- Home
- Events
- Professional Support
- Professional Development
- Employment
- About
- Membership
Moving Toward An Inclusive VisionThe Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) promotes religious growth and learning for people of all ages by providing opportunities for continuing education, sharing resources, advocating for professional recognition, and providing encouragement and support for religious educators. The mission of LREDA’s Integrity Team is to articulate a compelling vision of LREDA as an organization made whole by the empowerment of all our members, assist LREDA in living that vision as an organizational priority, and monitor LREDA’s ongoing progress toward that vision. Our vision of LREDA is an inclusive organization that is intentionally willing to struggle to dismantle legal and social barriers to equal association, act with integrity, and honor the many gifts we bring. This paper was originally developed as a booklet by the LREDA Integrity Team and printed and distributed by LREDA through a generous grant from the LREDA 21st Century Fund. IntroductionUnitarian Universalist congregations serve as beacons of hope in a complex and disordered world. We must therefore be intentional about how we demonstrate our welcoming vision. This paper provides an introduction to ways in which we can keep that beacon alight. We recognize that as a faith we share the goal of greater inclusivity and that congregations are in their own places on the path to best practices. We intend to help congregations decide how to proceed in doing the important work of seeking justice and equity for all and honoring the many gifts that a diversity of people bring to our congregations. This paper offers suggestions, practical guidance, and resources to congregational leaders and religious professionals in these areas: 1. Evaluating facilities for accessibility. 2. Evaluating atmosphere for affirming the worth and dignity of every person. 3. Evaluating curricula for use in religious education. 4. Creating and planning worship with a multicultural anti-oppression lens. 5. Searching for more diverse professional leadership. Please make use of it in all aspects of congregational planning. LREDA welcomes your comments, suggestions, and stories as you engage this vital work. Join us as we move toward a more inclusive Unitarian Universalism!
Evaluating Facilities for Accessibility"Welcoming ALL children to our program has helped our congregation put a "face" to our first principle, so that we can put our faith into action every day." —Pat Kahn, LREDA member Unitarian Universalist congregations share the goal of having buildings and programs fully accessible to all. Many have undertaken extensive building modifications to increase accessibility. The following set of questions is designed to help congregations think about some accessibility issues they may not yet have considered. Outside: • Is parking for people with disabilities wide enough for a van, clear of debris or snow, near the entrance of the building? Entrance to building: • Are entrance doors well marked from the outside? Inside the building: • Are maps and signage obvious, enabling people to find their way around the building? For more information about accessibility visit the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) website: http://www.uua.org/accessibility. For information about welcoming children with special needs in your programs, please read: Welcoming Children with Special Needs: A Guidebook for Faith Communities, by Sally Patton (copyright 2004, Unitarian Universalist Association, available online in pdf format, the book is currently out of print.).
Evaluating Atmosphere for Affirming the Worth and Dignity of Every Person“This is my place. I can be who I am here.” This quote is from a middle school-aged son of a lesbian woman who believes First Parish of Arlington “does an incredible job of letting you know you’re welcome.” —Tina Schulz, LREDA member It is a useful exercise to pretend that you are a visitor to your congregation. What are the perceptible signs of our Unitarian Universalist faith and values? What kind of information might a visitor glean about what kind of welcome awaits in your congregation? Below are some items you may not yet have considered: Ushers and Greeters • Have staff, greeters, and ushers received training in disability etiquette so that they can comfortably and appropriately welcome people with varying physical, sensory, psychiatric, and cognitive abilities? Information about Unitarian Universalism • Are pamphlets about Unitarian Universalism available and prominently displayed? Welcoming CongregationIf you are a Welcoming Congregation, If you are a United States congregation that is not yet a Welcoming Congregation, please review the program online. The Canadian Unitarian Council processes, serves and affirms Canadian congregations as Welcoming Congregations. You may contact the CUC Toronto offices at 1-888-568-5723 or e-mail [email protected]. If your congregation did the welcoming congregation program a number of years ago and needs an update, you might also call the UUA or CUC for information on the new “Living the Welcoming Congregation” program. LibrariesDo your adult’s and children’s libraries reflect: A good resource about books that value all families and allow children to see reflections of themselves, no matter what their situation, can be found at AmazeWorks. Evaluating Curricula for Use in Religious EducationLifespan Faith Development programs shape a person’s developing sense of faith, religion, and religious identity. The materials, programs, and curricula with which we engage children, youth, and adults define our faith. Inclusive and sensitive representation of people and faith traditions is thus essential to religious education. By what criteria do we evaluate and adjust our curricular materials? Consider the following when choosing and implementing curriculum for your religious education program: Welcoming and Representing Diversity • Persons invited, depicted, or talked about in your program should represent a wide variety of races, ethnicities, abilities, social classes, life experiences, and family configurations. Sensitive Cultural Representation • Stories from other cultures and faith traditions should be written by and attributed to a member of that culture or tradition. Enough background information should be included to provide context for the story. The purpose of telling or using the story should be stated clearly. Teachers, Youth Advisors, Small Group Leaders • Provide ongoing training for volunteers so they can learn skills related to inclusion and sensitive cultural representation. 1. What do we, as Unitarian Universalists, appreciate and learn from this tradition and/or story? Why am I including this in my teaching? 2. What can I, as a Unitarian Universalist, learn/know from this experience/material from another tradition? How is this different from what a person from within that culture might gain (a first-person resource is helpful). How can I share these two different lenses (points of view)?
