Or to put it another way,

  
                          The  7 Principles  of  
                       Unitarian Universalism
       As We Teach Them to Younger Children


      1.   We believe that each and every person is important.
      2.   We believe that all people should be treated fairly.
      3.   We believe that our congregations are places
            where all people are accepted, and where we keep
            on learning together.
      4.   We believe that each person must be free to search
            for what is true and right in life.
      5.   We believe that all people should have a voice and a
            vote about the things that concern them.
      6.   We believe that we should work for a peaceful, fair,
           and free world.
      7.   We believe that we should care for our planet Earth.

Used with permission.

Of course, our idea of what "Traditional Family Values" means is a little different. 
We begin by respecting ALL the different kinds of families.

What Can Unitarian Universalists 
Teach Pagans about Religious Education 
for Children?
Two centuries of learning to work together without imposing a creed has taught Unitarians much about building community among "rugged individualists."  The quotation below is the single most definitive statement of what UUism values in programs for children.

         It Matters What We Believe

Some beliefs are like walled gardens. They encourage exclusiveness, and the feeling of being specially privileged. Other beliefs are expansive and lead the way into wider and deeper sympathies. 

Some beliefs are like shadows, darkening children's days with fears of unknown calamities. Other beliefs are like sunshine, blessing children with the warmth of happiness. 

Some beliefs are divisive, separating the saved from the unsaved, friends from enemies. Other beliefs are bonds in a universal brotherhood, where sincere differences beautify the pattern. 

Some beliefs are like blinders, shutting off the power to choose one's own direction. Other beliefs are like gateways opening wide vistas for exploration.

Some beliefs weaken a person's selfhood. The blight the growth of resourcefulness. Other beliefs nurture self-confidence and enrich the feeling of personal worth. 

Some beliefs are rigid, like the body of death, impotent in a changing world. Other beliefs are pliable, like the young sapling, ever growing with the upward thrust of life.

                                                                          ----Sophia Lyon Fahs
                                                                          Unitarian Universalist Educator
 

So what kinds of programs 
does CUUPS Kids offer?

Kids learn by watching what adults do, but mostly by doing things themselves and discovering what happens. This is what we do:  

Material Plane Issues

Who makes decisions at CUUPS?
Unitarian Universalism upholds the Aquarian principle of participatory democracy; this means that power-with belongs to those who participate.  A congregation or (for that matter a CUUPS chapter) is owned and "ruled" by its Membership, which may choose to delegate areas of responsibility or enter into covenant with other groups or with staff. "Congregational Polity" is sacred for UUs; it means that the power, ownership, responsibility, and decision-making take place in the local face to face community.  Each UU congregation is also independent financially, though endowments of the past and the generosity of present members afford support to some projects as directed by the General Assembly of member congregations each year. Only congregations have the power to ordain and elect UU ministers.

In practice, the smaller decisions are made by the folks who are doing the work; otherwise, everyone would spend all our time in meetings. The more important the decision, the more folks affected, the broader -- and slower -- the decision-making process should be.

The ultimate decision-making power is held by the membership which gathers to discuss options and vote. Small groups and committees such as Kids plan their own programs and make decisions democratically within their own circle, so long as the decisions made do not violate policies set by the Chapter Membership or its Board.  

Children are also empowered to make choices and vote among alternatives in our programs.

In CUUPS-Twin Cities, leadership means empowering one another through collaboration and providing resources. Everyone has some skill or talent which can make a unique contribution; everyone has a need to learn. As a UU organization, our goal is to generate a leader-full community by coordinating volunteers, mentoring, and resource banks.

Collaboration increases the tools an individual can have to realize a dream, but it also means that we are committed to the welfare of the whole organization and that need to communicate with one another and be accountable to one another as providers of those resources and sharers of a dream.

The CUUPS-Twin Cities Board is responsible for the use of UU facilities and CUUPS-Twin Cities' reputation, and so has the right to regular reports from the CUUPS Kids Parents group and may make some policy decisions. For example, all programs sponsored by CUUPS must be in harmony with the purposes and principles of Unitarian Universalism and the purposes of CUUPS, Inc. Groups sponsored by CUUPS are required to report their activities to the Board and planned events to the newsletter editor in a timely manner. They are also expected to report in writing to the Chapter Membership on a quarterly basis. The members of CUUPS Twin Cities elect the Chirldren's services committee chair, who is a CUUPS TwinCities Board member.

Who does the work? 
That's up to the parents, too. To ensure a safe, enjoyable, and sustainable program, we want to have a minimum of 2 adults or older teens with children at all times. The options are:

----> all parent volunteers;  two (non-Pagan?) parents would have to sit out of the adult rituals if we
        were to provide child care without paying someone;

----> volunteers supported by a part-time paid staff person to provide continuity and professional
        administration, with funds to be raised at least in part by the parent group; 

----> paid staff only to provide child-care and programming during adult events. 

Costs?
CUUPS-Twin Cities programs do not generally have to pay for space at this time. That means that costs are limited to: 

supplies for crafts, art, or other activities;

food and paper goods (we run plastic flatware through a dishwasher and re-use it);

fees for field trips.

Eventually, it would be fair, appropriate, and advantageous to parents if we could provide mileage, parking, and training expenses for volunteers, particularly for those with professional skills.

How Can This Be Paid For? 
The parents group decides. 

The logical options are:

---->Fee for service per child

---->Fee for service per family

---->Sliding scale fees

---->Request voluntary contributions to fund need-based scholarships.

