Junior youth Program (8-12years)

The junior youth program facilitated by Mel Horvath-Lucid and guests offers this age group the space to practice leadership, collaboration and self exploration.  Our 2011-2012 theme is sacred world traditions, religions, symbols and cultures.  Join us as we travel the world, seeking truth and understanding about the world, people and creatures around us.

We begin each gathering with the ritual of the chalice lighting, and sharing "glad's" and "sad's" of our past week as we listen, learn and support one another.  We share a snack provided by many wonderful volunteers and take time to focus on a weekly theme, which currently is connected to the broader theme of "Sacred World religions, cultures, traditions and symbols."

In addition to our Sunday morning gathering our junior youth have the opportunity to connect together to have some fun while playing a game, tobogganing, working on a social justice project that they feel is important, or leading a Sunday Service.

Our upcoming focus topics include:

September 4th; No children's program

September 11th: Water Service, (Reconnecting and grounding) 9/11 and the power of peace

September 18th: Earth Based Service for all ages

September 25th: Join Yale as she shares about life in Isreal and what it means to stand up for what you believe, even when nobody is standing with you.

October 2nd: Native Spirituality: We will be sharing a native story on the creation of music.  We will be drumming and learning the native significance of drumming as taught to us by a native tribe in Canada.

October 9th: Sacred Water, walking a mile or more in another's shoe's to get water.  Awakening to the luxury and sacredness of our water.  Facilitated by Karen Mc Kay.

October 16th: Buddism- We will be doing a meditation and learning on mandala's, there uses, meanings and creating our own, sacred mandala.

October 23rd: Earth based Spirituality: We will be learning about Samhain and creating a story to share with our community, as we get ready to dress up and connect together in the Samhain service on October 30th

October 30th: Earth based spirituality "Samhain" Feel free to dress up, and we journey into the unknown and  the role that death play's in truly living life.

November 6th: Fair trade: What does it mean to trade fairly?  Why does this matter?  How can we make a difference?

November 13th: Chocolate making with fair trade chocolate!!!!

PARTY TIME!!!!

Celebrating Sacred Holiday's from around the World!!!!!!!  November 20-December 25th

November 20th: Dawali, hindism, jainism and sikaism festive traditions

November 27th: Chanukah

December 4th: Christian Christmas stories and traditions (advent activity)

December 11th: Chocolate Making With Nancy

December 18th: Yule Service, all ages

December 25th: No Children's program

January 1st: All ages service.  Looking at a year in Review

January 8th: Native Spirituality (we are all connected)

January 15th:  The lessons learned through humanist philosophies (learning songs for imbolc)

January 22nd: Writing/Practicing drama for imbolc, Yogic rituals

January 29th:Writing and practicing drama for imbolc, Yogic Rituals

Feb 5th: Imbolc (Junior Youth Presenting the drama) and song "What is my Will?"

Feb 12th: First meeting for our Sacred world, seeking soul drama!!!  We will be discussing the concept and involving the junior youth in creating their parts

Feb 19th: Junior youth are invited to stay upstairs to take in the youth service or act as helpers in the 4-8 year old classroom or the nursery.

Feb 26th: All about Chanting!!.....and what is chanting anyway????

March 4th: Using art to express our emotions!!!  Wear clothing that can get paint and other art supplies on it!

March 18th: (March Break weekend) Sacred symbols and universal symbols...What would your symbol look like, if you had one to represent you...Create!!!!!!

March 25th: Practice for the pageant

April 1st: Coloring eggs!  What lessons do the egg hold?  What does the egg teach us?

April 8th: Practice for the pageant

April 15th: Walking meditation, taking in and waking up to nature!  Dress appropriately

April 22nd: Pageant practice

April 29th: Learning and creating for Maypole

May 6th: Maypole all ages service

May 13th: Pageant practice

May 20th: (Long weekend) Pageant practice

May 27th: Pageant practice, making a gift to honor a special lady in our lives

June 3rd: PAGEANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

June 10th: Pageant wrap up and end of year party!!!!

June 17th: Exploring nature and making a gift to honor a special man in our lives

June 24th: Flower Communion

Break for Summer!!!  See you in September

 A Poem and collaborative effort written by the junior Youth (Used as a drama in the Yule 2010 service)

Darkness moves like a cloud in the night, no emotion, no malice, rather honoring its part in this universe, and in our lives.  At times it seems its over taking, never breaking, always aching......is it us, who does not understand?  Have we forgotten the beauty of the dark?

Dark exists, in space and peace within the chrysalis as the caterpillar honors its call to become a butterfly

From the darkness the light of a campfire warming the night, the darkness illuminating light

It is the dark depth of sleep, our eyes closed that dreams and ideas whirl and twirl as the darkness falls around us, awakening to passions, power and purpose to light our days and lives

In the depth and dark of the ocean, creatures grow to sizes we can't imagine, and live seemingly unnoticed, a reminder of the depth of possibilities, even when they cannot be seen

What a blank and empty world without dark to show the many colors of being, moving, growing, connecting and sharing.  That nature calls in colors and styles, flexible and able to grow and thrive within the different winds of dark and night.  Even a small flower can be found standing, after a great storm, and a small butterfly seen with silky wings, flying through harsh winds.

It is not whether it is beautiful or not, it simply is beautiful, it is always a call, a challenge to us, to find the light, to honor the light, in all things.  Even the test's we fail, and when we get something wrong are there for growth, so that next time, we can learn and change and grow.

From the darkness of an egg, a chicken, or was it the chicken, who then went into the darkness of the egg? egg, chicken...chicken, egg, either way from light is dark and dark then light, interconnectedness

Life in general comes from dark.
even our human bodies are born from dark
Rise up light, rise up again move, dance, grow, change, dream, respond, laugh, give, receive, learn, create, honor, imagine, risk, challenge, live......

Darkness faithfully returns

The dark does not have to be feared, afterall, it is only when it is dark, that we can see the stars.