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Read about Young Friends service and fun at the Bucks Peace Fair!
Watch this space for information about the Winter Gathering Retreat!
ALL participants in the Young Friends program will need to have a Health/Permission form on file, which is good from July to June each year, as well as the Young Friends Guidelines form.
What to Expect at a Weekend Retreat
In coming to a Young Friends gathering, be prepared to fully participate in the community! This means sharing yourself and learning about others, working hard and having fun in a number of different ways.
Most Young Friends gatherings happen in meetinghouses of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting region. We sleep on the floor, prepare meals in the kitchen, and join the host meeting for worship on Sunday morning, getting to know a new space and community of PYM.
Lots of different activities happen at Young Friends gatherings, like workshops, worship, chores, and both structured and unstructured play-time. We gather for these activities both as one large group and in small groups, meeting as a whole group on the first night to get to know one-another and go over guidelines and schedule, and later for worship in the morning, announcements before meals and a full-group workshop. Everyone gets assigned to a small group for the whole gathering, with whom they meet each night for worship sharing as well as throughout the day for chores, like preparing or cleaning up after a meal, cleaning bathrooms, or tidying up after late-night snacks. We also often do some workshops in groups that split by interest.
In addition to the workshop and chores mentioned above, we typically have a large block of free time in which Young Friends can take a walk, relax with friends, or do homework.
When it’s bedtime each Young Friend has to find the person responsible for the bedtime headcount (usually the Assistant) and let them know that they are present before going to sleep! This check-in process usually starts around 11pm with the goal of being settled for bed by 11:30pm, but anyone can check-in and go to bed before that time if they so desire.
On the last morning of a gathering our goal is to pack up (even before going to breakfast!), clean the meetinghouse, close our time together as Young Friends, join the host meeting’s worship, and get lots of hugs as we depart to hold us until the next gathering!
Packing List for Overnight Programs
- Seasonally appropriate clothing, including cooler clothes (for hot days or stuffy rooms) and warmer clothes (for cold weather or air conditioning). Swim suit and rain gear may be necessary in warmer weather!
- Pajamas in which you will be comfortable being seen and others will be comfortable seeing you.
- Bedding: sleeping mat or blow-up mattress, pillow, sheets & blankets or sleeping bag.
- Toiletries: all your normal stuff plus sunscreen and bug-spray in the summer.
- Other: water bottle, flashlight & batteries, games, craft materials, and musical instruments.
Upcoming . . .
Please keep an eye on the PYM website for information about upcoming events. Sign up here to receive updates and news about Young Friends program events.
Youth-Led Meeting for Worship (on pause)
Quaker youth in Grades 6th-12th are invited to worship together in a youth-centered space.
The 30-minute online worship will be hosted by PYM Youth Programs staff and youth will have care of meeting for the community. All youth are invited: current participants in the Middle School Friends and Young Friends programs, and Friends new to the PYM youth community. This is a youth-centered space, and registration is for youth in Grades 6-12. The two staff members who will host the online space will be responsible for Zoom and following PYM online youth safety guidelines. Youth members of our Youth Programs community, like the Young Friends Nurture Committee, will have care of worship.