Bending Towards Justice Registration. (Winter Con 2014)

REGISTRATION IS UP!!!

Remember that registration and payment are separate tasks, but they both need to be done.

Registration needs to be done by December 15th
Payment needs to be done before you enter the con space (can be done at the door)

If you are not able to accomplish either of these deadlines, you will be turned away.

Here is the link for registration.

Here's the link address if you need to copy and paste it:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ss7A3N7aotOMN710CmSy5rvioX80d-V7V1a-xnCPRTU/viewform

Remember that there are essentially four methods of payment:
PayPal button.
Check in the mail
Check at the door
Cash at the door

Checks should be made out to "JPD" but should be mailed to:
Suusey Fleeger
304 Timber Ridge Rd.
Marysville, PA 17053

And here is the PayPal button:

Sliding Scale Registration Fees

Minimum $25.00 USD Minimum + $5 $30.00 USD Minimum + $10 $35.00 USD Minimum + $15 $40.00 USD Minimum + $20 $45.00 USD Volunteers - Reduced fee $20.00 USD

We're Excited to see you in January!!!

Sincerely,
The YACPACC

This is an early draft of what a con is.  You can use it and link it if you would like to help explain what a con is to people.  Please also give us notes if you can think of other things we should add.  Written by Rachel Stevenson, Edited by Ben Polson

What is a Con?

When someone in our community talks about a con, we are usually referring to a weekend event, or “conference” held at a UU congregation in our district (JPD).

Young Adult Con's usually involve 50-60 people from various different congregations that give UU Young Adults a chance to network and come together in community with one another to discus issues within the faith and within society.

Many cons have common activities including workshops, worship, and some sort of communal fun event. Workshops can have a wide range of topics from social justice issues to comic book heroes. Worship tends to take the form of a circle worship in a Young Adult community, and the communal event in our district usually takes the form of a Saturday night open stage called a “Coffee House”

Con's can have a plethora of possible topics, but most cons fall under these major categories:

- Social Justice: Our faith and community does not take social justice lightly. At these cons we have workshops which focus on educating our community on some of the major issues concerning social justice and the particular topic we have chosen. Worship tends to ask our community to think about what we can do in our everyday lives to make the world a better place. During our downtime we also tend to be very engaged about thinking critically about the topic at hand, and other related topics, with one another. We consider this a “working con” since we are working towards a better world, and to better ourselves. To be clear though, the idea is to do the work through having fun gathering together.

- Spirituality Development Con (SDC): This is also considered a working con, again with the idea that the work is done through the joy of being together, and doing the work with friends. The workshops focus on how to bring the spiritual practices in which we are interested, into our lives. The worships are concerned with understanding ones self and how one feels connected to that which one wishes to feel connected to. Worships are also more frequent during these cons. Together we tend to have more philosophical discussions, exploring our own spiritual levels, what type of spirituality we prefer, and our relationship with “religion.”

-Leadership Development Con (LDC): This is another working con. Our worships strive to lift us up, so that we may feel proud and empowered to be a leader in our community. Workshops focus on how to be a leader, whether it is in our spiritual community, or the wider community. These cons are a time for our community to be impressed with one another's abilities and inspire, and teach one another how to be leaders, and increase our self confidence.

- Community: This is not a working con. This is a con focused on our connections with one another; A time to remember that although working towards a better world is important, it is also important to simply be in community with one another. Workshops focus on games, music, crafts, and other community building experiences. The worships can varied, from being community led, to recognizing people in our community moving on. These are great cons to go to if it is your first time.

What will happen at a con?

A Typical Con schedule may look like this:

Friday

8-9pm Registration and Welcome – A time to play with one another and get to meet and greet each other.

9-9:30pm Opening Circle – A time to welcome everyone, go over the schedule, re-affirm out covenant.

9:30-10pm Touch Groups/Family Groups – These are small groups that allow members of the community to get to know other YAs from other congregations. Please note that in the 2010s there has not been much training for Family Group leaders, and this practice may look different in the future.

10-11pm Worships

11pm-12am Free time/Lights out

Saturday

7am Wake up!

8am Breakfest

9am Opening Circle - Introduce Morning workshops

9:30-11am Workshop Block One

11am-12pm Lunch

12-1pm Free time

1:30-3pm Workshop Slot Two

3-3:30pm Touch Groups

3:30-5pm ALL CON (an activity setup before hand, where the whole community participates)

5-6pm Dinner

6-7pm Free time

7:30-8:30pm Worship

9-10pm Clean up

10pm Coffee house

11-12pm More Coffee house?/Free time/Lights out

Sunday

7:00am Wake Up

7:30 Clean Up

8:00 Breakfast/Closing Circle

What are these people talking about?

