Casey Stainsby – Youth & Young Adult Program Manager
Casey grew up at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver, and has been active in multigenerational UU communities her whole life. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre and Development (with a minor in Sexuality Studies, and the experience of the 2012 student movement) at Concordia University in Montreal, Casey moved back to the West Coast to be closer to family and the ocean. She now lives and works on the traditional homelands of the Lkwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, also known as Victoria, BC, and is a member of the First Unitarian Church of Victoria.
Casey brings over 15 years experience being a part of and working with youth and young adult communities to her role as the CUC’s Youth & Young Adult Program Manager. Most recently, she was the CanUUdle Coordinator for three years (sharing the role in 2018 with Kaleb McNeil). Casey also coordinated the Children’s Program for the CUC’s National Conference in 2014, and has served three Unitarian congregations’ religious exploration programs in various roles.
Additionally, Casey is a writer and editor for the CUC’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Reflection Guide initiative for several age levels of guides, is an Our Whole Lives sexuality education facilitator, and was a facilitator for Goldmine Youth Leadership School.
Casey’s other passions include knitting, reading fantasy novels, nurturing plants, educating around sexual health and gender diversity, being part of the village that it takes to raise young people, and building the kind of community that can see us through the apocalypse. She draws strength from her queer family, the living world, and learning from the complicated histories that made us who we are. Casey is a student of the Orphan Wisdom School, and is trained as a full-spectrum doula.
As the CUC’s Youth & Young Adult Program Manager, some of the ways Casey supports Canadian youth and young adult communities are by:
- Overseeing the planning of the National Youth and YA Conferences, CanUUdle and Chorus
- Supporting congregations in hosting regional cons and trainings
- Coordinating or overseeing CUC youth and young adult programs such as Rising Together, Gathered Here, the Pastoral Care Team and the Unicamp Young Adult Retreat
- Maintaining communications with youth and young adult communities and those that support them (youth advisors, ministers, religious educators) through email, Facebook and Instagram
- Supporting the Youth Observers on the Board of the CUC, particularly through the elections process
- Supporting youth and young adult involvement in other CUC programs and events
Get in touch with Casey:
Email: casey.stainsby@cuc.ca
Instagram: instagram.com/yayasofcanada
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caseystainsbycuc
Youth & Young Adult Ministry page: https://www.facebook.com/CUCyayaministry/