We welcome everyone with love and gratitude into our Youth and Family Life Program.
At Unity of Tustin we celebrate and honor the many expressions of family life and welcome everyone with love and gratitude into our Youth and Family Ministry Program. On Sundays, our campus and classrooms are active with spiritual explorers of all ages learning Truth principles, building friendships, and having fun! We recognize the youth of today – the Alpha Generation or iGeneration – as the promise and potential for a more compassionate, Self-Realized, liberated world for one and all. Our Youth and Family Ministry Program aims to empower youth to be advocates for the true, right and good they believe in.
We welcome youth of all ages every Sunday at 11 a.m. During the year we plan fun group and family outings and creative arts workshops. Our youth also actively participates in regional events hosted by the Unity Worldwide Ministries Southwest Region. Check out Unity of Tustin’s calendar for upcoming Youth and Family Ministry events. We invite you to visit our classrooms in the Education Building and Victoria House on Sunday mornings to learn more about the program, or reach out to our Youth and Family Ministry Director, Erin Hostetler at erin@unitytustin.org.
Spiritual Education Guides
Our team of vibrant youth spiritual educators are committed community members and parents with a calling to help support youth on their spiritual journey. They meet the following requirements:
- Application
- Interview
- Background check
- Ongoing training
- Understand and apply Unity principles in daily life
- Spiritually centered living
Sunday Classes
All children and youth are welcome to participate in a creative, fun and spirit-filled Sunday morning class, geared for their specific age group. Imaginations are in full swing as we explore Spirit through topics such as compassion, love, gratitude, service, diversity, joy, friendship, family, etc. within the guidelines of Unity’s Living Curriculum Philosophy, and through spiritual principles and practices such as meditation and prayer, reading, music, art, Yoga, and hands-on activities. We foster an encouraging and supportive environment with abundant opportunities for social interaction, co-creating sacred circles to share thoughts and feelings.
- Unitots – children ages 2-5 years
- Unikids – Elementary school age students (Kindergarten – 5th grade)
- Uniteens – Middle school age students (6th – 8th grades)
- Y.O.U. (Youth of Unity) – High school students (9th – 12th grades) – All high school students are invited to co-create their own journey in life using spiritual texts and Unity principles to develop deeper understanding of their daily life. The teens support and share with each other as well as connect with other teens through regional and international events. Y.O.U. is a special, peer-driven, Unity structured support group for teens during the high school years.
Unity’s Living Curriculum PhilosophyThe Five Basic Unity Principles (Youth version)Unity Youth Ministry Curriculum and Lessons
Unity’s Living Curriculum Philosophy
According to Myrtle Fillmore, Unity co-founder, “Our mission is not to entertain the children, but to call them out. To be always entertained is to be dwarfed and dependent. To be ‘called out’ is to follow the harmonious law of the soul’s unfoldment.”
The Living Curriculum is an approach or philosophy, which affirms that the curriculum – that which is to be learned or known – already lives within the adult, child or teen, themselves. It moves us past the belief that teachers have all the answers and need to impart them to the students. Instead, there is a realization that all of us are uniquely unfolding on our spiritual path, having access to the Spirit within.
The Living Curriculum is a process of spiritual support used to assist children, teens, families, and the church community in co-creating successful living. It honors the inherent wholeness and wisdom within each one of us, and utilizes storytelling and experiential creative expression to “draw out” the Truth we already know. The process helps us to explore spiritual principles and to become aware of how the principles operate in our lives. Learn more about the Living Curriculum Philosophy
The Five Basic Unity Principles (Youth version)
- God is all good and active in everything, everywhere.
- I am naturally good because God’s Divinity is in me and in everyone.
- I create my experiences by what I choose to think and what I feel and believe.
- Through affirmative prayer and meditation, I connect with God and bring out the good in my life.
- I do and give my best by living the Truth that I know. I make a difference!
Unity Youth Ministry Living Curriculum and Lessons
We incorporate a variety of topics and practices into lessons fostering opportunities for spiritual explorers to create, learn, grow and have fun while developing an understanding of Spirit, or Infinite Mind, along with self-understanding. There is not one particular creed or dogma in Unity, in fact Unity considers itself a non-sectarian educational institution. Learn more about the Unity movement
At Unity of Tustin one of our guiding values is diversity as we strive to include teachers from various cultures and traditions. This principle is also prevalent within our Youth and Family Ministry. Our Spiritual Ministry Team, Teachers and Teen Sponsors co-create a supportive and encouraging atmosphere, utilizing spiritual practices such as: affirmative prayer, meditation, breathwork, yoga, creative arts, community service projects, nature outings, retreats, etc. To gain a greater understanding of a typical Sunday class flow, click the links below to download the lesson:
Other Information and Resources
Resources for Parents
Books
Books
- If you are looking for children’s storybooks that contain a spiritual message, check out this book list.
- 7 Fantastic books that teach children about diversity
Inclusivity/Diversity
Links
Links
- Aha Parenting: Books and articles on parenting
- Child-Mind Institute: Children’s books about mental health
- Children of the Earth United: Many ideas and resources that help our kids connect to the Earth.
- Common Sense Media: Best Music, Movies, TV, APPS, Websites and more
- Exploratorium: Learning Toolbox: Make sense of timely topics and find general science support for your virtual classroom or learning together at home.
- Fact-checking Tools for Teens and Tweens
- Google Arts and Culture: An on-line platform to explore art and culture.
- HeartMath: Tools and training teach people to rely on the intelligence of their hearts in concert with their minds.
- Inspire My Kids: Kids can change the world. All they need is a little inspiration!
- Kahoot: Game-based learning platform
- Makerspace by GoldieBlox: Make Stuff – Do Stuff – DIY projects that put the fun in functional.
- Sarah Pirtle & the Discovery Center: Sarah Pirtle works with all ages developing courage and compassion.
- Search Institute: Bring out the best in your families.
- Sourcebooks offers FREE downloadable PDFs of activity kits, discussion guides and educator guides for select kids and young adult titles. From picture books to YA, we have easy ways to keep kids learning from home!
- Susan Kaiser Greenland: Blog and information about raising mindful kids.
- Teampedia: A collaborative encyclopedia of free team building activities and tools for teams.
- TED-ED on-line learning platform
Volunteers
Contact Erin Hostetler, Youth and Family Ministry Director, erin@unitytustin.org
- All volunteers must submit application and full background check
- Spiritual Education Guides, preferred commitment of two Sundays a month with age group of your choice
- Special activities and group events (such as Nature Explorers, Creative Arts Ministry, and community service projects)
- Ongoing training and retreats
- In-person and online volunteer opportunities available
