The new engagement pilot program was created as a result of analyzing data from seven participant interviews. Each participant met these three criteria:
1. Affiliates with one of the UU congregations in the Baja 4 conglomerate in Southern Arizona.
2. Identifies as a member of the Gen X (born 1965-1980) or Millennial (born 1981-1996) generations (Dimock, 2019).
3. Identifies as a parent or caregiver of a child (age 0-18) that is involved in faith formation programming at their UU congregation.
The participants answered questions regarding faith formation opportunities in the Baja 4. The focus was on discovering the needs, desires, and expectations of the participants and exploring how we can create programming that is meaningful, attainable, and sustainable.
One big takeaway for me as the primary researcher was the overwhelming need, desire, and expectation of the participants for ongoing support as the primary religious educator at home. Support in the form of community and online resources were expressed repeatedly throughout the interviews. Several participants expressed feelings of loneliness and inadequacy regarding serving their families as the primary religious educator.
Please hear this...
You are not alone! Check out the "SHARE" section of the new engagement pilot program for ways to connect with other parents that feel the same as you.
You are doing the best that you can with what you have, keep on keeping on!
Check out the "DIVE" section of the new engagement pilot program for many resources to support you in your efforts to bring faith formation opportunities into your home.
And of course, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
You've got this!
by Amy Huntereece
ahuntereece@antioch.edu
February 23, 2021