Young adults and justice
Welcome to the Young Adults Justice Page, a source for information about social justice issues and action/advocacy opportunities for young adults as well as feedback from UCC young adults participating in such issues across the globe. This site is meant to focus on issues of pressing concern for young adults and is by no means exhaustive. Please explore the main pages (this link needs to be updated) for UCC justice work for more information on the many concerns and programs of the United Church of Christ's Justice and Witness Ministries, and other UCC Covenanted Ministries and ecumenical partners.
Scope this opportunity!
[From the website:]
Ecumenical Advocacy Days is a movement of the ecumenical Christian community, and its recognized partners and allies, grounded in biblical witness and our shared traditions of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Our goal, through worship, theological reflection and opportunities for learning and witness, is to strengthen our Christian voice and to mobilize for advocacy on a wide variety of U.S. domestic and international policy issues.
Young Adults
This year's Ecumenical Advocacy Days has again prioritized bringing young adults, students and seminarians together to strengthen the progressive religious movement! Last year over 250 young adults attended and we expect even more in 2007. This event is designed to educate and empower grassroots religious advocates to speak out to their political leaders on policies that impact our world. This year we are focusing on our world's most vulnerable population…CHILDREN! There will be special times in the schedule for education, advocacy training, theological reflection, ecumenical engagement, and young adult fellowship and networking.
And be sure to check out scholarship information, the EAD Facebook group, and more!
Equality Rides for LGBT Rights!
Read what UCC young adult seminarian Kayla Bonewell has written about the Equality Rides, part of the movement for LGBT rights.
From her paper:
I believe the youth and young adult LGBT equality movement, headed by Soulforce, centering on the Equality Ride, will one day be recounted in the one or two paragraphs allocated in future history books about the "LGBT Equal Rights Movement."…I am proud to say that I was a part of this experience. I am also proud of the influence the UCC has had on me, and other Equality Riders. My intention is to document the ways the UCC has been involved in this momentous turning of history for the legacy of our denomination.
Young adults witnessing for justice!
Jan Lukas Moëller: German conscientious objector from the military, serving community service by interning with the Cleveland-Based Team!
Sara Critchfield: intern in Washington, DC, with the Public Life and Social Policy Team, empowering young adults!
Aisha Howard: administrative assistant with the Cleveland-Based Team and keen analyst of justice issues in society!
These three young members of Justice & Witness Ministries break it down in issues #301-303 of Witness for Justice, (this link needs to be updated) JWM's weekly analysis of what's going on.
Not Enough Space!
Such powerful, moving visual art—born of confinement and oppression! Let the reflections of young adults Rev. Talia Raymond, of the UCC Florida Conference, and Sarah Cruz, of Rural Migrant Ministry in New York State, guide you through the experience of the Not Enough Space art exhibit, featuring the works of Puerto Rican political prisoners Oscar Lopez Rivera and Carlos Alberto Torres.
Economic Justice Young Adult Team: defending workers rights!
Underpaid farm workers with deplorable living conditions…dangerous working environments in a meat packing facilities, with no union representation…intimidation and violence against organizers…
How can young adults combat such unjust situations? Read the Economic Justice Young Adult Team Report about a group of UCC and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) young people who came together at Franklinton Center at Bricks to learned about workers rights. As they share their experiences, think about how you might organize a similar group! Then, check out the UCC's page on the Smithfield situation (this link needs to be updated) for more information, downloads to use and ideas for action!
STEP reviews!
Members of the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP) are doing some very useful reviews on printed and audio-visual material that young adults can use for "socially oriented discussion." Check them out, and think about using them with your groups.
Young Adult Ecumenical Forum: Reflections on Globalization and Violence
Check out the reflections of Ursula McClure, member of City of Refuge UCC, San Francisco, on her participation in the Young Adult Ecumenical Forum 2006.
Get ready to participate in the Young Adult Ecumenical Forum 2007 on Environmental Justice!
Check out the reflections by Topher Nichols, of the Southern California/Nevada Conference, UCC, on the 2005 event focusing on economic globalization!
Young People of the World Coming Together!
Check out the reflections of four UCC young adults who attended the World Council of Churches 9th Assembly , in Porto Alegre, Brazil, February 2006. How do you resonate with their experiences? How do we better ally with our global sisters and brothers to learn from each other and transform society? How can your congregation, group, etc. plan to participate in global events? Contact Ken to share thoughts or to get in touch with Ahney, April, Elena or Malcolm!
