The PYM Middle School Friends program provides middle schoolers the opportunity to connect with one another across the yearly meeting. Together we will create community, lift up and encourage leadership, explore what it means to be Quaker, and have ridiculous amounts of fun!
Coming Up Next: Spring Gathering at Camp Swatara!
May 4-6, 2018!
Register here and note: registration closes April 20!
The Camp Swatara gathering bridges the community of Young Friends and 6th-8th grade Quaker and Quaker-friendly folks! We’ll open with games and worship sharing on Friday night, and on Saturday everyone will have the opportunity to hike the rock pile and part of the Appalachian Trail (though there will be an alternate activity for those who do not want to hike). Saturday will continue with workshops and community with Caln Quarter, finishing the day off with singing at the traditional bonfire (weather permitting). On Sunday morning both MSF and YF programs will join together for a bridging ceremony, in which current 8th graders will be welcomed into the Young Friends program and 12th graders will be welcomed by Young Adult Friends, followed by closing worship with Caln Quarter.
Welcome to the Middle School Friends Program
The goal of the Middle School Friends program is supporting the spiritual growth Friends, and friends of Friends, who are in that peculiar and wonderful stage of life commonly known as middle school. It is hoped that by participating in the MSF program, Friends will come away with a better sense of what it means to be a Quaker, establish and maintain meaningful relationships with other Quakers their age, develop a sense of possibility for what being Quaker could mean for them in their lives today, and in the future.
The PYM Middle School Friends program holds yearly-meeting wide weekend-long gatherings for Friends and friends of Friends in Grades 6-8. A typical gathering consists of about 35 middle schoolers and 10 adults (staff and volunteers). Our program is a mix of play, discussion, spiritual education, arts/music, and community-building activities. Learn more about our gatherings here!
The Middle School Friends community is incredibly grateful to the many volunteers who donate their time and energy to the MSF program. We are always looking for people who are energetic, playful, spiritually grounded, interested in hanging out with middle schoolers, and able to sleep on a meeting-house floor for a weekend. If this sounds like a good time to you, check out our volunteers page and be in touch with the Youth Engagement Coordinator!