Religious Education Charters

Tween Charter:

Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Charter for Program or Ministry Team

What: Middle-School Age "Tween" Coming of Age program

Goals: Our Mission is to help our middle schoolers through the passage of this time in their lives where they are starting to leave their childhood, maturing physically and emotionally and in their reasoning powers. This program also assists their parents to accept their changing status in the family and helps them work out acceptable compromises for new rights and responsibilities. Our mission as adults in our church community is to help them:

  • Assume responsibility for their own physical, mental and spiritual being;
  • Gain a sense of self-confidence and realize that their feelings are valid and that their opinions matter;
  • Expand their vision of the world by allowing them to encounter differing views, cultures, and life experiences;
  • Understand they have an important role in their church, local and world communities;
  • Develop a personal value system; and
  • Realize they are completely and non-judgmentally accepted in our church community, and that it is their sanctuary.

Description: The Coming of Age program is a Unitarian program which goes through 26 sessions which we are incorporating over 1.5 yrs this first session. It involves two retreats including a culminating Wilderness Journey retreat. We also pair same-gender adult mentors with each youth to assist them individually through their journeys. A Celebration Dinner/Sunday culminates the passage of these children into youth of the church.. Ritual and celebration and developing reasoning abilities are hallmarks of this program.