Children and youth will have space to be with one another during Annual Sessions. Some moments will be simple, and others will be full of creativity and play. The Youth Programs team is putting care into planning a weekend that feels welcoming and joyful. [Read more…] about A Weekend Together for Youth and Families
Middle School Friends
Welcome to the new and improved Middle School Friends Program!
With Daniel Doan bringing fresh energy and ideas, and Elizabeth Croce-Karaca’s decade of dedicated service, we are shaping a new vision for MSF—and we hope you’ll be part of it. These programs and retreats would not be possible without the wonderful middle schoolers across our yearly meeting. Bringing a friend is always welcome! [Read more…] about Welcome to the new and improved Middle School Friends Program!
This May with the Programs and Religious Life Team and Grant Opportunities to Know
This May, there are numerous programs available for Friends across the yearly meeting. Caln Quarter will gather at Camp Swatara from May 2 through May 4, with special programming for middle school and young Friends (ages 18 and under), along with a sizable Young Adult Friends (ages 18–35) group in attendance. The YAF community will also come together for a potluck on Friday, May 9. The following day, May 10, Gwynedd Friends Meeting and the Eco-Justice Collaborative will host a viewing of Citizen George, a documentary about Friend George Lakey, at the Ambler Movie Theater. The Disability and Caregiver Support Groups will continue to meet in May and will hold their final two sessions in June and July. Meanwhile, staff are preparing to launch registration for Annual Sessions, which will take place July 23–27 at Cheyney University. [Read more…] about This May with the Programs and Religious Life Team and Grant Opportunities to Know
This April with the Programs and Religious Life Team and Grant Opportunities to Know
The Programs and Religious Life Team has an abundant month of gatherings ahead, and they invite all to participate this April! [Read more…] about This April with the Programs and Religious Life Team and Grant Opportunities to Know
Young Friends Get Loud (and Stretchy!) in a Workshop on Navigating Disagreements
During Spring Continuing Sessions, at Arch Street Meeting House, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Young Friends (grades 8–12) led an interactive, intergenerational workshop on navigating disagreement—using humor, movement, and thoughtful reflection. [Read more…] about Young Friends Get Loud (and Stretchy!) in a Workshop on Navigating Disagreements
Quaker Families Continue To Build Community
Families from around Philadelphia Yearly Meeting gathered on February 22–23 at Camp Onas in Ottsville, PA, for PYM’s annual Winter Family Overnight! The weekend provided a chance for Quaker families to connect, build community, and step away from the busyness of everyday life. [Read more…] about Quaker Families Continue To Build Community
PYM Welcomes New Director of Development and Middle School Co-Facilitator
We are thrilled to welcome Joe Kirkenir as Director of Development (pictured left) and Daniel Doan as Middle School Co-Facilitator (pictured right). We are excited for the experience and dedication they will bring to their roles within PYM.
[Read more…] about PYM Welcomes New Director of Development and Middle School Co-Facilitator
Program & Religious Life | A Year in Review
Hello Friends,
How has spirit moved among us in 2024? As we, the staff of PYM’s Program and Religious Life Department, reflect on this question, we have many joyful tidings to share.
The Big Picture
This year we saw many examples on how being a part of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting community gives Friends a place to share their gifts and ask for support in times of need. This flow of sharing and receiving is a core part of what it means to be “part of the body.” Our PYM programs create spaces of joy, learning, spiritual nurture, and concrete resources. And none of it would be possible without Friends like you sharing their gifts, showing up, participating, and building community together. Thank you!
Read on to hear more about the programs and events we’re proud of this year.
[Read more…] about Program & Religious Life | A Year in Review
Ways to Connect Before Sessions
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting has multiple October events that will provide ways to engage within our community before Fall Continuing Sessions. Three opportunities include fellowship of the thread gathering, a family-centered peace-building event, or the collective discernment over climate during a virtual threshing session. Each of these events offers a unique opportunity to engage with the PYM community and prepare ourselves spiritually for the work ahead. Whether you are seeking fellowship, family engagement, or discernment on critical issues, these events will help ground us as we come together as a faith community:
Talking about the Election with Children and Youth
Authorship is credited to Melinda Wenner Bradley (West Chester Meeting), Quaker Religious Education Collaborative
The intensity of the election cycle is an experience both for adults and for the children and youth in our families and communities. Depending on their age, preschoolers to teens may be aware of the anxiety in the adults around them — and experiencing their own anxiety about the outcome of the election in November.
[Read more…] about Talking about the Election with Children and Youth
