Our Navigators program has officially turned one year old in pandemic years. Meaning, the last year has been long and we have been meeting online and don’t have an official birthday… However, we have more than a year of meetings achieved. Without our youth participants, the Children’s Ministry, and many volunteers from within our congregation, this would not be possible, and we want to say thank you to everyone that has attended and presented at our Navigators meetings!
Recent Meetings
For the month of November, our group held two meetings. Our first was focused on topographic maps and the second was focused on Environmental Justice. It was great to have the ability to host two meetings in November. Our December meeting was focused on “Mutual Aid”.
Environmental Justice
Our second meeting of November was a fun video watching/information session on youth within the Environmental Justice movement. At the center of our group’s core we hold many values; Environmental Justice could be one possible umbrella term for the overarching goals of our group. Meaning, as a scouting group, it is through a lens of Environmental Justice that we attempt to view our topics. We strive to assist our members in not merely meeting up online for outdoor scouting topics but also sharing an analysis of UU values for the planet and all its inhabitants as we meet.
During our November Environmental Justice meeting, we shared three different videos from international youth climate activists that spoke at the recent “Youth4Climate” conference. The activists shared their own unique struggles for existence in a world facing rapid climate change. Below are the video resources from the Youth4Climate conference. You can watch them as a group or by yourself and do your own reflection on environmental justice too!
- 24-year-old Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaking before the 2021 Youth for Climate Summit from Democracy Now
- Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, youth poet and climate activist from the Marshall Islands
You can start the video at 32 minutes and 41 seconds.
Mutual Aid
Our December meeting was focused on Mutual Aid. We discussed how communities come together to support each other in times of need. We began by identifying how to locate an existing Mutual Aid group. We also elaborated on the topic by sharing how to start your own pod to provide Mutual Aid to others.
One of the more unique aspects to this month’s meeting was providing members of the group an opportunity to reflect on ways they have helped others and what feelings those opportunities gave us.
The following resources provide information related to Mutual Aid:
- Mutual Aid Hub (www.mutualaidhub.org) provides a map of different Mutual Aid groups within the United States
- UU Mass Action (www.uumassaction.org) provides resources pertaining to starting your own mutual aid group or a pod with community members
2022 Meetings
We look forward to seeing you next year at our meetings on the second Monday of each month. We currently have the following meetings planned:
- January 10 at 6pm – Camping
- February 14 at 6pm – Geology
- March 14 at 6pm – Wilderness First Aid, Safety & Survival
You can subscribe to UUCP’s weekly newsletter, Compass, to make sure that you don’t miss out on any announcements!