Deans – Usually two people who are the “leaders” of the con. They are the go to people if you need advice or help. They themselves might not have the answer, but they will point you in the direction of the person who will. They help make sure that the con stays on schedule, and that the community is healthy.

JPD – Joseph Priestly District. A Unitarian Universalist district which encompasses the metro Philadelphia and metro Washington DC area.

Mess Kit – Travel supplies to eat food with. Basic flatware that is easy to carry and clean.

UU/Unitarian – a Unitarian Universalist.

UUA – Unitarian Universalist Association. The organization that oversees Unitarian Universalist congregations at a continental level.

VUUYA – Virginia Unitarian Universalist Young Adults. An organizing body which produces Young Adult Cons, and other activities in the Virginia area. Sometimes collaborates with YACPACC (defined below).

Worship Coordinator/Chaplin – a Young Adult Leader in the community who oversees worship and provides spiritual guidance to the community.

YA/UUYA – A Young Adult/A Unitarian Universalist Young Adult. Usually synonymous in a UU context, but not always.

YACPACC – The Young Adult Conference Planning And Coordination Committy. The current organizing body that helps produce Young Adult cons in the JPD.

What should I bring to a con?

Mess kit

Sleeping bag

Poems, Songs, materials for Coffee House

Clothes

Toiletries

Anything else that is specific to the con and in emails you receive about the con.

Meeeeeeeeting notes! (July 2013)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tQWobrBYo8nJUbecLx4lBYyBQY2SIFhMLt2rgoMfhTA/edit

January 2013 minutes

Please contact either AJ Bennett bennett.aj@gmail.com or Ben Polson benpolson.zena@gmail.com if the link does not work

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y3vQXRCM0m1zGNhrzXEBppVaOiS5t7mNgVAr3R5Wcfw/edit

November Minutes

YACPACC November Minutes:

Registration/ice breaker – calmer game but still game.

Orientation – Newbie?  Logistics?  Information yes, less wild and crazy.

Newbie buddy, explain joke/acronym if possible

Food – healthy foods, (snacks) words before meals, numbered tables. Sign up to help clean and set up.  Topic tables

Family group? – work on it for next year.  Lean towards topic table

Coffeee house – keep it up.  Keep split of having an official time followed by sleeping bags.

Workshop Option

Hey everyone!

You all should register!

But also, if you are interested there will be a workshop this con which involves Myers Briggs personality types it would help greatly if you know your type before the con.  Here is a great iPhone app to help:
http://www.personalityapps.com/Personality_Types/Welcome.html

but there are plenty of other ways to figure out your personality type if you do not own a smart phone which is just a google away.

The workshop is optional, so if you are not interested, there is no need to take the test, but it would be good to take it just in case you are interested.

Also please always remember that your results are not a definition of who you are, merely a measure of the way you answer a test at a particular point in time.  It is a tool intended to help you know how you TEND to function.  You do not have to feel like you should always behave a certain way based on your results.

Thank you!

UUmageddon!

UUmageddon is YACPACC's second annual Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Conference! Join us for a weekend of fellowship, worship, learning, and growing. Our conferences consist of spending two consecutive nights sleeping in a church, building for a brief weekend a covenantal community based on UU Principles. We seek to create a space for community among emerging young adults in the Joseph Priestly District, but actively welcome anyone 18 or older!

Here's Registration!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dDVnOW5tcTg4N29wV2dFeUFVSVhRVkE6MA

And Payment:

Sliding Scale Registration Fees

Minimum $30.00 USD Minimum + $5 $35.00 USD Minimum + $10 $40.00 USD Minimum + $15 $45.00 USD Volunteers - Reduced fee $20.00 USD

February Conference Call Minutes Version 2

YACPACC conferene call 2-26-2012, 8pm.

