This class uses a wide variety of cooperative, creative, and strategy games to build community while exploring Unitarian Universalist values. Through play, discussion, and reflection, youth will deepen friendships, strengthen communication and teamwork skills, and engage with topics such as justice, pluralism, identity, compassion, and interdependence. Designed primarily for grades 6–8, the class is also open to older youth as well. Sessions include:

Beginnings–We begin the year by getting to know one another, creating our group covenant, and building a community where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and safe. Through games and conversation, youth begin forming the trust that will support them throughout the year. 

Right Relationship & Misunderstandings–Telestrations: Misunderstandings happen to everyone. Playing Telestrations, youth discover how easily messages can become distorted and explore how patience, clear communication, and giving one another the benefit of the doubt help us build healthy relationships. 

Truth Telling and Trust Building –BALONEY: How do we know what is true? Using the game BS (Baloney), youth practice critical thinking while exploring honesty, trust, and the importance of seeking truth with curiosity and humility. 

Pluralism & Perspective–Dixit: A single picture can inspire many different interpretations. Through Dixit, youth discover that people can experience the same situation in very different ways, and that listening to diverse perspectives helps us build empathy and understanding.

Earth Matters–EcoFlux: Every living thing is connected. Through EcoFlux, youth explore how plants, animals, and ecosystems depend on one another, reflecting on the UU value of interdependence and our responsibility to care for the web of life.

Working Together for Justice — Five- Minute Dungeon: Big challenges are easier to face when we work together. Through the fast-paced cooperative game Five-Minute Dungeon, youth explore how teamwork, communication, and combining our unique strengths help us respond to injustice and create positive change. 

Meaning-Making & Community–Tsuro: Life is full of unexpected turns, and our choices often affect the paths of others. Through Tsuro, youth reflect on navigating change, adapting to the unexpected, and finding meaning in the journeys we share.

Commonalities & Differences–Spot It! Even when we look at the same thing, we don’t always notice the same details. Playing Spot It!, youth explore the balance between what makes us unique and what connects us as members of a diverse community. 

Connections–Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza: Fast-paced fun becomes a lesson in paying attention and recognizing patterns. Youth reflect on the many visible and invisible connections that link us to one another and to the wider world. 

Collaboration & Listening–Jenga Maker: Working in pairs where one person describes and the other builds, youth practice clear communication, active listening, patience, and teamwork—essential skills for healthy relationships.

Laughter–Spoons: Joy is an important part of spiritual community! Through the lively game Spoons, youth celebrate laughter, healthy competition, and the ways shared fun helps strengthen friendships.

We Are Unique & Sacred — Mantis: Every person has unique gifts and experiences that contribute to our community. Through the playful twists of Mantis, youth celebrate individuality, reflect on what makes each of us special, and explore the UU belief that every person has inherent worth and dignity. 

Pride–LEGO Progress Pride Flag: Using LEGO bricks to create a Progress Pride Flag, youth learn about LGBTQ+ history and identities while reflecting on how our UU faith calls us to create communities where everyone belongs.

Pieces of the Truth–OuiSi Nature: Beautiful nature photographs remind us that no one person sees the whole picture. Youth explore the UU belief that each of us holds a piece of the truth and that wisdom grows when we share our perspectives.

Interdependence & Belonging–SET: Finding patterns in SET becomes an opportunity to explore how our similarities and differences both contribute to a strong community. Youth reflect on belonging, inclusion, and the gifts each person brings.

Tough Decisions–Trial by Trolley: Life often presents choices with no perfect answer. Through humorous ethical dilemmas, youth consider how values, compassion, and fairness influence the difficult decisions we make.

Friendship–Apples to Apples: What makes a good friend? Playing Apples to Apples sparks conversations about kindness, trust, acceptance, and the qualities that help friendships grow.

Communication–Concept: Without using words, youth discover how challenging—and rewarding—it can be to communicate clearly. This lesson highlights creativity, collaboration, and the many ways people express themselves.

Communication & Teamwork –Charades: Words aren’t the only way we communicate. Through Charades, youth practice reading body language, expressing ideas creatively, and working together to understand one another.

Pluralism–Hues and Cues: People often see the same color differently, just as they experience the world in unique ways. This playful activity helps youth appreciate diversity of perspective and reminds us there is rarely just one “right” answer.

Standing Out & Fitting In–Hive Mind:Sometimes we want to blend in, and sometimes we want to be ourselves. Using Hive Mind, youth reflect on belonging, individuality, and finding communities where we can be accepted exactly as we are.

Interdependence–Just One: Success depends on everyone contributing thoughtfully. Through Just One, youth experience how cooperation, listening, and supporting one another often accomplish more than competition.

Teamwork & Justice — Mysterium Park: Justice is rarely the work of one person alone. As they cooperate to solve the mystery in Mysterium Park, youth explore how listening, trust, and valuing every person’s perspective help communities make fair and thoughtful decisions. 

MOSAIC Overview for Grades 6+

Youth will learn the meaning of white supremacy culture and how to distinguish between cultural appropriation and appreciation, understand the history and present-day impact of colonialism, explore power and democracy, and how we can create healthy boundaries in beloved community. Sessions include: 

• Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture
• Racialized Bullying and Biases 
• Colonialism and Decolonization
• Power and Democracy
• Paradox of Tolerance
• Imagine the Beloved Community