Union of Youth

USCC Union Of Youth Mandate

“To focus on creating a strong Doukhobor youth movement, understand the essence of our Doukhobor faith and proceed into the world as Peace Ambassadors.”

 

A Little History…

The USCC Union of Youth organization was created by Peter P Verigin (Chistiakov) in 1938 and continues to the present day. The purpose of the organization was to engage youth ages 16-30.  The structure of the organization included five different distinct circles: choral, drama, temperance, literary and oratory with all youth being encouraged to participate in one or all of the groups. An elected Union of Youth Council provided support to all youth activities and also conducted an annual general meeting. Youth meetings were held on a regular basis in all active Communities, primarily in the Kootenay Boundary Region, culminating in a grand Annual Youth Festival in May, which continues to the present day.

 

…Today

With our youth living in all corners of the world, the structure of the Union of Youth Organization has evolved to encompass the Youth from outside the Kootenay Boundary Region. The Union of Youth consists of a Council who is dedicated to organizing annual USCC Youth events, supporting community events as well as building bridges and fostering relationships with all Youth and acting as peace ambassadors across the globe.

 

Annually….

The Youth Council works with the Youth in our community along with other community groups, to organize and host events in the Kootenays such as

  • Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve spiritual evening programs on their respective dates in both Castlegar and Grand Forks
  • The annual USCC Union of Youth Talent Night. One in Castlegar, BC and one in Grand Forks, BC. These events take place within the first couple of weeks in March, and showcases the doukhobor youth talent.
  • The Annual USCC Union of Youth Festival on May long weekend. This event is a community hit and attracts upwards of 1500 people to the Brilliant Cultural Centre, Castlegar BC for a weekend full of culture, song, prayer, food and fun!

The Youth also love to take part in supporting local cultural, charitable, and fund raising initiatives that include:

  • Participating in Fall Fairs and Art Festivals
  • Participating in peace initiatives on a global scale at Vancouver and Victoria BC,
  • Greeting visiting dignitaries from across Canada and British Columbia, including eminent persons from around the world
  • …And of course! Supporting the younger youth in our community to grow into confident, strong sensible, sensitive leaders.

 

Benefits of Participating in the Union of Youth

In addition to the same benefits as belonging to the USCC organization as mentioned earlier in the membership package, involvement in the Union of Youth provides the following:

  • Developing Organizational Skills by running special events such as Talent Nights, Annual Youth Festival
  • Choral singing – especially in charitable events like senior citizen homes, care facilities and hospitals.
  • Learning and Understanding  basic structures of organizations and societies thru:
    • Participating and running formal meetings
    • Creating agendas
    • Understanding the basic rules of order of conducting a formal meetings
    • Writing, distributing and doing the necessary follow-up to minutes
    • Dealing with financial responsibilities
  • Developing Communication and Public Speaking skills by MC’ing special events as mentioned above/li>

There are other such organizations in our local community, as well as communities at large, which may have similar life-skill development activities. What the Union of Youth brings different to the table, is the aspect of Christian values to the Organization.

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For more information about your USCC Union of Youth and members, visit these pages:

Contacts: USCCYouthChair@gmail.com

Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/uscc.council?fref=ts