“The Journey to Adulthood” is our youth program. The intent of this program is to balance both serious and playful activities to nurture the whole person during the challenging passage from childhood to adulthood. The youth are reminded of the ever-present love and grace of God. Based on the premise that “personhood” is a gift from God and that the passage to adulthood is shared in community, our youth gather for in-depth exploration of self, spirituality, sexuality, and society. Presently, we have about 15 youth involved in the two following programs.
Rite 13 is a two-year program for 11 to 12 year olds that focuses on important questions as the youth enter the teenage years. New participants are welcomed at any time.
We have three leaders who have been offering leadership.
J2A is a two-year program for 13 to 16 year olds that focuses on questions about what it means to become an adult. The program culminates with a 7 to 10 day pilgrimage. New participants are welcomed prior to the finalization of the pilgrimage.
The vision of the youth programming is based on a premise that adulthood is a free gift from God and that the passage to adulthood is shared in community. Within our programs, the youth gather for in-depth exploration of self, spirituality, sexuality, and society that...
- Provides a liturgical framework for the teenage life in modern culture.
- Celebrates youth individuality and creative potential.
- Offers training in some basic life skills needed for adult living and interaction.
More about the Journey to Adulthood Program
The program is based on three two-year stages, for a total of six years. However, new youth are welcome at any step along the way.
Rite-13 (approx grades 6 to 8) is the first stage of the Journey to Adulthood program. The key element in Rite-13 is celebrating the “rite of passage” as these youth become teenagers. This ritual is a way for the entire congregation to celebrate the unique gifts and abilities of our youth. Through regular Sunday programming and some mid-week activities, these youth develop into a strong cohesive group.
J2A or Journey to Adulthood (approx. grades 8 to 10) is the second stage of the program. This level focuses on developing six basic skills for adulthood (which are active listening, negotiation, assertion, research & information management, partnership, leadership). These skills are learned by developing a strong sense of community and adapting different methods of Scripture reading, prayer, and community building. A pilgrimage will be the culmination of the two years for this group. In 2008, the pilgrimage was to Sedona, Arizona; in 2010, the pilgrimage was to San Francisco, California; in 2013, another J2A group went on pilgrimage to Alaska; and in 2018, the pilgrimage was to Ireland. And in July 2022, the group went to Vancouver, B.C!
For more information, please email: nikki@firstunitedchurchottawa.org