Youth Group
Youth Religious Education
Youth Religious Education Committee
Meet our Director of Religous Education and our Youth Advisor
Youth Religious Education (YRE), 2009 - 2010
Our Theme this year will be "Uuse Your Head". We will be looking at stories from around the world, tools for living our faith, and how to be responsible and healthy in relationships. This will be supplemented with Children's Worship, Louder Than Words (social justice) Activities, and a few Community Sundays thrown in in order to allow the children and youth to spend time getting to know each other in less formal ways.Nursery/Pre-school: Our nursery is open from 10:15 until 12:00 to allow parents time to get settled before the service and enjoy some conversation in the social hall after the service.
K-6 Children: Our Youth Religious Education (YRE) program takes place during the service. Children attend the first part of the service with their parents during which there is a Focus with Youth story for all ages. After this time they are dismissed for religious education until 12:00 while parents stay for the sermon and then enjoy some time to reflect with others during social hour. Please pick children up at the classroom doors at 12:00 noon.
7th and 8th Grade: The acclaimed "Our Whole Lives (OWL)" curriculum which is comprehensive sexuality and relationship education will be offered this year.
If you have questions about the program or the curriculum, please Sonja Lamicela, DRE .
Youth Group
YRUU (or Youth Group) meets at First UU on the every Sunday.This year, we are meeting in the Teen Room at 10:00 - 12:00.
10:00 - 10:30 open conversation
10:30 - 11:30 focused conversation/work time
11:30 - 12:00 free time
Of course, that is not all that we do! We use our meeting times to plan social events like movies, dinners, or sleepovers. We also discuss fundraising options and how we as a group want to use those funds raised. We do use fundraising money for Con registration fees. Everyone wants to know about Cons, so here's the scoop. This year, we have sent kids to almost every Con in the area. Cons last from Friday Night to Sunday Morning. It is a wonderful way to find, meet, and connect with other UU teens. There is truly something for everyone at Cons. Whether you like chilling out and watching movies, wandering into deep conversations, or playing games, you will find it at a Con. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Glenn Gesek, Youth Advisor, at 315-299-7073. We look forward to making room in the group for you! Please also use the District Website (http://www.sld.uua.org/REpages/youthprograms.html)for District-wide youth events.
Please also see the District Website (http://www.sld.uua.org/REpages/youthprograms.html) for District-wide youth events.
Youth Religious Education
Religious Education for Youth at First UU is a dynamic, growing program. We offer a variety of classes and experiences for youth ages 4-18. The program is directed by two professional religious educators, who, along with the YRE Committee, chooses appropriate curricula, and tailors the materials to the needs of our congregation's children.The Youth Religious Education Committee
The YRE Committee is made up of a group of parents, interested adults and teens who share the common goal of providing a vital, stimulating program for our children. Below are listed the members of the committee and their specific portfolios.|
Sonja Lamacela
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DRE
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Glenn Gesek
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Youth Advisor/YRE Assistant
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Claudia Klaver
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Co-chair
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Ruth Mudge
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Member
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Karen Palumbo
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Member
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Cindy Sharfstein
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Member
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Chris Allen
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Member
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Meet our Director of Religous Education and our Youth Advisor
Our Director of Religious Education, Sonja Lamicela, is starting her second full year with us. Sonja spent 10 years teaching in UU Religious Education programs and volunteering in many other church roles including Treasurer at her former congregation, Worship Services Committee Chair and ad hoc Music Coordinator. She is currently working to attain status as a Credentialed Religious Educator through LREDA (Liberal Religious Educators Association).
She has three boys of her own in the RE program. Sonja was raised by non-practicing Christians and began her own spiritual search in her junior high school years. Her spiritual path has taken her through Evangelical, mainstream Protestant, Catholic, Pagan,and Eclectic Mysticism to a Spiritual Humanism that blends comfortably into Unitarian Universalism. She was a La Leche League leader and disability rights activist, and embraces a philosophy of inclusion of people with all abilities from diverse backgrounds.
Feel free to stop by the RE office and say hi if you haven't already met her!
Glenn Gesek, Youth Advisor since 2004
Names that I Use Besides Youth Advisor
- "Dada". Many of you know my son. He enjoys the challenge of trying to sneak a cookie
from the kitchen before the Service begins.
- Husband. I have been hearing that name from my wife for 10 years now.
- Teacher. I teach elementary school-aged students with special needs. I have been teaching in
Baldwinsville for 7 years, but I began my teaching career in Pasadena, Texas.
- Coach. This year, I am coaching boys' volleyball in Baldwinsville.
- Middle Blocker. This is the name that I use when I play volleyball, something I do whenever I get the chance. During the past summer, I played in the Empire State Games and actually came home with a bronze medal.
