James Coomes, Neighborhood Church in Pasadena Youth Coordinator and child social worker, and Jo H. Victoria, PCD UUA Board President and youth advisor at First UU Church of San Francisco, led a room of religious educators, youth advisors, and youth in a discussion of the work of the youth advisor task force and conversation around the role, training, and support of youth advisors.

Jo Victoria began by explaining the mission, work, and role of the Youth Advisor Task Force. She explained that the Youth Advisor Task Force, was created by the UUA Board in 1998 in response to a perceived need for examination of the role, liaibility, selection, training, and support of UU youth advisors on a local, district, and continental level. She read to the crowd the charge they were given by the UUA Board: To examine and make recommendations on youth advisor training and support for the purpose of reinforcing adult involvement in youth programming (especially on the local level), and to consider advisor training (especially in regard to fostering youth leadership, adolescent development, healthy personal boundaries, and junior high advising), the development of clinical pastoral consultancy, the creation of an advisor networking and advocasy organization, and anti-racism training. "Not much" she joked, and read the mission statement the task force had created at their first meeting in November, 1998: To make concrete recommendations for action and initiate creation of programs based on the evaluation of issues gathered from as many voices as possible about the present state of youth advisors in our congregations, districts, and continent. She introduced the membership of the task force, many of whom were in the audience, and spoke about their desire to create programs and resources and recommend action that address the variety of needs and programs that congregations have.

James Coomes then led the group in introductions, asking that people say their name, congregation or other affiliation, role, and breifly explain an issue that they have around advisors. Those issues were posted on paper as they were read, and included: Integrating youth into congregational life, youth leaders that age out, differing needs of youth within the group, advisor burn-out, parents as advisors, training availability, district consultants, youth/board relations, and prejudice towards youth. He explained that this was valuable input that noone has all the answers to -- but that will be addressed in much of the work the YATF is doing.

The YATF, Jo said, is concentrating on structural and institutional change, emphasizing several areas of percieved need: a liability resource, handbooks for ministers and religious educators about youth programs and youth advisors, revised approachs and kinds of training, and advisor networking. There are two valid tracks of advising, paid coordinator and volunteer, and the YATF aim to uplift both roles as important and valuable.

The work that he is doing in an inter-faith group that is looking at youth programming was the topic James next concentrated on explaining. He pointed out that these concerns are issues being confronted by many denominations, but that some other denominations have more resources and sense of urgency around youth programs than many UU congregations have. Maybe we could learn from them, he said.

Jo discussed the need for collaborative change, looking at what all of the players have in common and working from there, and she and James listed some resources and answered questions from the audience about the work of the Youth Advisor Task Force.

During the workshop several handouts were distributed. Attendees were urged to contact the YATF with any questions and fill out the questionnaires with which youth were hired to survey people at GA.

Youth Advisor Task Force Membership:

Drake Baer, Princeton, NJ. Metro NY Advisor, Princeton Youth Programs Coordinator.
James Coomes, Pasadena, CA. Child Welfare Social Worker, Neighborhood Church Youth Coordinator.
Dori Davenport, Oakpark, IL. Central MidWest District Religious Education Consultant.
Frank Hall, Westport, CT. Parish Minister.
Dallas Rising, Minneapolis, MN. Former Prairie Starr Youth Council Representative.
Jo H. Victoria, chair; San Francisco, CA. PCD Advisor Trainer, PCD UUA Board President.
Youth Office Staff, Ex-Officio: Jen Harrison, Youth Programs Director; Nathaniel Klein, Youth Programs Consultant; Austin Putman, Youth Programs Specialist.

For more information on the Youth Advisor Task Force, check out our website at http://www.sirius.com/~johv -- or email us at yatf@uua.org

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