Attendance:

AJ Bennett

Ben Polson

Ben Lighter

Lucy Smith

Taylor Steel

Rachel Stevenson

Kimber Dudley

Kelson Schilling-Scrivo

Paul Gupta

1) Pros/Deltas.

a. To be discussed via email

b. Specific issues to work on/discuss to be put on agenda for future meeting

2) Hosting Opus

a. Are we too new?

b. Good opportunity to network with national level and share resources

c. Ben P likely able to attend OPUS

d. Vote to write proposal to host OPUS 2013, to be presented at OPUS 2012

i. Yea: 4, Nay: 1, Abstentions: 2

3) Workshop at Spring Conference

a. AJ is heading the workshop, any interested in helping will coordinate with him

b. Vote to rubber stamp the project

i. Yea: 7

4) YA Presence at Spring Conference

a. Advertise and encourage YAs to attend JPD spring conference

b. Possibly enlist someone to produce a flyer targeted at YAs

c. Vote to make this a general priority

i. Yea: 7, Nay: 0, Abstentions: 0

5) Charter/Covenant – individuals comments about what is wanted to be included in the covenant

a. Support YA programming and structures at the church and district level.

b. Implement YA training support, networks, and programming

c. Synthesize a diversity of UU YAs into a coherent identity

d. Separate identity from youth cons

e. Provide a faith welcoming and spiritually fulfilling community for those who identity as UU YAs as well as those who may not directly identify

f. Education. Informative and mature workshops

g. Be a catalyst for the creation of YA groups.

6) VUUYA/YACPACC coordination

a. Vote to make Paul official YACPACC advisor/liaison to VUUYA. Not committing to do things, but to maintain communication.

i. Yea: 6, Nay: 0, Abstentions: 0

February Conference Call Minutes Version 1

Sunday, February 26, 2012

YACPACC Conference Call Meeting Minutes

8:02 Roll call and check-in

AJ, Ben L., Ben P., Lucy, Taylor, Rachel, Kimber, Kelson

8:06 Agenda item: Call for additions to Pros/Deltas

No pros/deltas added

Summary of Pros/Deltas

-Official family group training needed

-More/better advertising in the future

-How to include, meet the needs of, and bring together younger and older young adults, former con goers and non-former con-goers, etc.

-Explanation of Robert’s Rules needed

-Use a different icebreaker activity than All My Friends and Neighbors or provide an alternative

-Orientation needs to be worked on

-Exclusivity of hookah

8:12 Paul enters. (Hello Paul!)

8:14 Ben P. moves to save certain pros/deltas for email discussion.

8:16 Rachel mentions that little discussion has occurred via email thus far.

8:17 Ben P. notes that this is likely due to us waiting for this conference call to begin discussion. If sufficient discussion does not occur via email now, it will be an agenda item next conference call.

8:17 Lucy seconds the motion.

8:19 Vote taken. All yays, no abstentions. Motion passes.

8:20 Ben P. suggests Google groups as a less cluttered means of communication than email.

8:21 Agenda item: Possibility of hosting Opus in 2013

8:23 Ben L. moves to table discussion.

Motion dies.

8:25 Representative(s) should be sent to Opus 2012.

8:26 JPD willing to sponsor someone(s?) to go to Opus?

8:27 Ben L. mentions potential awkwardness of us hosting Opus when none of us have ever been a part of it previously.

8:27 Ben P. mentions that the group hosting it this year is in a similar position.

8:29 Rachel notes Opus as a good opportunity for advertising and making our presence known.

8:30 *6 can be used to mute/unmute in call.

8:34 Proposal due by this summer, motion for us to host it will be made at Opus 2012.

8:35 Ben P. as possible representative or one of the representatives.

8:37 AJ moves to work on a proposal to host Opus 2013.

8:37 Ben P. seconds.

8:37 Informal decision that co-chairs should not be allowed to second each other.

8:38 Paul seconds.

8:39 Vote taken. Four yays, one nay (Ben. L.), two abstentions (Lucy and ?). Motion passes.

8:39 Pros/deltas should still be focus of email discussion.

8:39 Agenda item: JPD Annual Assembly Workshop

Building Intentional Community, youth and young adult perspectives, panel discussion format.

AJ moves to lead the workshop as YACPACC rather than as himself.

8:42 Workshop proposal would have been good to have and read before conference call, will be sent out via email soon.

8:43 Paul moves to send out proposal and vote next conference call.

Motion seconded by ?.

8:44 AJ asks to vote this conference call due to time considerations as the JPD Annual Assembly is in April and voting on this next month would only leave one month before the JPD Annual Assembly

8:44 Paul drops previous motion and moves to vote this conference call and review next conference call.

8:44 Ben P. seconds.

8:48 All yays. Motion passes.

8:49 Agenda item: YA presence at JPD Annual Assembly.

Encourage YAs to attend.

Youth con community will likely not be at the JPD Annual Assembly. Bridging will be done at summer con. Opportunity for YAs to help in bridging?

