Learn about our connection to
Unitarian Universalism

Unitarian Universalism in a nutshell

Never heard of it? That’s okay! While the long name may sound intimidating, Unitarian Universalism (often abbreviated to simply UU) is a liberal religious tradition characterized by its commitment to theological diversity, inclusivity, and social justice.

In the spirit of freedom, reason, and acceptance, UUs have no official scripture and do not adhere to any particular creed or doctrine. Instead, they are unified by shared contextual covenants based on foundational values and principles that are centered on love.

With a deep regard for intellectual freedom and spiritual education, the beliefs of modern UUs range widely and draw upon diverse theological and philosophical traditions, including Christian Protestantism and Restorationism, agnosticism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, Sikhism, New Age, neopaganism, nontheism, and the teachings of the Baháʼí Faith, among others.

Unitarian Universalism’s Core Values

In the words of the Unitarian Universalist Association: Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of the following shared values:

❤ Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it.

❤ Pluralism: We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.

❤ Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive.

❤ Transformation: We adapt to the changing world.

❤ Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.

❤ Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.

Unirondack’s Roots In Universalism

Unirondack was established by the New York State Convention of Universalists in 1951, before the Universalists and Unitarians merged into the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1961. Originally envisioned as a retreat location for ministers and religious educators, it wasn’t long before Unirondack’s first summer camp youth sessions were held. The summer camp program grew more popular, and Unirondack became known as a place for Universalist (and then UU) youth to gather and grow together.

You can learn more about our history and peruse our archives here.

Throughout Unirondack’s history, the work we do has been informed and influenced by the core UU principles. For decades, many of our past camp leaders have been UUs, many of our camp buildings and rooms have been named after UU congregations and their members, and our summer sessions have been named after prominent UU historical figures.

Where Unirondack is heading

We build a fun, youth-centered space by working to remove the barriers to acceptance and self-love that the world puts on us, and we are committed to growing and changing with our community.

As Unirondack and Unitarian Universalism have both grown and evolved, we strive to continue merging UU values with the work we do at camp. We’ve found that focusing on compassion, equity, justice, acceptance, and environmental stewardship has helped us to build an intentional and inclusive community that values the inherent worth and dignity of all people. To better serve our campers, we add to this list the values of political awareness, expressive silliness, and youth autonomy and empowerment.

While we hold these principles dearly in our community, Unirondack’s program is not explicitly religious, nor is it tailored exclusively to a UU audience. Many of our campers and staff are not UU, and you don’t have to be either. We’ve found that campers do not need to be UU to connect deeply with the community values we’ve cultivated here over the years.