Young Friends Working Group Meetings are usually held on Sundays, 2-5 PM at Friends Center, 15th & Cherry Streets, Philadelphia, PA. YF Business Meetings are held at the August Camp Onas Onas Gathering, the Halloween Gathering, the Christmas Gathering and the February Gathering. You are invited to participate. Dates and locations are posted on the Young Friends Home page. Ask for the Young Friends Working Group meeting at the front desk when you sign in.   Directions, Parking and a map to Friends Center

2010-02-21 Young Friends Business Meeting - Winter Gathering

 

2009-08-02 Young Friends Business Meeting at Yearly Meeting Summer Sessions, DeSales University

2008-10-26 Young Fiends Halloween Gathering Business Meeting

2008-08-20, Young Friends Camp Onas Business Meeting Minutes.

2010-02-21 Young Friends Business Meeting – Winter Gathering

1. Discernment dates for YF Clerks
Nominees: Ellen Bryer, Dan Hoskins, Cindy Tanzer, Alyssa Young
March 14th, Friends Center, 2010, 1:00-5:00 p.m.

2. Onas Theme
Ideas: Sex Camp (health, relationships, safety, acceptance, awareness, gender identity, communicating with partners, drugs and alcohol, abortion, adoption), Young Friends led workshops, Theater improv (a great way to explore ideas on any topic) and getting to know you games, simplicity and green ecology, different religions and getting to understand them better, music and expression, ministry (wrap that into what it means and how we do that regardless of the theme), ACTIVE workshops, arts camp, EXPRESSION

3. Opening games suggestions
Categories, Get to know you bingo, Alphabetize in silence, evolution with names (egg, chicken, dinosaur, superman, wise man), human knot, balloon basketball, ball passing, chin ball game, animal letter matching game, line up game, papers taped on backs, shoe swap Cinderella game, attraction-repulsion games, ‘PRUEY’

4. Announcements
ANNUAL SESSIONS IN MARCH: Work projects, taking public transportation, staying at Germantown, preregistration necessary!
Swatara will be posted soon.
Discernment will be posted this week.

5. Evaluation (see below)

Young Friends Business Meeting at Yearly Meeting Summer Sessions, DeSales University 8-2-2009

Business meeting began as we centered ourselves in worshipful silence.
As the first item of business, YF clerk Jenna Lombardo raised the concern that this year’s workshop sessions at Yearly Meeting Summer Sessions were lacking in interest and relevance for Young Friends. Young Friends concurred. The convener of next year’s Yearly Meeting Planning Committee, Amy Ward Brimmer, welcomes input from Young Friends on suggestions for better workshops. It was strongly recommended that two workshops of interest to Young Friends (either led by YF’s or led by leaders recommended and approved by YF’s) should be offered during each workshop session next year. A brainstorming session then ensued and the following workshops and possible leaders were recommended by Young Friends:
o Photography and Spirit
o Creative workshops involving clay or sidewalk chalks
o Tie Dye (either the traditional dye method or the Sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol method)
o Tony Vacca percussion workshop lasting the whole week
o John Watts music workshop
o Laura Smoot workshops on gender and sexuality or nutrition
o Jody and John Macaulay workshop about health of our physical bodies
o Carl Magruder workshop on living a life of integrity or earthcare issues
o John Scardina workshop on relationships, including music
o Workshops that are directly about the gathering theme that are engaging for YF’s
o YF leaders such as Ben Singer who led an awesome drumming workshop this year
o An Eyes Wide Open exhibit/experience or something similar dealing with current issues
o Richard Jerram’s “Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms of Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyric and Stillness” Dance/Movement workshop again
o Sculpting or clay workshop
o Zan Lombardo creative workshops
o Papermaking workshop
o Artistic Painting and Drawing workshop
o Painting Self Portraits workshop
o Zac Dutton Nonviolent Communication workshop
o Peace and Nonviolent Communication workshop with Coleman McCarthy
It was also noted that the speakers for annual sessions are often dull and YF’s recommend that dynamic speakers be sought out instead of authors of books who may be good writers but not necessarily good presenters. These topics will be put on the YF business meeting agenda for the March sessions of the Yearly Meeting in 2010. At that time we will know more and then can address them more thoroughly.

YF’s also expressed a wish for worship sharing to be held every day throughout the entire Yearly Meeting Summer Sessions gathering next year. A need was noted for Nurturing Committee to actively function at next year’s Yearly Meeting Summer Sessions gathering.