WCC Assembly website
If you haven't joined up, you're missing out on good info. and advocacy! From the website:
"The UCC Justice and Peace Action Network both educates and engages its members in shaping public policy in keeping with God's vision of a just and loving society. Our work is grounded in General Synod resolutions, consonant with historic UCC witness, and formed by a biblical understanding of prophetic ministry. JPANet collectively advocates around a variety of issues relating to: Civil and Human Rights, Economic Justice, Global Concerns, Integrity of Creation, Peacemaking, Racial Justice."
New Peace with Justice resource!
There's a new resource available to help you mobilize folk for peace - Another World is Possible: Building a peace with justice movement in the United Church of Christ (this link needs to be updated). Justice and Witness Ministries has produced this resource guide for local congregations interested in ministries of advocacy on peace with justice issues. It offers a framework for understanding how a multi-issue movement can empower our denomination and its churches.
Environmental Justice!
What is the intersection of racism and environment? What happens when waste and toxic materials are deliberately dumped into communities of color? What happens when water is made inaccessible? How do we do justice against environmental racism? Click here "Environmental Justice Young Adult Team" to find out how a group of young adults examined this, and have been transformed to fight it!
Young Adults taking leadership in "Transformative Justice" and overcoming racism!
Young adults are a part of the Encounter to Overcome Racism Today team of the World Council of Churches' Justice, Peace and Creation Team. The multiracial/multicultural group, representing justice offices of ecclesiastical groups from around the world, gathered at the WCC offices in Geneva, Switzerland, in Oct. 2004.
The group was inter-generational, and the leadership of a number of young people was evident. One of those young persons was Amritha Perumalla, a member of the Church of South India (a partner church of the United Church of Christ and Christian Church [Disciples of Christ]) and a recent graduate of Ohio Wesleyan College. Amritha interned with the Public Life and Social Policy Team (in Washington, DC) of Justice & Witness Ministries, working on voter mobilization. You can read her report on the WCC gathering here "Report from Amritha: II Encounter on Overcoming Racism"
Additionally, check out her meeting presentation "Encounter Youth Paper – Perumalla"
Check this site soon for other presentations from young people involved in the Encounter. To find out more, click here "Transformative Justice"
Previous topics
Young Adult Justice Preacher!
Claudia De la Cruz, Latina human rights advocate, seminarian, officer of the Council for Hispanic Ministries and member of CYYAM, gave an awesome sermon at General Synod 25!
Read "Come, Listen and Go Sow Liberation!"
Mobilize against the SOA!
Shut down the School of the Americas/WHISC! Help work for the closing of U.S. military installation in Georgia where insurgents are trained to torture and to destabilize in Latin America, in support of U.S. government and economic interests. Find out more.
Check out the thoughts of Jasmine Hamilton-Wray, a young adult UCC member who demonstrated against the SOA in November, 2005.
Taco Bell Boycott (both these links need to be updated)
Racist mascots
What do you think? Want to share your opinion on this issue? Or, do you want to suggest an issue to be featured on this website in the future? Email us at brownk@ucc.org.
Act Up! Want to get involved in an issue? Click here (this link needs to be updated) for the young adults calendar, which includes upcoming events, conferences and other action opportunities or just ask Ken at brownk@ucc.org.
Get Something Started.
Looking to get involved in action on an issue you think is important? Click 
here for a basic how-to guide for mobilizing yourself or a group on important issues within your community.
Justice and Peace Action Network/UCC
Take Action Join JPAN and get hooked up with all the important information on issues in your area or in your field of interest. Click here for up-to-the-minute info. on current issues and to contact your elected representatives or local newspapers to express your views in a few easy clicks!
Links! (this link needs to be updated)
Featured Links:
Every Church a Peace Church
[From the website:]
"The vision of Every Church A Peace Church is the formation of new peace churches and the transformation of war-justifying churches into peace churches, so that the world will be turned toward peace as churches live and teach as Jesus lived and taught."
Note from KB: Rev. Diane Ford Jones, former Min. for Mission Education and Interpretation of the UCC's Justice & Witness Ministries, is the new ECAPC National Director!
Democracy Now!
[From the website:]
"Democracy Now!'s War and Peace Report provides our audience with access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S. corporate-sponsored media, including independent and international journalists, ordinary people from around the world who are directly affected by U.S. foreign policy, grassroots leaders and peace activists, artists, academics and independent analysts. In addition, the War and Peace Report hosts real debates - debates between people who substantially disagree, such as between the White House or the Pentagon spokespeople on the one hand, and grassroots activists on the other."
Note from KB: See if your area carries it on TV, stream it from the web, or check the articles on the site. It's a breath of fresh air in new reporting!
