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- By ICUUW Staff
The Unitarian Universalist Worldwide Youth Network (UUWYN) is a global community dedicated to empowering young people to become leaders for peace, social justice, and community service. The organization was founded by a passionate group of individuals who saw the need to engage young people in meaningful, transformative experiences that transcend borders and build connections across cultures. As Unitarian Universalists, we believe that the world can be a better place through mutual understanding, love, and compassion. Their goal is to inspire and support youth as they explore new perspectives, grow as individuals, and contribute to positive change around the globe. Shahan Islam joins us to give us an overview of the organization, plus questions and discussion.
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- By Gretchen Ohmann, USA
UU women in Kenya are working on a food sustainability project. They'd like you to know more, so they sent us these lovely jewelry items to raffle at the 2025 General Assembly in Baltimore, MD.
Watch the video below (7 minutes) or read the presentation: UU Maasai Women Food Sustainability Project
Our Raffle winners were:
• Vanessa Cowie of North Carolina - bracelet
• Rev Jenny Peek of Idaho - Kenya magnet
• Niel Leon of Maryland - warrior magnet
• Kelly Sackheim of New York – basket
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- By Lee Boeke Burke
Among the most passionate and energetic advocates for the rights and empowerment of women and girls is the Reverend Rebecca Sienes of the Philippines. For many years she was the President of the UU Church of the Philippines, working tirelessly for the healthy future of the church and the many justice programs they embrace. Closest to her heart, though, were her efforts to advocate for human rights and the empowerment of Filipinas. She created her own non-profit called Buhata Pinay, Inc. (Do it, Lady!) to focus on educating rural women on their rights and helping them to become strong, independent and resilient, especially those who were victims of domestic abuse.
Rebecca has been involved with ICUUW since its very beginning in 2009 and throughout the years has served in various capacities, including as a Director on our Board. In 2013 our founding President Barbara Kres Beach presented her with the Annie Margaret Barr Award for her visionary leadership and tireless fight for equality, justice, and human rights for women.
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- By Tina Huesing, ICUUW President
In April, the UU Church in the Philippines celebrated its 70th anniversary and ICUUW sent the greetings you can read below.
We have members with strong ties to the Philippines and look forward to closer relations with UUCP and the women’s association in the Philippines.
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- By Tina Huesing, USA, ICUUW President
Dear members and friends,
An organization like ours is all about the people who make it what it is. We have members working together in various committees, task forces and project teams. Let me introduce you to one group:
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- By ICUUW Staff
Twenty-five ICUU Women attended sessions of the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women, held in New York City from March 10-21, 2025. The middle weekend of that time was devoted to a Spring Seminar to learn more about the functioning of the UN. Read some impressions from participants:
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- By By Rev. Adél Nagy, Romania
From 11-19 March 2025, my colleague Zsuzsánna Bartha from Kocsord, Hungary, and I participated in the Spring Seminar in New York, organized by ICUUW, which was timed to coincide with the annual conference of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
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- By by Rev. Addae Ama Kraba, Texas, USA
It was a privilege to attend the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations’ largest gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment. It is inspirational to be in a room filled with women from around the globe working for the same causes.
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- By By Rev. Zsuzsánna Bartha, Romania
The participation for me at Spring Seminar was a dream coming true, after much struggle to get a visa and to travel to US. Finally arriving in NYC and attending the workshops at the UN was overwhelming and so informative. There are not enough words to thank you for making this possible.
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- By By Karen Kortsch, Illinois, USA
I really enjoyed my week in New York City and being able to spend time getting to know a group of our members better. We learned together and bonded in a special way. I am very grateful for all that our members did to make our Spring Seminar a success.
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- By ICUUW Staff
Connecting women to other women is a big part of our mission, and a major way we do that is through our twice-monthly gatherings over Zoom. These started during the pandemic, when we were isolated and hungry for human contact, but they have continued as a highlight for many of us.
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- By Lee Boeke Burke
Our ICUUW has been longing to develop close and lasting relationships with the UU women in the Philippines. I was planning to visit the Philippines this spring and was hoping to deepen some connections with UU women while there but sadly needed to postpone my trip. However, the desire to reach out to our women friends in the Philippines remained and the Membership Committee hatched a plan to send our greetings via a video to the Annual Conference of their UU Women’s Association (UUWA) which met in Dumaguete on March 7-8. Participating in the video were Renee Hills, Tina Huesing, Julie Steinbach, Rev. Maggie Yenoki and me, Lee.