Alternate Activity 6: School Bus Talks
Activity time: 15 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Optional: Newsprint, markers and tape
- Optional: Paper and pencils/pens
- Optional: Participants' Notable Thoughts notebooks
Preparation for Activity
- Decide how to structure the activity, for the learning styles in the group and the time available.
Description of Activity
Participants practice talking about their faith.
An elevator speech about being a UU is a short explanation of what being a UU means to you.
Say that youth probably speak more often with others their age on school buses rather than on elevators. Ask them to imagine they are riding a bus home from school on a Friday, thinking about their plans for the weekend. When they mention a church event, someone asks, "What is a UU, anyway?" How would they describe Unitarian Universalism or their UU congregation to a friend who is not a UU? Invite the youth to develop brief "school bus talks" about being a UU. (It does not matter if youth actually ride a bus to school. The talk can be used at any time or place.)
You can do this in three different ways:
- Distribute paper and pens/pencils. Have individuals simply write their own brief school bus talks, then share them with the group.
- Use newsprint to collect ideas from the whole group and develop a school bus talk together.
- Form groups of three and four. Ask each small group to develop a school bus talk to have one volunteer share when the full group regathers.
If the group has been using Notable Thoughts notebooks, they might be helpful in this activity.