(they/them)
As someone raised UU, I have been steeped in faith-based justice work for nearly all of my 21 years. One of my earliest memories is riding on my father’s shoulders at an anti-war protest in San Francisco. Throughout my life I have taken on numerous leadership roles focused on justice work in my church, school, and neighborhood communities. I have spent nearly a decade working with youth and young adult communities building community, spirituality, and committment to justice action. During my time serving as the Social and Political Activities Coordinator for the Young Religious UUs of the Pacific (YRUUP), I initiated and helped oversee a process of reconciliation between YRUUP and other UU organizations in the Pacific Central District and the Pacific Western Region.
It was on the tail of this last project, having just been elected to the PCD Board, and drawing to a close my time spent working in the office at the Mt. Diablo UU Church, that I was asked to join UUJMCA to help rebuild SALT. As a relatively new young adult experiencing the lack of strong UU YA communities in my region, and in our faith at large, I was immediately drawn to this opportunity to provide such a community for others in my age group. As someone who has dedicated most of my life so far to building and facilitating faith-based justice communities, I felt immediate sparks of enthusiasm and excitement.
As the new SALT Coordinator, I am beginning the process of reaching out to previous and potential SALT Fellows and mentors to discuss what the new iteration of this program may look like. Rev. Ranwa Hammamy and I have devised a 10-month plan to rebuild and revitalize this essential program, with the goal of starting the first session in the Summer of 2020. This process starts now.
If you are interested in getting involved in or supporting SALT, or if you’re curious and would like to learn more, you can visit uujmca.org/SALT, send a message to the SALT Leadership Team at SALT@uujmca.org, or email me at Maddie@uujmca.org.
I look forward to meeting more of you in the coming months, and to working together to bring this program back to life!
Email: maddie@uujmca.org / Phone: 925-324-8366
