these groups are invited to a youth anti- racism summit to discuss support of the Summer of Resistance and Ruckus Camp.

9. Members of groups we are successful in building allies with are invited to Youth Council next year to do skills-shares, workshops, and build the Summer of Resistance Campaign.

What Local and District People Can Do To Help:

• YRUU youth: Build relationships with any groups in the area they’re interested in, add it to the list, and help your YCR and SAC in organizing skills-shares.
• Newsletter Editors: Include actions and resources from other org’s, advertise liaison opportunities, and contacts for local groups.
• Social Action Coordinators: help YCR connect YAC to local org’s.
• Local youth groups: build relationships with local non-UU youth groups.

How this will Further the Principles and Vision of YRUU: Helping it become an anti-racist organization by being good allies in a larger movement towards social justice.

How This Will Further the Greater Denomination and World: Initiating a way of looking into anti- racism and activism that can affect the greater community outside of UUism, that UUs can be a major part of. By creating new resources and making existing resources available to non-UU communities that can use them in furthering the struggle- especially those affected by the struggle such as people of color, youth, lower class, etc.

Organizations or Books That Can Be Used:

• No More Prisons by William Upski Wimsatt
• National Organizers Alliance
• Active Element Foundation

• United for a Fair Economy
• Rainforest Action Network
• Greenpeace
• YES!
• Ruckus Society
• YOC

CONCERNS: Youth Council had hesitation about implementation details and the lack of provision for evaluation of the project.

Consensus

Resolution to Restructure the YRUU Social Justice Conference (YSJC)

Co-Sponsors: Shea Schachameyer, Amir Fouad, Leif Anderson

Point Person: Shea Schachameyer

Primary Aid: Amir Fouad

UU Principle: Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; Goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

Specific Issue: As is, there is no way for district social action coordinators (SACs) to effectively communicate and network with each other. Additionally, there is no set structure in which a super working action team (SWAT) is established. These factors contribute to the lack of accountability within the YRUU social justice movement. The YSJC currently operates as an informational conference rather than a training guide for social justice leaders and activists.

Hope to Achieve: Making the YSJC a training for SACs and SWAT members will better enable them to fulfill their job descriptions at the district level.

Short Term Goal: Have each SAC present at the YSJC as well as two additional people from each district that will become SWAT members recruited by the SACs in partnership with their district governing bodies. Ideally, at least one person of each pair of SWAT members will be a person of color and, in the case of a cross boarder district, more than two youth shall be picked for the SWAT team to ensure that at least one youth is Canadian.

Steps to Achieve:

1. Seek socially responsible funding in the form of grants and by charging YCR’s to lobby district and YAC boards for budgeted money.

2. Inform and stay in communication with the Washington Office and the Youth Office.

3. Inform the YRUU community of the change in the YSJC.

4. Call current SACs and explain the new process.

5. Start looking for possible people to recruit as part of the SWAT team.

6. Create a staff structure that would best meet the needs of the restructured YSJC and place it online.

Who: YO, Wash. Office, Schachameyer

Deadline: August 31^st

7. Research ways of cutting costs in areas like food and housing.

8. Have anti-racism work be a vital and integrated part of the new structure.

9. Have campaign training which focuses on skills in anti-oppression, event planning, the media, issue selection, short term/long term goals, finding resources, fundraising, and facilitating a grassroots movement. These skills will then be able to be applied to lobbying, community organizing, and direct actions.

10. Be intentional about having the YSJC be a continental training as opposed to a United States oriented conference.

Evaluation: The point person, Shea Schachameyer, will write an update report to Steering Committee before their January meeting to illustrate the progress of the steps outlined. Shea and Amir will also periodically check up with the different point people for the steps to achieve to moderate progress. Furthermore, there will be an evaluation procedure that will follow the YSJC allowing for feedback from participants as well as from the planners.

