Holiday Dinner!

Drum-making 11/7/10

Hunger Banquet reflections

"The Hunger Banquet was a great experience of community on various levels:

the community of youth who work, play, and reflect together every week, who planned an evening that was educational, service-focused, and enjoyable…

the global community and the connections between us – rich, poor, often struggling -- that are shaped in part by the seemingly random forces of birth and economy…

and the larger First Church community, which came together once again, side by side, to consider a topic – hunger and poverty – that binds humanity together and calls us to action."

-Katharine Canfield, YG Parent

"The Hunger Banquet hosted by the UU Youth Group was well organized and well executed. I arrived pretty much knowing what to expect but the Oxfam exercise really brought home to me how truly fortunate we all are in Belmont and how unfairly distributed food and wealth are across the world. Too many people go to bed hungry when there is enough food to go around. I was initially disappointed to be seated with the middle group but learned that I actually liked collard greens when cooked with garlic and tomatoes! Great work Youth Group. Thank you."

-Jeff Larson, YG Parent

Hunger Banquet!

A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who made our Hunger Banquet such a huge success! With all of your hard work, time and contributions we raised $2655! The Youth Group is well on their way towards their fundraising goal of $6000. Thank you!

The Hunger Banquet was an educational event where participants learned about food distribution across the globe.When guests arrived they chose a piece of paper out of a basket that assigned them to an identity and to an economic class. The youth showed guests where to sit based on their class. 15% of guests were assigned to the upper class and were seated at a table nicely decorated with a table cloth and center pieces. 35% of guests chose cards that assigned them to the middle class, where they sat at a crowded undecorated table and 50% of guests were assigned to the lowest class and were asked to sit on the floor. Our youth facilitators, Maggie Davis and Louise Brownsberger hosted the event and explained “You may think hunger is about too many people and too little food. That is not the case. Our rich and bountiful planet produces enough food to feed every woman, man, and child on earth. Hunger is about power. Its roots lie in inequalities in access to education and resources.” They described the event as a metaphor for how food and other resources are inequitably distributed in the world and introduced guests to some statistics and to the life circumstances of the people in each group.

Then each class received a meal based on their class assignment, which were prepared by a youth cooking crew. The wealthiest group was served by a Youth Group wait staff and was able to enjoy a full course meal – salad, bread, chicken, veggies and rice. They were also served dessert and tea later. The middle group was given beans and rice and was served family style and the lowest group received only rice in a big pot without any silverware. This experiential dinner was followed by 3 min clip (www.miniature-earth.com/) and a chance for all of the participants to reflect and share about their experience. It was a humbling and eye opening experience for many.

Pumpkin Carving!

We had a friendly pumpkin carving competition between family groups this past Sunday at Youth Group. Here are some pictures of the carving and of the creative and spectacular results!

Hunger Banquet: Youth Group Fundraiser, Oct. 30th, 7pm

ATTENTION: The Hunger Banquet is coming up! For those of you who have no idea what that means, a hunger banquet is in fact a banquet, but your food and seating varies with what social class your assigned to. The purpose is to illustrate the spectrum of how little of how much food everyone in the world receives and what the majorities are. It's a great opportunity to gain some perspective and a fun way to spend your evening! It takes place on October 30th at 7PM in the Parish Hall, tickets will be sold for a $25-35 suggested donation for adults, $7-15 for youth during the coffee hours on October 17th and 24th and all money raised is going towards the Youth Group trip to Arizona! Hope to see you there!

Spring Retreat at Zoar Outdoor - May 2010

YG Second Friday Coffeehouse - March 2010

Social Action Con - Feb 2010