Gen X, Y and Z, Boomers and Zoomers – We’ve got it all and we love to have programs that encourage people to get to know each other across the generations.

In our urban setting, you may be lucky enough to have family nearby or live in a neighbourhood or multi-family residence where you have interactions across the generations but many do not.

Vancouver Unitarians provide structured (and informal) ways to get to know folx of a different generation, whether you’d like to learn more about what it’s like growing up as a pre-teen or wish your kids had local grandparents who cared about your kids’ spiritual and ethical development. Here are a couple of our programs.

Mystery Pals

Once a year kids are matched up with older youth or adults and exchange pen pal style letters for several weeks. Over time they might begin to guess each other’s identity but they use a code name of a famous Unitarian or Unitarian Universalist. At the reveal party they meet up in person (or via zoom).

Some connections are the beginning of a longer term connection; other times, it’s a fun month of connecting and it stays like that.

Learn about this year’s program here: Mystery Pals 2021

This year the secret code names are of UCV Ancestors. If you’re curious about the ancestors we’re using, click on any of these.

Phillip Hewett Wolfgang Gerson  Barb Taylor  Mark Brunke Margaret Laurence Dorothy Livesay Clive Justice  Clare Buckland  Art Hughes Ada Tonkin Joy Coghill William Houff

We’re offering ATC (Artist Trading Card) materials and suggestions to assist the pairs create interesting snail mail:

Kids ATC Info Sheet 

We will also create and trade ATCs at the Reveal Party – date and format to be announced.

Coming of Age

Now and again we coordinate a program for “tweens” to partner with a mentor. They meet as a pair once a month and as part of the larger group over a year period. Some suggestions for exploring religious, ethical and spiritual themes are offered. As well, they usually learn from each other and have some fun together. Both age groups are asked in advance what they are looking for in a partner, and then they’re matched up according to interests and goals.

Messy Church

In the before times, we hosted a monthly potluck dinner with everyone welcome. When we are able to use the hall, kids would kind of take it over and we like that. It’s their opportunity to claim the space as theirs. It’s a rather noisy, bustling place and that’s the way we feel it should be. We may plan zoom dinners if that looks like the safest approach.

Zoom Coffee Hour All Ages/Family Chat

Kid-centred conversations are part of coffee hour on Sundays occasionally.

We often do a show-and-tell of what we’ve been up to that week.

Pretty informal: often the kids share art they’ve worked on, a book they’re reading or share a story about going to a park or event that week. The adults are there to encourage and listen–not teach!

If your family is participating in the Chalice Home program, we’d love to see what you have on your altar that week. Contact Kiersten if you’d like to receive the package for this month.

Resources for Families

If you would like to receive the Soul Matters Chalice Home packets supporting creating a
home altar and guidance on monthly home worship around our themes please fill out this Breeze
form: https://ucv.im/themes-home or contact Kiersten Moore, families@vancouverunitarians.ca