Parental Engagement

The UUG does not tell your child what to believe.  Rather, we encourage kids to explore values and develop their personal moral structure and spiritual path.   As each of us UUs approaches matters of spirituality differently, the starting point of our youth program is providing an open-minded view of the world's religions and teaching appreciation for each spiritual or humanistic path.  

We welcome you to engage through the Parents for Compassionate Kids Group, investing as little or much time as you have in our joint project of empowering our kids morally and spiritually.  Have a say in selecting lessons during our monthly gatherings and/or coming up with fun and instructive community activities and social service events for the kids.  Sign up below!

If your kids are still small (age 0-4), please note that we offer a nursery service during our monthly meetings so that you can "rejuvenate spiritually" while the kids are well taken care of.   Please give us as much advanced notice as you can so we can organise appropriately.  See the sign up form below!

 Starting in October 2015
Children's Mindfulness Circle

The first series took place immediately before our gatherings in fall 2015. It started 4 pm, Sunday October 18th at the new Children’s Space at the Quaker House. Donation basis per parent-child pair (sliding scale to cover our costs, 5chf  - 20chf.) Age is flexible, 5-11 years. Older kids were welcome to come alone if they prefer.

Mindfulness circle leader Kate Lanxner had worked with children in many settings for more than 25 years and is the UU Geneva Youth Director for the 5 -11 age group. She also was an art teacher, published illustrator, and has led four meditation groups for adults in past years, in Vermont, USA.

Mindfulness creates an environment where we can all take some time to simply slow down, in a calm and peaceful sanctuary space. Here, we can communicate in a soulful way, without the competing demands on our time, and without the electronic devices  which are seeming to take over the modern world..

Activities were based on the book Planting Seeds: Teaching Mindfulness to Children, by Thich Nhat Hanh. From the book introduction to Planting Seeds: Teaching Mindfulness to Children (quoted from www.mindfulschools.org, footnote):

“Mindful children:

• are better able to focus and concentrate
• experience increased clam
• experience decreased stress and anxiety
• experience improved impulse control
• have increased self-awareness
• find skillful ways to respond to difficult emotions
• are empathetic and understanding of others
• have natural conflict resolution skills.”

Kate moved back to the U.S. in June 2016, and we are looking for someone to bring a similar concept to the Youth program once a month to our gatherings.  
Our Friend of UU, experienced mother, and former girl scout leader (among many other accomplishments), the wonderful Nancy, has been providing wonderful Youth programming in the meantime!