While there is not a specific version of Sacred Ground for young people, there are a number of excellent faith-based curricula for talking about race with youth. Whether you engage with youth through schools, Sunday school, intergenerational worship, camp, Vacation Bible School, or just about any other setting, there are programs that will suit your context. Together, we can work toward a future where the history explored in Sacred Ground is common knowledge, and the belovedness of every human being is foundational to our church community.
As you discern which program is right for you, we encourage you to watch this recorded webinar featuring conversations with the creators of the programs described below:
- Racial Justice Lesson Plans for Youth and Young Adults
Created by Miriam McKinney in partnership with The Episcopal Church, these lessons support the journey toward breaking down the barriers of systemic racism and oppression and seeing one another as God’s children and therefore as siblings. While the lessons are ready to use, they can be adjusted to your context as needed. Each lesson has a theme, along with a related prayer, brief meditation, discussion questions, and an activity. - Dismantling Racism Youth Curriculum
The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta developed a Christian formation program specifically for youth (grades 6–12) to engage in conversations about race, become allies, and build relationships to address systemic racism in the context of their faith. Each session is approximately 90 minutes long, and the program can be offered as a six-week study, a three-day weekend retreat, or in covenant groups over two or three weekends.
More information about the leader guide and student journal is available at the CPG website.
The curriculum is available for purchase after completing a curriculum training. More information on the training can be found HERE.
Contact Sally Ulrey at sally.ulrey@gmail.com with questions. - Living God’s Dream
This five-session, faith-rooted formation curriculum is designed to help children in grades K–5 understand their own belovedness and the belovedness of their neighbors. The leader’s guide includes full lesson plans with rich content and experiential learning, as well as ideas for games, skits, crafts, and snacks. It also includes suggestions for storybooks that can frame each lesson. Developed in conjunction with the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing and field-tested in churches, Living God’s Dream is designed for use in a variety of settings, including Sunday school, schools, and Vacation Bible School.
More information can be found at https://episcopalatlanta.org/livinggodsdream/.
Contact Sally Ulrey at sally.ulrey@gmail.com with questions. - Sowing Seeds in the Sand
This program, formerly known as Tell Me the Truth About Racism, trains storytellers to host conversations about racism for children, adults, or intergenerational groups in congregations or communities. Through in-person or Zoom events, participants discover how wondering about the history of racism opens hearts toward God’s dream and how dismantling racism can feel like good news because it liberates all people. The program also offers training on hosting video presentations of the stories that invite groups into wondering and noticing.
For more information, visit https://www.sowingseedsinthesand.org/event-schedule, or contact Jen@sowingseedsinthesand.org.
