Julie Franzini, Youth Advisor

Together with the Lifespan Religious Education team, Julie collaborates to bring balanced religious education programming to The First Church in Belmont.  This is Julie’s 4th year at First Church where she  thoroughly enjoys overseeing the youth programs.

Julie completed her Master of Arts in Intercultural, Service, Leadership and Management and her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with minors in Political Science and Global Studies.  Her passion is connecting communities with faith development and educational programs that foster spiritual growth and a commitment to social justice.  Over the past eight years Julie has worked both domestically and internationally in the field of education as a classroom teacher, popular educator, youth activist group coordinator and study abroad program manager.

Currently Julie is completing the requirements for the UUA’s Religious Educator Credentialing Program at the Master Level.  She has always had a calling to be an educator and after having had the privilege of working with UU youth who are filled with idealism, energy, love and a genuine desire to create a world with justice, equity and compassion in human relations, she is thrilled to hone in on Religious Education.

As Youth Advisor, Julie organizes and implements the Coming of Age program for 9th graders and Youth Group for youth in grades 10-12.  She leads retreats and service-learning initiatives, oversees the youth-led worship services, promotes social justice through the exploration of ethical issues and helps the youth create a sense of community.  Most importantly perhaps, Julie supports the youth as they develop leadership and facilitation skills.  She loves witnessing the transformation of youth into young adults and hopes that many of them will become lifelong UUs, who know our religion to be a powerful mechanism for spiritual growth and social change.

Outside of the church, Julie teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) and Adult Basic Education (ABE) to parents who have children in Boston Public Schools and coordinates interpretation requests through the Boston Interpreters Collective.  In her free time Julie loves being outdoors – hiking, biking, kayaking and rollerblading.  She lives in Malden with her black lab, Abby.