Learning Space Wrap-Up Summer 2024
In June, we celebrated the completion of a successful year running the Learning Space at UUS. The Learning Space was a place for trans, queer, and marginalized students in grades 1 – 12 who were enrolled in online or homeschool programs to study in a safe and supervised in-person learning environment. UUS began planning the Learning Space in March 2023 and then opened the Learning Space in August 2023 in response to anti-LGBTQ legislation in Iowa and across the nation. Â
In mid-June of 2024, shortly after the school year ended, Rev. Diana and Nic held a meeting with Learning Space volunteers and members of the UUS Board of Trustees to discuss how the year went, including successes and challenges, from the perspective of the volunteers and staff, UUS, and the wider community.
Programming
From the beginning, we planned that students would attend classes online. All of our participants chose to enroll in the Iowa City Community School Districts online program. From our projections based on conversations and surveys, during the summer of 2023, we anticipated 12-15 registrants. When school began in late August, we had six students registered. After a month of only three students attending the Learning Space and staff struggling to fill volunteer spots, Rev. Diana and Nic met with the participating families and the decision was made to decrease our in person days from full school weeks to just two days each week. This reduced schedule worked well for the participating families and our volunteers’ capacity.
Despite the lower child and youth participation, UUS still provided additional programming to the families who were active in the Learning Space. Music theory instruction, meditative drumming, and piano lessons were provided to participants per their interests by our music director and later our summer pianist. Families had the opportunity to sign their students up for age appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education through UUS with the Our Whole Lives curriculum. In addition to these programs, volunteers and staff regularly provided fun, educational, and often nature-based activities outside of the students’ online class schedule.
Volunteers and Staffing
20 volunteers signed up to support the Learning Space by providing supervision. The majority of these volunteers were active members and friends of UUS, though a couple of volunteers from other area congregations also participated. We are immensely grateful for every single hour that volunteers spent attending trainings and providing support.
Throughout the school year, the Learning Space was supported by UUS’s director of lifespan religious education, the minister, the music director and pianist, and the congregational administrator. In January, the amount of staff hours going to the Learning Space continued increasing and the decision was made to use some of the remaining Learning Space funds to bring in a paid Learning Space supervisor. Remy Metzger began providing full day support to the Learning Space in February in an effort to not only reduce the strain on UUS staff and volunteers, but also to provide consistency to the Learning Space participants.
Finances
UUS received $18,700 in donations, almost all through the Faithify campaign that we ran in May of 2023. Those donations were allocated in the following ways:
- $2000 for utilities, cleaning, and custodial supplies
- $1100 for supplies, celebrations, and volunteer appreciation
- $2000 for volunteer training – youth mental health first aid, facilitating for liberation, equipping for action, and background checks
- $400 for Our Whole Lives programming
- $13,200 for staffing
Successes
The families who participated in the Learning Space regularly shared how pleased they were with the volunteers, the program, and the space at UUS. They appreciated the support and built deep connections within our community.
Another positive impact of the Learning Space was the transformation of what UUS congregants believe we are capable of doing with our building and human resources. The Learning Space gave UUS an opportunity to really live into our mission statement by actively working on current social justice issues and building deeper connections. Volunteers, staff, and UUS members found a stronger sense of pride in our congregation and gratitude for the opportunity to actively be involved in this work.
Individuals and families reached out to UUS from across our community and country to share how grateful they were that the Learning Space existed. Those in our community often mentioned the relief of knowing that if things weren’t going well for their students in the public school system, that they were thankful the Learning Space would be an option. Unitarian Universalists across the nation were inspired by our work and the LGBTQIA+ community shared their appreciation that a church community was actively supporting them.
Other successes included how well the program fit into our space with our regular operations and that we were able to keep the Learning Space open from the beginning of the school year through the last day. We also learned a significant amount about the safety and security of our building and ways to increase the safety of those present here, which are lessons we will continue to use during all other programming.
What’s Next
Operating the Learning Space this coming year is not currently planned. We would consider reopening the Learning Space if there were changes to laws or implementation of them in ways that would prevent ICCSD from being the safer places they’ve worked so hard to be this year.
In addition to the change in laws or implementation of them, we would also require commitments from 15 children/youth to attend and an additional funding campaign to provide 1 – 2 staff people during operating hours.
We are moving forward with gratitude for all of our staff, volunteers, participants, and the successes and the lessons learned.
In gratitude,
Rev. Diana Smith and Nic Kaplan, DLRE
