Social & Other Events
CUC Symposium Social & Other Events by Day
In person throughout the Symposium:
Calm Room (for those staying in the residence), 4th floor residence
Calm Room ( for everyone), H Building, Room H200
Friday, May 19, 1:00 - 9:00 pm ET
Saturday, May 20, 9:00 am - 9:00 pm ET
Sunday, May 21, 9:00 am - 9:00 pm ET
Caring for one another requires us to also care for ourselves. We invite you to drop into this quiet space if you are feeling overwhelmed or just want to take a break from socializing and networking. Rest and relax. Sit in silence. Take some deep breaths, and return to the symposium when you are ready.
Photo Op
Come get your selfies! Strike your favourite pose with friends or with Uni the Unicorn, who will be present at select times. The Photo Spot is located in the atrium in the Gillet Student Commons Building.
Young Adult Lounge
Location: Upper Lounge (Building E) the Robert Gillett Commons
Throughout the symposium, the young adult lounge will serve as an informal gathering space for young adults to find each other and touch base in between programming. Note that this area is open to the public.
IBPOC Lounge
Friday, May 19: 1:00 - 9:00 pm ET
Saturday, May 20: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm ET
Sunday, May 21: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm ET
Location: Commons, Room E118
The IBPOC Lounge is a dedicated space for Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour to gather and find community.
Basking!
Musicians and singers - would you like to showcase your music or voice? Got CDs to sell? We have a spot for you in the atrium in the Gillet Student Commons Building. Sign up in the atrium, and bask (rather than busk) away! (Another opportunity to showcase your talent is on Saturday night at the Talent Show taking place in the Observatory. Check out the information below.)
Pre-Symposium - Thursday, May 18
CUURE Gathering: In person and Zoom
May 18, 2023, 1:00 pm - 9:00 pm ET (find your local time)
Location: Commons, Room 206A & B and Zoom
This year’s CUURE (Canadian Unitarian Universalist Religious Educators) gathering celebrates the 10th anniversary of the creation of this chapter of LREDA (Liberal Religious Educators Association), the continental professional association for Unitarian Universalist Religious Educators. We will be gathering the day before the CUC Symposium to hold our Annual Meeting, provide some information about denominational affairs and supports, consider trends in our profession and future possibilities and have some social time to get to know each other and deepen connections with colleagues across the country. The gathering will take place in person in Ottawa and online on Zoom.
Schedule:
1:00 pm ET – Introduction to CUURE and the CUC (Denominational Affairs and Support)
2:00 pm ET – Annual General Meeting of CUURE (Election of Officers, Bylaw Review)
3:00-3:30 pm ET – Break
3:30-5:30 pm ET - Panel discussion “Changing Patterns in Religious Exploration Programs”
5:30-7:00 pm ET – Dinner break
7:00 pm ET – Vespers
8:00 pm ET -Social time
Friday, May 19
Friends of the CUC Reception by invitation: In person
Friday, May 19, 9:00 pm ET
Wolves Den Game Room, Jack Doyle Athletics & Recreation Centre (ARC)
Friday, May 19, 9:00 pm ET
Wolves Den Game Room, Jack Doyle Athletics & Recreation Centre (ARC)
Our Friends of the CUC Reception is a special private recognition event for those who donate directly to support the work of the CUC. Interested in joining? Donate directly by May 1 to the CUC and receive an invitation.
Friends of the CUC will be privy to special announcements at the reception and virtual Friends will receive this information via email.
Symposium Meet & Mingle: In Person Participants
Friday, May 19, 9:00 pm ET
Wolves Den, Jack Doyle Athletics & Recreation Centre (ARC)
Come to the brand new Wolves Den Restaurant to meet and catch up with your co-participants! For the first time since 2018, we will have a national social gathering! A cash bar is available and you can order from the bar menu. See you there!
Saturday, May 20
Networking: Chalice Circles & Connecting Sessions
Saturday, May 19 & Sunday, May 20
Go to Networking for in-person and virtual times, and location
Chalice Circles- In-person and virtual small groups will meet over Saturday and Sunday breakfasts.
Connecting Sessions - In-person networking will be encouraged during breakfast times. Tables will have signs for congregational leaders, lay chaplains, religious educators & youth advisors, and social justice leaders.
Conversation with the CUC Board: In person and Zoom
Saturday, May 20, 4:45 - 5:45 pm ET (find your local time)
Go to Networking for in-person and virtual times, and location
Join the CUC Board for a conversation on what inspires us to action and where we go in the next few years to continue to grow the vitality of our national UU community.
Some topics the Board will explore include a strategic plan for the CUC, the work of the CUC's Decision Making Exploration Task Force, and a Q & A.
Open Mic: In person
Saturday, May 20, 8:00 - 10:30 pm ET
Observatory, Robert Gillett Commons, Building E
The Saturday evening, in-person-only social event organized by the Host Team will take the form of a talent show interspersed with a few rounds of speed trivia. The event features talents in the form of music, storytelling, poetry, spoken word, and jokes from UUs of all ages. The sky is the limit! Got something to share? This is the place! Want to practice your talent? This is the place!
Sign up for the open mic now! to share your talent (up to 5 minutes). We'll have as many participants as time allows. We'll confirm with those who get the spots by the end of the day on May 8, with more information to help you be ready. We cannot wait to see your talents! Share your passion with a crowd of open, loving, and friendly folk!
All children and teens under 18 must attend with a parent/guardian.
Sunday, May 21
El Jones
Canadian Unitarian Universalist Women's Association (CUUWA)
CUUWA Pink Tea with speaker El Jones: Nurturing Wise Women
Sunday, May 21, 3:00 - 4:30 pm ET (find your local time)
In person offsite: UU Fellowship of Ottawa
Zoom (Meeting ID: 871 3136 9260)
‘Nurturing Wise Women’ hosted by the Canadian UU Women's Association. Join us for a pink tea with dynamic speaker El Jones, followed by the CUUWA AGM meeting, Sunday afternoon (May 21) 3:00- 4:30 pm ET, offsite at UUFO (Ottawa Fellowship) with transportation provided at 2:30 as needed. No charge; donations will be cherished. All are invited. More info at CUUWA.CA or contact CUUWA.CUC@gmail.com
El Jones is a poet, spoken word artist, journalist, speaker, professor, and activist. Recent publications include Live from the Afrikan Resistance! and Abolitionist Intimacies.
Contact: Margaret Linton