Long Term Goals:

• To create an annual training for SACs and SWAT members in replacement of an informational conference.
• To strengthen accountability within the continental YRUU social action network.
• To create and nourish a permanent community for district SACs and SWAT members to meet.

Evaluation: The C*SAC and WAM will write two reports a year to Steering Committee, one before January and one for Youth Council explaining how they think the YSJC has developed and if anything about the way it is set up needs to be addressed or changed.

How This Will Benefit The Vision And Purposes Of YRUU: Organizing the YSJC so it is a training of YRUU social action leaders will establish a cohesive social justice network which is supported by Article II Section 1 of the YRUU Bylaws which states that our organization "shall strive to support our members and member groups with educational resources with a communications network…[which] shall assist us in developing and effective system for social action. The continental level of YRUU shall assist District and local member groups in fulfilling the purposes stated above;" thus, YRUU not only encourages development of new networking and social action plans, it also assists in developing them. To further illustrate this point, the Policies and Procedures of YRUU section 2.43 state that YRUU as well as the Youth Office "will act in a coordinating capacity for the Social Action Network of districts by encouraging and organizing activities which SACs may carry out in their district."

How this will benefit the greater denomination and/or the world: By establishing a more cohesive structure for the social justice network in YRUU more people inside and outside our community will be affected. For instance, while the YSJC was a helpful tool for those have gone in the past, there was not a significant amount of information or actions that could easily be taken back into local youth groups and communities. Having SACs and the SWAT team as well as People of Color and Canadians present, will help ensure that a greater number of people will be affected due to this better network of YRUU social justice activists. Once our own social justice movement is strengthened, we can reach more into communities offering our experiences and knowledge.

Necessary Bylaw or Policy and Procedure Changes: None

Fiscal Impact: Pretty big. Let’s just say it costs money to guarantee that every district social action coordinator goes. But hopefully a cheaper site and a restructured staff will help. Also, money from the capital campaign should be looked into as a possible source of funding. Sometimes you’ve gotta pay for great things to happen. Let’s face it folks. (Research underway to further explore projected costs and funding options.)

CONCERNS: Note that, even aside from the YSJC, YRUU has large concerns about the selection of the Working Action Issue, given that Canadian attendance at General Assembly is low already and likely to drop.

Consensus

YRUU support of UUDPR (Unitarian Universalists for Drug Policy Reform)

Co-Sponsors: Stuart Neils-Kraft, Greg DuBow, Glen Pritchard, Leif Anderson

Primary Aid: Greg DuBow

UU Principles: The inherent worth and dignity of every person; Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; The goal of a world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

Specific issue addressed with supported facts:

The Drug War

• 1.5 million people are arrested every year for drug law violations (75% for possession)
• 600,000 of these arrests are for possessing marijuana for personal use
• The war on drugs cost U.S. taxpayers more than 40 billion dollars per year (Two thirds is spent on enforcement, court, and prison expenses and only one third is spent on treatment and education)
• African Americans comprise nearly 60% of the people in state prisons for drug felonies
• A majority of women in federal prisons are there for drug law violations; 70% are first time offenders
• Civil liberty violations are a routine part of drug law enforcement
• Tens on millions of Americans - including children and adolescents - still use or abuse illegal drugs

Why YRUU should take a position: The Drug War is racist and classist. As a socially conscious and anti-racist organization YRUU can not stand by as innocent people are hurt by the Drug War. As Unitarian Universalists we can no longer sit idly by.

Short-Term Goals:

• Issue a statement of support to UUDPR from YRUU.
• Lay the groundwork for YRUU to do something about the Drug War.

Steps to Achieve:

1. Issue a letter of support to UUDPR from YRUU.

2. Communicate with UUDPR and propose an agenda item for Youth Council's meeting in 2002.

3. Submit an article to Synapse related to the Drug War and YRUU's efforts to combat it.

Evaluation: Stuart, Greg, and Leif will be in constant communication. (E-Mail, telephone calls, and continual acts of civil disobedience)

Consensus