The Eastern Region’s annual Fall and Spring Rallies are held at beautiful Camp Tockwogh, a YMCA camp on the Chesapeake Bay near Worton, MD. Our group may sometimes be sharing the camp or dining hall with other youth groups. Fall Rally usually is scheduled the last weekend in October. Spring Rally usually is held the last weekend of April.Rally is open to high-school-age Youth of Unity in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12, with a minimum age of 14 and a maximum age of 19 or if not in high school, a maximum age of 18. These events are also open to Ministers, Sponsors, Parents and Chaperones. Teen participants should be active members of their YOU Chapter or home church. Check-in for Rally is from 5-6 p.m. on Friday afternoon with pre-Rally meetings at 6:30 p.m. The Rally program beginning at 7 p.m. Rally ends at approximately noon on Sunday. The Rally Registration fee includes lodging at Camp Tockwogh, the rally T-Shirt, all supplies, snacks on Friday and Saturday evening, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. Most Rally attendees opt to have lunch following Rally at the local Pizza Hut for an additional $10, which is collected during Rally.
The Rally program is created and presented by the YOU Officers who are elected each year at the annual business meeting held during Spring Rally. Officers receive adult guidance and direction from the Youth Consultant, Janell Renshaw.
The intention of the Regional YOU team is to create a safe place of unconditional love and acceptance where youth from across the Eastern region can gather for a weekend of spiritual growth and fun. The program consists of workshops or “truth talks” presented by YOU Officers, music and dancing, large and small group activities, meditation time, a talent show, and a choice of Saturday free time activities including archery, climbing wall, boat rides, basketball, and a drum circle.
WINTER RALLY
Winter Rally is hosted by a YOU Chapter within the Eastern Region. It is planned and facilitated by the hosting chapter with the assistance and support of the Region. The Region consultant assists the hosting church with planning, registration forms and marketing through the regional web site and newsletter. Winter Rally is commonly scheduled in mid-January on the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr Day. The 3-day holiday allows a recovery day for many of the teens and sponsors who attend. Winter rally usually begins with dinner on Friday and ends at around noon on Sunday. Participants commonly remain at the local church during most of the activities and sleep on air mattresses or sleeping pads on the floor. Arrangements are usually made with a local YMCA or recreation center for showers and free time on Saturday.
For more information, email Youth Consultant Janell Renshaw @ youthconsultant@unityesternregion.org
For YOUers desiring to run for office, candidate forms will be available in early December.
All adults attending a YOU Regional event must send a copy of a National Background Screening obtained within the past three years to the Teen Consultant prior to attending the retreat. For more information about obtaining Background Screens, click here.