Grand Marais UCC youth advocacy group headed to Washington D.C. in July

Kalli Hawkins | June 5, 2023

A small group of youth who are a part of the Pizza and Social Justice group at the Grand Marais United Church of Christ (UCC) are headed down to Washington D.C. July 21-28 to learn about social justice movements and advocate for environmental and world justice issues.

“That’s kind of our mission is to educate and also learn,” Kyla Knapper, a youth group member at UCC, said.

The Pizza and Social Justice group gathers monthly on Wednesdays at UCC to discuss local, national, and international social justice topics.

“I feel really in power when I’m part of the church, and especially the youth group,” Knapper said. “And it’s all just like super powerful.”

Knapper said the UCC youth group often participates in regional and national trips yearly; however, during COVID, the annual trips were postponed. 2023 is the first year that the youth trips have returned.

Knapper said she looks forward to visiting Washington D.C., seeing the historical monuments, and connecting with the other UCC youth members.

Once the youth advocacy group returns from their trip in July, they will hold a community dinner at the church and share highlights of the trip.

To learn more about the UCC youth advocacy trip, visit the UCC website.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Kyla Knapper, a youth group member at UCC, about the upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. Audio below.