Getting children involved early in social justice work can set a pattern for them for the rest of their lives. At Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, Colo., member Joyce McLaren has started the Living Our Values (LOV) program. About once a month children up through middle school age come to church with their parents sometime during the week, other than on Sunday morning. Activities this year have included making blankets for a home for teenagers, visiting a retirement center to put on a talent show, a trip to an organic farm, and helping collect school supplies.

Each activity has an orientation and a debriefing. Before the retirement home trip the kids learned from aging specialists how to talk to someone who doesn’t hear or see well. Said McLaren, “The kids’ goal was to make that person feel warm and loved because they don’t get very many visitors. And the kids really got it! They can’t wait to go back and see their elders again.”

More information about Living Our Values is in JUC’s newsletter. Look for Kids Practice Living Their Values, July 3, 2012.

About the Author

Don Skinner

Don Skinner is editor of InterConnections and a member of the Shawnee Mission UU Church in Lenexa, Kansas.

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