One thing that is very important to any minority culture within a dominant society is having our own language, a language of our own. We need at least some words to describe the experiences that are ours, that may not be talked about in the dominant culture. The UUYAN I inherited in 1997 had begun to coin some words: Bridger (for those people transitioning from UU youth to UU young adulthood), Cliff (for the terrible nothingness at the end of the youth programs), Circle Worship (to give a name for Youth-style worship that isn't limited to the Youth age range.) But I believe we could use more.
I have begun to create some words and names, like the Magic Pool (with its attendant dangerous Eddies and Addictions). I hope as we talk, study, and name our experience, we will continue to give our Circle selves greater power from which to speak.
A story about language, from back when I was first taking on the role of an UUYAN leader in my district. I met with some district YRUU leaders who were aging out and interested in talking about creating conferences for UU young adults. Because, they said, "There is such a deep need."
Their eyes, their body language, were full of urgency and yearning and the fear of unbearable loss.
"Yes," I said. "I know. I understand. But, um-- just for the record-- can you tell me what, specifically, you think is needed? So I can have it in your words. So I can make sure that UUYAN works to meet it."
"Conferences," their leader said. Her body language put a universe into that one word.
But she stopped, after that one word.
"But what kinds of things at conferences?" I persisted. "What kinds of activities? What kinds of qualities, what kinds of experiences? What would fill that important need?"
She didn't know how to answer me. I was a fellow UU; I was supposed to just know what the word conferences meant. She tried more meaningful glances, more urgent body language, more vivid energy exchanges. I persisted in asking for words.
Someone else tried. "You know. Community." Someone said, "Workshops." And then, "And uh, you know, worship and stuff."
I tried, but that was as far as we ever got. Four words. Conferences, Community, Workshops, Worship.
These were intelligent, beautiful young people trying to communicate to me about experiences that formed the emotional, spiritual, and social center of their lives-- about a community program in which they were considered to be the leadership-- and they could not find more than four words to say what it was.
That conversation stayed with me, haunted me. Their urgency, and their inability to speak. "There is such a need," they told me. That part they were able to say. "There is really an urgent need. Such a need for it."
What is "it"?