Yac Co-chairs Job Descriptions

Job Description for Youth- and Adult Co-chairs Membership: Desirable Skills: Time commitment:

Two ‘certified’ adults, one senior youth, one junior youth Strong organizational skills, facilitation of meetings, ability to communicate verbally and in writing with all ages, team building, knowledge of district policies and YAC policies, Word processing. 2-3 meetings/year (August 10-3p.m. and January (Friday overnight-Saturday 3p.m.); conference calls; emails; meeting for 2 hours at spring con Sunday morning 10-noon); possible 2 hours/month at home during year **must check emails each week and respond quickly**

1. Logistics of YAC meetings o Determine roles and responsibilities of youth and adult co-chairs o schedule site months in advance by contacting church office to ensure space is available for a meeting or retreat o informing members of next meeting (date, time and place) o create agenda o facilitate or delegate facilitation to another member in advance of meeting o Write agenda on flip chart o Facilitation can include a) Welcoming everyone b) Chalice lighting and reading/song (this can be delegated to an at large member with advanced notice and planning-5 mins. worship) c) Reviewing agenda and asking for changes, additions, priorities (though this can be done in advance through email) d) Work through agenda items, creating a “stack” of people who want to talk, make sure everyone has a chance to talk, redirect inappropriate behavior e) Summarize what you heard were the action items. Ask for feedback about next steps. Agree on date, time and place of next meeting. f) Give everyone a break when energy starts to falter or if tension is too great g) Cultivate a cheerful, inclusive and respectful attitude o Give flip chart notes to secretary for making into minutes o Close meeting with a reading/song and by thanking everyone for coming (this can be delegated to an at large member with advanced notice and planning--a 5 min. worship) 2. Communication (including periodic summaries) and collaboration with program consultant, Youth Ministry Transitional Task Force or district youth structure, and con coordinators from the three states. o Provide some sort of updates to the district program consultant about business, membership, health of committee, issues, concerns, etc. If there is obvious misconduct of any sort (illegal substance use, sexual misbehavior, violent behavior) at a YAC meeting or retreat complete an incident report and immediately report the incident to the program consultant. o Provide updates or pertinent information to the NH/VT DYC 1

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o Provide necessary information to con coordinators o Anticipate needs and take initiative to meet needs of the committee, meetings or events Creation of YAC notebooks for members o Purchase 3 ring binder for each YAC officer/member o Make copies of safety policies, calendar of youth events and YAC meetings, YAC membership and contact information, district bylaws, and UUA youth office information for each member’s notebook. Liaison with religious educators and parents o Each year, introduce yourself to directors of religious education by writing a letter which informs them of what YAC is, how YAC works, your position and contact information. Let them know you welcome their feedback. o Check in with them again in mid-year Familiarity with, advocating for, reviewing and updating safety policies o Leadership has a special responsibility for advocating for safe youth events where everyone is included, where adults are chosen carefully, and where parents and DREs can be assured that safety policies are followed o As such, co-chairs need to be familiar with district safety policies and advocate for them as a gesture of care and concern for the community o Inform the program consultant of difficulties in following the policy Work with program consultant to develop budget and submit to district for approval o When planning for the coming year, anticipate items that will be needed for YAC to function (food for YAC retreat, mileage for YAC members, snacks at meetings,etc) o Inform program consultant who will collaborate with you to develop budget Authorize purchase of necessary supplies or items and submit receipts for reimbursement from district office o Supplies must be related to YAC functions such as meetings or retreats o Make copies of all receipts for your YAC notebook o Submit copies to district office for reimbursement

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Job Description for Communications Coordinators Membership: Skills Desired: Time Commitment:

2 (one junior and one senior) youth- 1 ‘certified’ adult, 1 youth secretary Task oriented, computer skills (Excel, email, Word, possible web page creation), strong verbal and writing aptitude 2 meetings/year (August 10-3p.m. and January (Friday overnightSaturday 3p.m.); conference calls; emails; meeting for 2 hours at spring con Sunday morning 10-noon); possible visits to other congregations for outreach; possible 4-8 hours at home during year **must check email each week and respond quickly**

This position would be responsible for: 1. Coordinating and updating district youth mailing/email lists* 2. Taking minutes at YAC meetings and distributing them in a timely manner to members, program consultant, and religious educators.* 3. Keep a copy of minutes in a secretary’s three ring binder* 4. Participate in YAC meetings by supporting and encouraging others; verbalizing your viewpoints in respectful ways; expressing enthusiasm for YAC’s mission and vision 5. Creating a periodic newsletter for youth in the region highlighting youth contributions such as poetry, artwork, themes that supports spiritual formation, UUism, social justice and stories about congregational youth groups 6. Creating and maintaining a youth webpage or Facebook site for Maine with full practice of safety policies concerning online presence. Coordinators must also set appropriate policy for use, monitor the site and address any misconduct immediately. 7. Providing written or verbal report to co-chairs and program consultant* 8. Visiting or contacting youth in congregations on a periodic basis to discuss youth ministry, cons, YAC, or other youth issues. • Make a courtesy call or email to the DRE and/or minister that you’ll be visiting or otherwise contacting youth • Make an agenda of what you’ll be discussing with youth • Take any brochures or newsletters to distribute • Send follow up thank you note to the DRE or youth group for their time • Follow safe transportation procedures if visiting a congregation • Keep a record of your visits and the outcomes of the visit (did youth from that church show up at cons? Did they join YAC? Etc) 9. Communicating with DYC about YAC cons or other youth events on a determined periodic basis. 10. Submit youth events or other updates to program consultant for the district website 11. Typing schedule for cons and submitting to program consultant for distribution to churches 3

12. Maintaining a three ring binder of materials that document your responsibility and accomplishments *secretary who is a part of this team Job Description for YAC At-large positions Members:

Desirable skills:

Time Commitment:

Two7-8th graders; two 9-12th graders; one ‘certified’ adults. Membership will strive to represent Southern ME cluster (Kennebunk, Sanford, Portland (both), Yarmouth, Augusta, Brunswick, Auburn, Saco-Biddeford,) Midcoast cluster (Rockland, Belfast, Edgecomb, Bangor, Ellsworth, Castine) Northern cluster (all the towns way north) Time management, good verbal and written skills, understanding of UUism, YAC policies and youth ministry in district, team building, word processing and email abilities, ability to support and encourage others 2 meetings/year (August 10-3p.m. and January (Friday overnightSaturday 3p.m.); conference calls; emails; meeting for 2 hours at spring con Sunday morning 10-noon) ** must check emails each week***

Responsibilites 1. Attend YAC meetings and conference calls 2. Participate in YAC meetings by supporting and encouraging others; verbalizing your viewpoints in respectful ways; expressing enthusiasm for YAC’s mission and vision. 3. Substitute for YAC officers if or when necessary 4. Be familiar with, follow and advocate for district safety policies and other YAC policies 5. Be familiar with and educate others about our district’s youth ministry, youth cons, and Unitarian Universalism. 6. If an adult, consider acting as a con coordinator at a youth conference once a year 7. If youth, consider volunteering in a leadership role at youth conferences 8. Volunteer to plan and lead a 5 minute opening and closing at YAC meetings

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