Outreach and Integration • Social justice projects done as part of your program should be respectful of any groups the participants are setting out to help. Consult with a group or agency that understands what kind of help is needed in your community. A word of caution: When using older Unitarian Universalist curricula or those from non-UU sources, evaluate those curricula based on the above criteria and make whatever modifications are necessary. In some cases, you may need to discard old resource materials and replace them. Tapestry of Faith For further information about Tapestry of Faith or evaluating existing programs, contact the Resource Development Office at the UUA. Creating and Planning Worship with a Multicultural Anti- Oppression LensAs a liberal, inclusive religious faith, we draw wisdom from many sources to enrich and shape our worship practices. Lay leaders and religious professionals seek to find ways to draw wisdom from the cultural and religious traditions of the world, as well as those found represented in our Unitarian Universalist congregations, in a way which is respectful of those traditions, cultures, rituals, and practices. Worship experiences over time will enable you to address various aspects of inclusion and anti-oppression in a series of services. Here are some things to consider when planning and conducting worship: • Our Unitarian Universalist community includes many theological and cultural traditions. Use language, music, visual displays, art and activities in worship that is inclusive of all theologies and respectful of all religions. Suggested References: • Racial Justice and Multicultural Ministries
Searching for More Diverse Professional LeadershipBefore making a decision to search as broadly as possible for applicants for a professional position, take an honest look at the diversity and strengths of your congregation. What are the reasons for broadening your search to increase the likelihood that persons from historically underserved groups are likely to apply? What gifts would a broader perspective offer to children, youth and adults of your congregation? How is your congregation willing to support a religious professional from an historically underserved group? Here are some ways to broaden and enrich your search process so that your congregation will welcome applications from a variety of skilled people, including those from historically underserved groups: • Form a search committee and include people with diverse identities on the search committee. Charge the search committee with conducting as broad a search as is possible. Unitarian Universalist Diversity of Ministry InitiativeIn 2006, the UUA embarked on an initiative to create and sustain diverse ministries in our congregations. The Diversity of Ministry Initiative (DOMI) seeks to foster, create, and sustain healthy, engaged, long-term ministries for ministers and religious professionals who identify as people of color, Latina/o, Hispanic, and/or multiracial/multiethnic. The initiative is supported by the Unitarian Universalist Association's (UUA's) Diversity of Ministry Team (DOMT). DOMT is housed in the Office of the President. It is convened by the Multicultural Ministries and Leadership Director of the Multicultural Growth and Witness staff group. Its membership includes the UUA President, the Vice President for Ministries and Congregational Support, and representatives from Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist (UU) Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM), Ministries and Faith Development, Multicultural Growth and Witness, and the UU Ministers Association. From the uua.org website. For more information on this initiative and to learn how to support its mission, visit Sustaining Healthy Multiracial/Multicultural Ministries. Additional ResourcesEvaluating Curriculum and Resources • “Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism,” published by the Council on Interracial Books for Children Teachers and Families • A series of articles for teachers and parents about talking with kids about oppression and discrimination in many forms found by searching through Teaching Tolerance. Racial Identity Development • Nurturing Children and Youth: a Developmental Guidebook, by Tracey L. Hurd, Boston, Unitarian Universalist Association, 2005. Addresses the developing UU from infancy through early adulthood, with attention to racial identity development and faith development. Diverse Families • Nothing to Hide: Mental Illness in the Family, by Jean J. Beard and Peggy Gillespie with photographs by Gigi Kaeser, New York, The New Press, 2002.
|