Purpose
The purpose of the teen discussion group is to explore, investigate,
and share ideas and things that are happening in the teens’ lives and
in the world. We accomplish this purpose primarily through discussion
and/or debate, using a liberal format generally based on the Socratic
method of asking questions.
Mission
The mission of the teen discussion group is to encourage development
of critical thinking skills while being considerate of and sensitive to
other viewpoints and ideas.
Methods
The methods used include facilitated discussions and debates,
experiments, guest speakers, field trips, and service projects.
Meetings/ Format
The teen group meets every first and third Sunday of every month,
from 11:00- 12:00, in one of the RE rooms in the sanctuary building.
The meetings generally start with a brain teaser type problem or
puzzle, then proceed to a short discussion of things that are happening
in the news. At this point, a short instruction might take place on some
aspect of critical thinking skills. After that, the floor is open to
debate and sharing. At the end, the teens relate something good that
happened to them during the previous week.
Please note that this group is not a religious education class, nor
do we follow any curriculum. What we do follow are the 7 principles of
Unitarianism/ Universalism, especially:
- the inherent worth and dignity of every person and
- a free and responsible search for meaning and truth
