Seal Of Approval

Prairie Star District’s Youth Adult Committee (YAC) guides district-level programming for youth. YAC has established guidelines with the goal of creating safe and nurturing environments at any youth event taking place in the Prairie Star District. We encourage all congregations to consider such guidelines when sponsoring youth activities. Doing so establishes certain standards will be met in planning and overseeing the event.

The Seal of Approval (SOA) is granted by the Youth Adult Committee to a limited number of specific youth events or conferences. Planners and organizers of these events have pledged to abide by the PSD guidelines. The SOA includes access to resources that assist groups in planning for a successful event. Attentive planning will help support an inclusive community and conference culture which reflects UU principles and provides opportunity for growth in areas of worship, youth-adult relations, community building, social action, learning and leadership.

A youth and an adult are appointed by the YAC each year as CONsultants. The CONsultants are the individuals who review SOA applications and provide guidance and support to groups planning CONS. Because we currently have no CONsultants, you can send your questions and applications to Sherry Warren. Her contact info is scattered all throughout the youth portion of psduua.org.

It is recommended you apply for the SOA at least 12 weeks before the scheduled event to allow sufficient time to get the seal and resources, to promote your event and collect registrations. CON planning groups should be big enough and committed to the task; a minimum of 10 is suggested.

To apply for the Seal of Approval (SOA):

• Assemble your event planning team.
• Review the PSD Guidelines for Youth Conferences in detail.
• Complete the SOA application (pdf) SOA application (word).
• If you have questions about any parts of the application, please contact the CONsultants for assistance.
• Submit, via US mail, your application to the YAC CONsultant, allowing 3 weeks for processing.

The YAC CONsultants will review your application and contact your CON planners, as needed, to clarify information.

When your application is approved you will:

• Get a YAC PACK containing resources to help you plan a successful event.
• See your event posted on the PSD web site (if requested).
• Be able to use the seal on registration materials.
• Have access to available youth and congregation mailing lists or mailing labels.

The goal of this process is to empower youth to create quality experiences for event attendees and event planners and hosts. Quality experiences are those that enrich and strengthen youth program at all levels; local, regional, district, and beyond.

No conference can claim the SOA without application to, review by, and permission of the YAC. The YAC will award the Seal of Approval to no more than one conference per month in any state in the district, and to none within 2 weeks of the PSD YRUU Annual Business Meeting and Election. This once-per-month schedule may also include training conferences such as the spirituality development conference, leadership development conference, etc.

Mailing lists or labels provided with the seal are to be used only for that specific event’s communications. If a sponsoring congregation or organization’s event does not comply with the PSD guidelines, no seal will be awarded to that congregation or organization for one year following the infraction.

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