8:52 AJ asks for YACPACC to put advertising toward the JPD Annual Assembly.

8:52 Ben P. asks to switch charter covenant to next item.

We will.

8:56 AJ offers to host people for JPD Annual Conference.

8:57 Young adult registration for entire conference is $100. Panelists just coming to panel do not need to register/pay.

9:01 AJ suggests making a young adult-specific flyer for the JPD Annual Assembly.

9:03 Ben P. moves to ask artsy members of our community, especially Keen Supporters to create flyer.

9:03 Lucy seconds.

9:05 Vote taken. All yays. Motion passes. AJ and Ben P. to head this.

9:05 Agenda item: Charter convenant discussion.

Bylaws not the focus right now, more on creating a succinct covenant to bring us together and guide us.

Covenant structure/skeleton?

Rachel: Supporting and implementing YA programming in our congregations and communities.

Paul: Young adult training, support networks, programming with focus on the JPD.

AJ: Diversity, bring together opt-in, opt-out, former con-goers and non, raised UU, etc. and to come out of it with stronger UU identity, helping sub-categories to synthesize and integrate and to become a more complete whole.

Kimber: Establish ourselves as a separate entity from youth cons and youth community.

Ben P. Providing a faith welcoming and spiritually fulfilling community intended for UUs, but also for keen supporters.

Lucy: Echoes Ben P. in making our community a spiritual home for young adults and also providing educational opportunities.

Taylor: Wants us to be a catalyst for other young adult programming and help in communication.

Kelson: (I didn’t quite catch what you said, please add it again in the emails!)

9:20 Paul moves to go over summary of these statements via email and to have a proposed covenant for next conference call.

9:21 Ben P. mentions that we may need more time to creating a proposal for a covenant.

9:21 Paul takes back motion.

9:22. AJ asks to move off this topic.

We do.

9:22 Ben L. disappeared at some point due to phone trouble. We will get his covenant ideas via email.

9:23 Agenda item: Working with VUUYA on Memorial Day Weekend Event with focus on anti-bullying.

9:32 AJ moves to make Paul an official advisor to VUUYA.

9:33 Ben P. seconds.

9:36 Vote taken. Yays, one abstention (Paul). Motion passes.

9:37 Paul calls for agenda items for next conference call.

Taylor asks for an official website.

Paul mentions Andrew is doing this.

9:39 AJ exits. (Bye AJ!)

9:39 Ben takes over for the scheduling agenda item.

9:42 Lucy asks for minutes, power dynamics, energy breaks to be added to the agenda items.

9:44 Kimber asks for preliminary conference planning and workshop ideas.

9:45 Paul suggests Doodle poll for scheduling.

We will do this.

9:46 Lucy asks Paul for summary of VUUYA activity thus far.

Paul mentions that AJ is the person to ask for this and a summary will come soon.

9:49 Ben P. reminds that email discussion focus should be on pros/deltas and covenant.

9:49 Lucy mentions that we should check out other UU covenants as examples for our own.

9:50 Personal chitchat.

9:52 Meeting adjourned.

We're Official.

This last weekend the YACPACC held it's first event ever and I personally believe it was a great success! Workshops were held, discussions were had, and I had a great time attending it.

This Young Adult Conference has been in our minds for a few years now, and I'm incredibly delighted at the larger-than-expected turnout at the event, who knew that after all this time of pondering, wishing, and waiting that we'd get an event put together so quickly, mostly through email and phone conferences!?

Additionally, the YACPACC now has members that were voted in for a one-year term, they include:

Two Co-Chairs:

AJ Bennett
Ben Polson

& 8 At-Large members:

Tracy Abner
Kimber Dudley
Paul Gupta
Ben Lighter
Kelson Shilling-Scrivo
Lucy Smith
Taylor Steel
Rachel Stevenson

I feel as though we're all super inspired and charged to begin work immediately on this work of Young Adult ministry and fostering a spiritual Young Adult community within the JPD.

Please feel encouraged to visit http://yacpacc.blogspot.org for information involving future events, meetings, and any other announcements that we have to share with the community at large. Also, if you're feeling generous, please spread the word to any Young Adult UU's and particularly to any Youth and Young Adult Coordinators that you know that reside in the JPD that we're officially here now!

Paul Gupta

New Blog For A New Committee!

This blog will be used as the sole official source of announcements of the YACPACC.

We encourage you to follow our posts by email so you don't accidentally miss out on the news. This will serve as an alternative an alternative to a traditional mailing list.

Paul Gupta