Making a Splash at General Assembly
The UU College of Social Justice (UUCSJ) had an amazing launch at the UUA’s Justice General Assembly (GA) in Phoenix last month! I was so happy to witness the warm welcome we received and the excited buzz about what UUCSJ is up to.
We had a busy GA, with several gatherings highlighting the work of UUCSJ. At the Saturday workshop session — UU College of Social Justice: Transformative Service Learning — more than 100 attendees learned about UUCSJ’s mission and service-learning programs and heard from our partners in India, Guatemala, and New Orleans. We also had the first annual alumni gathering, which brought together more than 30 alumni from previous service-learning trips.
At the final GA plenary session, UUCSJ Director Kathleen McTigue spoke to introduce the new joint initiative, and UUSC President and CEO Bill Schulz and UUA President Peter Morales lit the chalice for the session. They were joined by Brad and Julie Bradburd of Gwynedd, Penn., who announced their gift of $1 million to UUSC in support of UUCSJ.
Throughout the convention, I spent a lot of time in our bright orange booth in the exhibit hall — it was a big hit! Many people stopped by looking for opportunities for themselves and youth groups, and we talked to them about all that UUCSJ has to offer. It was so great to connect with people at GA, and we can’t wait to continue all of the conversations that were started.