---->Limit activities to those the kids can raise money to pay for.
       This would divert time and energy from other programs they might pursue.

---->Rely on whatever donations happen to come in, presuming that some families will cover losses. If
       our program is to be supported on a free will donation basis, we will have to face the fact that
       some parents can't (and some parents won't) cover their share of the costs. To date, most
       collections CUUPS takes at the seasonal rituals do NOT cover the cost of presenting the events,
       much less provide for additional programs

To build sustainability into the Kids program, we should collect enough money in the Kids account to cover the costs of the NEXT event. Until we can do that, each event will have to be sponsored by one or more parents willing to guarantee whatever loss an event might generate.

The Magickal Child: 
A Chat About Magick with Christa

       "It is our choices, Harry, 
        that show what we truly are,
        far more than our abilities."

          Harry Potter and the Chamber of   Secrets,   
                                 -----Professor Dumbledore

Dear Student of the Magickal Arts,

A Pagan kid asked me what it's like to go to a UU Sunday school.  He was afraid because he didn't like his visit to one of his friend's Sunday schools.  They made him feel bad because he was different, and "Christian soldiers" seemed pretty scary to him. He was glad they didn't know what he really believed.

Pagan kids aren't the only ones who get picked on by "prayer bullies" for being different. Some Christians say UUism is a cult because UUs don't have to believe in the creed most Christians share. Instead, UUs believe that everyone has to make up their own minds, and that all of us have just a part of the truth. That's scary to people who think that everyone should believe in their creed. 

What are Unitarian Universalist Sunday schools like?

Imagine a Sunday school where no one believes in hell. 

Imagine a Sunday school where you don't memorize someone else's ideas!  

What happens instead? UU kids explore the world's religions and questions people have always wondered about. They learn how good people can make the world better, about caring for the Earth.  They share the good things and bad things that happen in their lives. And they play and sing and do art and make things and go on trips. Instead of being Christian soldiers, UU kids are explorers. And UU kids are friendly to Pagan kids, because no one teaches them to hate and fear people who are different..

There are UU Pagans and UU Christians and UU Buddhists; about half of all UUs call themselves Humanists, which means that ideas about God aren't important to their spirituality.  Each UU congregation has lots of folks who think differently and so we all learn to be politely curious about everyone's beliefs and then to make up our own minds. We learn that people with different beliefs can still care about the Earth and each other and have fun together and work together for a more fair and happy world.   This means that UU congregations are safe places for everyone to be who themselves, and you can ask ANY question. 

It makes me sad to know that the rest of the world isn't always like that.

I know that being the child of a Pagan parent is sometimes hard because other kids -- and other adults -- can't be expected to understand what our religion is really about. They are often afraid because they have been taught to be afraid in their own churches. And when people are afraid, they can be very mean and unfair.  (That's why I want Pagan kids to be able to make friends with other Pagan kids. And that's why I am working hard to help make groups for Pagan kids to have fun together. There are articles about that in the CUUPS KIDS section of our monthly e-zine.)

So I know that being a Pagan kid can be hard sometimes; but being the child of a Pagan parent is often wonderful, because Pagans treasure the beauty and wonder and mystery of the world, and keep the powers of  imagination and playfulness all their lives. AND ... if you want, you can do what other kids can only wonder about.  YOU can go to Pagan rituals.

But being able to go to a ritual is a very special privilege.  Not everyone is ready.

Some Pagan groups don't allow children at all; others only allow children over 13. In the past 30 years, I have done ritual with a 3 year old girl who was WONDERFULLY attentive and respectful of  ritual and was part of our otherwise adult circle. She was FULL of Magick. I have also known adults who did not show love or respect and wrecked the Magick for everyone.  CUUPS Twin Cities wants to welcome everyone who is REALLY ready, but there are 3 things we can't let happen.

1. We don't want anyone in the circle unless that's where YOU choose to be.  That is one way we respect children. We know that some kinds of rituals can be boring for some kids, so we also make  special rituals planned just for children. Since some parents can only come to the ritual if we offer childcare, we're also going to try to pay some folks to open up the game room so you can play games, draw, read, or hang out instead of attending the ritual, and then you can join us for the "party" afterwards. 

2. Only folks who can respect ritual have a right to be at one. Our rituals are very important; they are sacred. That means, we all need to pay attention so we can feel the magick and help it to grow. We leave mean and angry thoughts outside the circle and come to bring blessings to the world. We don't touch holy things on the altars without asking. We don't leave the circle once it is cast unless we are sick or hurt, because we don't want the magick to leak out.. 

3. Everyone in the circle needs to respect the needs of the other folks. At Imbolc, it made me very sad when a deaf person couldn't see the signer's hands because children were standing in front of her, even when we asked them not to. We need to remember to be gentle when we dance so we don't hurt someone's hands by squeezing them too hard or pulling on them. We don't leave things on the floor where a partially blind man might trip on them. We watch out for the person on crutches, so he has plenty of room and doesn't trip and fall down. 

It is by paying loving attention to each other and the ritual that we make magick and help it to grow. 

I hope that you will be partners with me and all the adults in making CUUPS a wonderful place for everyone, inside and outside the circle.

Your magickal friend,

Christa
Rev. Christa Landon

BOOKS   for   Pagan  Kids
has grown so large that it now has its own page!
Go to: http://www.paganinstitute.org/c-kids_bibliography.html

Updated June 29, 2005