As part of the application
process for the UU College of Social Justice's Activate youth justice training
programs (as well as for youth and young adult leadership opportunities at General Assembly), we require youth to ask a trusted adult to serve as a personal
reference for them. If the youth is a member of a UU or other religious congregation,
we request that this reference be a religious leader; if not, then we request a
(non-relative) adult who can speak to the applicant’s personality and
leadership experiences. If you are filling out this form, then you are that
person in this youth’s life — thank you!
UUCSJ’s Activate programs are
one-week trips open to high school-aged youth who want to dive into
justice work, though a combination of service work and group
education. Prior experience in social justice work is not necessary, but
we want all participants to be prepared to tackle some difficult
questions about inequality, our own identities, and social change.
We’ll also think about how to be spiritually grounded advocates for
justice. Our youth and young adult leadership opportunities at GA do require some background in social justice work, as well as flexibility and enthusiasm for learning.
These programs are designed
to be dynamic, educational, supportive, empowering, and (of course!) fun.
Our staff and volunteers will support the youth throughout their program,
but everyone will have the best experience if each participant truly
comes with open mind, ready to learn.
Your reference us allows us
to get to know each applicant better, so we can ensure that Activate is a good
fit for them, and that during the program we can support them to the best of
our ability. Please be aware that applications cannot be processed until this
reference form has been successfully submitted. Thank you in advance for your
honest and thoughtful responses.