There's so much going on for young adults during the CUC Conference! Please read on to see what's happening each day. We encourage you to register for these events, to give us an idea of numbers, but registration is only required for the Bridging Dinner, Saturday streams and Sunday multigen workshops.
All events are included in your Conference registration fee, unless otherwise noted. Some event locations are still to be determined, but most will take place at McMaster University.
Friday 1-5 pm - Young Adult Gathering: On the first day of the conference, young adults and bridging youth are invited to the opening Young Adult Gathering. Meet friends, both old and new, join for icebreakers, crafts, games, songs and snacks and get to know others in the YA community! You can join us at any time in the afternoon!
Friday 6:30-7:45 pm - Conference Opening: The multigen Friday ingathering service is a celebration of being together as a Canadian Unitarian community.
Friday 8-9:15 pm - Confluence Lecture: An annual lecture by a Unitarian minister that helps us examine our faith and our place in the world, and challenges our assumptions about being UU! More info here.
Friday 9:15 pm on - YA Social and Opening Circle: Let’s kick off the weekend with some fun community building time! Following the Confluence Lecture, we will have a young adult opening circle. After the worship, join us for conversation and company with your fellow UU Young Adults! This will be at a casual bar/snack type venue (location TBA), eating and drinking are optional.
Saturday 10 am – 12 pm, and 1:30 – 4:00 pm - Workshop Streams: Choose from a great slate of 7 day-long workshops run by experienced facilitators that allow you to go deeper into a topic of interest. Please check out the stream descriptions before registering.
Saturday 5:00-7:00 pm - Bridging Youth and Young Adult Dinner: Now in its 13th year, the Bridging Dinner is a valuable opportunity for older youth (17-20) and young adults to get to know each other in a relaxed setting and for us to welcome bridgers into our YA community. We hope to carpool from McMaster, leaving at 5pm.
Saturday 7:30-8:30 pm - Bridging Worship and Ceremony: Bridging is a symbol of the transition from youth to young adulthood - help us welcome the newest YAs! Young adults are invited to participate in this YaYA-led worship service that is specifically for our two communities. The service will feature a bridging ceremony to mark special life transitions as well as readings, reflections and music.
Sunday 10:00-11:30 am - Sunday Worship: A wonderful conference tradition, the Sunday Worship service brings together Canadian UUs of all ages for a beautiful, uplifting and spiritual reflection on our theme, "An invitation to love and justice".
Sunday 12:00-2:00 pm - Multigen Lunch: The multigen lunch is a time for all ages to gather, break bread, and make connections across generations. Young adults are encouraged to register for this lunch, and sit at tables with people you don't know yet. In 2016, we enjoyed a lively game of "Family FeUUd" that got everyone debating their favourite hymns and youth con games. What's in store for this year's lunch? You'll have to come find out!
Sunday 2:15-3:45 pm - Multigen Workshops: Learn, grow and connect through engaging workshops that are geared to people of all ages. This year, we've made sure that each of the 7 workshops will be welcoming and inclusive of youth and young adults - and also fun and interesting! Check out the workshop descriptions on the Streams & Workshops page before registering.
Monday, May 21st, 9:30am – 12:30 pm - Young Adult Closing Worship: Gather as once more in beloved young adult community for a final shared walk and worship to close this weekend together. This year (weather permitting), we will be venturing into Cootes Paradise, which is located right next to McMaster’s campus. This beautiful natural space is a wonderful setting to hold our closing circle and worship. After the closing, you can head back to the university campus or go to a nearby restaurant for lunch (optional).