Love My Neighbor: Children & Youth at Fall Continuing Sessions
We had a great time together on Saturday,November 5! Children and Youth along with program staff explored What is a neighbor? How can I be a good neighbor? What would the world look like if we treated everyone as a neighbor?
There were games, stories, conversation, art, and a scavenger hunt for “neighborliness” in the Arch Street Meeting House neighborhood. We finished the program day with the creation of an ideal neighborhood based on all that we discussed and witnessed throughout the day on a large mural.
It was great to be together, across ages!
YPAC Minute of Support
The Youth Programs Advisory Committee expresses deep appreciation and acceptance for all LGBTQ+ youth, staff, families, and Friendly Presence volunteers in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and for all of the work done in the past to bring our Youth Programs to the place of inclusion and allyship, where they are now. We welcome and value inclusion as an integral part of the program. We endorse the continued goal to pursue full inclusion and are open to continue the process of adapting and improving in the spirit of community and continuing revelation. We value building and educating a Yearly Meeting that is responsive to the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.
Approved by the Youth Programs Advisory Committee May 18, 2022
Read more about celebrating and nurturing support for queer youth.
Invite the Program Staff to Visit Your Meeting
“It was such a blessing to have you take on the children’s program: the children had a wonderful, Quaker-based experience with you and those of us who usually try to provide a program for the kids could actually participate in the meeting for business. We really appreciate your willingness to help us give our young families reasons for attending Quarterly Meetings!”
– Quarterly Meeting Clerk
Children & Families (K-5th)
The Children & Families Program provides opportunities for children in Grades K-5 and their families to gather for fellowship, worship, learning, and service; we endeavor to form lifelong bonds to community, to Spirit, and to the Society of Friends. There are monthly programs, twice-annually family overnights at Quaker camps, and occasional “community playdates” and other events that gather families with children of all ages together with our wider Quaker Family of PYM.
Middle School Friends (6-8th) 
The “MSF” program provides middle schoolers in Grades 6-8 the opportunity to connect with one another across the yearly meeting. Together we create community, lift up and encourage youth leadership, and have ridiculous amounts of fun. It is hoped that by participating in the MSF program, they will come away with a better sense of what it means to be a Quaker, establish and maintain meaningful relationships with peers, and develop a sense of possibility for what being a Friend could mean for them in their lives today, and in the future.
Young Friends (9-12th) 
Young Friends is open to high-school aged folks in the PYM region to engage in community, spiritual exploration, personal and collective growth, and (perhaps most importantly), the fun and joy of being with other young Quakers and Quaker-friendly folks! The Young Friends program is directed by a dynamic collaboration between youth and adult leadership. Young Friends provides an opportunity for youth to experiment in and learn about leadership in a way that is distinctive to the Quaker community.
Friends Who Care For Youth 
Adults are companions to children on their journeys. The adults may be parents, grandparents, guardians, First Day program leaders and teachers, volunteer Friendly Presences, or simply allies and advocates for children. There are resources and communities for these Friends in the Yearly Meeting.