Letters of support and introduction were read for Nigel Buchanan-Wollaston visiting us from Baltimore Yearly Meeting and signed by the clerks. Friends agreed that Nigel’s presence was welcome and we hope he will attend more gatherings in the future. Encouragement was given to other YF’s to be open to leadings to do visitations like Nigel’s to learn about other yearly meetings. Sponsorship is needed first from PYM so a Young Friend can travel with a letter of introduction and support and an additional one from that YF’s monthly meeting.

Our brief and productive business meeting ended with a moment of silence before we headed off for a final meeting for worship with the larger gathering.

Respectfully submitted,
Zan Lombardo
YF Adult Co-clerk

October 26, 2008  Young Fiends Halloween Gathering, Burlington Meeting House Conference Center. Eric Frysinger, Recording Clerk

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Young Friends Meeting for Business for October 26, 2008, began with a period of silent worship.

Friends were welcomed by the Clerk and asked to raise a hand and wait to be called upon by the Clerk. The Clerk read the agenda and asked friends for its approval. One friend half-jokingly requested that “No Nipple Rule” be changed to “Equal Decency Guideline.” Friends approved the agenda, expressing relief at its miniscule length of only one major item, followed by announcements and an evaluation of the gathering.

First item: Equal Decency Guideline
To start things off by jumping right into things, a friend advocated changing the Equal Decency Guideline to allowing everyone to be shirtless. A friend suggested changing it to just the Decency guideline, where men would be allowed to be shirtless and women not, giving the reason that there is a different standard of decency for men than for woman. A friend mentioned that historical changes came about when people stood up and did something to make a change. A concerned friend suggested that this short time, approximately a half hour, allotted for Meeting for Business was not anywhere near long enough to discuss this problem. A friend suggested a compromise where people in main gathering areas have to keep their shirts on, but when walking back and forth to the bathroom, such as when getting ready for the day in the morning or when getting ready for bed at night, no shirts are fine. It was wisely pointed out that we should keep in mind United States law, and women can’t walk around shirtless. A friend said that perhaps we don’t actually have a strong desire to remove our shirts, but that we just don’t like having a rule that prohibits it, and would prefer to have the option, even if we would not exercise that privilege. Another friend said that it is “over romantic” to think that Young Friends can be different from the rest of the world, and that this community doesn’t have the “capacity for such a leap, and it would create an unsafe” environment for those who want to join and/or aren’t at this Business Meeting. A friend encouraged us to examine what the root purpose of this guideline actually is. He mentioned that it’s not really equal, citing that men don’t have to wear shirts for swimming. He said we should be respectful, so that we’re not going so “against the grain” that newcomers don’t feel welcome. A friend claimed that they feel the Equal Decency Guideline is good the way it is, saying that she isn’t very comfortable with guys being able to walk around without shirts and girls not, and that we either need to have this guideline or not, and that more people would be comfortable having it. Another friend mentioned that previously, everyone could wear sports bras. He reminisced about the days when sports bras were a hallmark of the Onas gathering, saying that he would love to see the tradition return. An unclear friend questioned if there was a problem with that, saying she didn’t remember any problems. A friend responded that it came up at Onas when a couple males decided not to follow that guideline and just walk around without shirts and that is why it was now on the agenda. Another friend said that he would like to hear the reasons why some people are fed up with the guideline. A friend responded that as long as enough of you is covered that everyone feels comfortable, things should be ok. Yet another friend said that this guideline doesn’t even matter until the spring or summer, obviously questioning why we were discussing this issue when winter is fast approaching and the weather is turning colder. A friend asked who would actually want to go topless, and remarked that although several people raised their hands, none of those who did were female. In response, a friend pointed out that someday some girl might come along who wants to go topless. A male friend said that the males of the group need to think about why people are doing this and take a look into a female perspective. A female friend said that even if no girls want to go topless, she would appreciate having the opportunity and choice in the matter. An adult friend said that she would have concerns about sending her daughter to a gathering where there was potential for she or other females to be topless. She would be concerned that not everyone would have the same level of concern for others or impulse control, and that could lead to safety issues. A friend said that whether or not it has to be equal was an issue that needs to be addressed. Another friend said that she thinks that if we decided that everyone could go topless, not many people would, and it would be a “meaningless proof” to the rest of the world that we’re equal, when there are many other things we could do to “promote equality and smash patriarchy!” She went on to say that deciding anything about this would be in vain in terms of the greater issues. A friend asked how many girls would be uncomfortable seeing a male shirtless at a gathering. Not many hands were raised, but it was noticed that even if no one taking part in the Business Meeting at the time would be uncomfortable, others who were not present might be. A friend asked why we should bring males down to make things equal instead of bringing females up. The friend was concerned about the oppression factor, and another friend responded that wearing a sports bra is not suppressive to either gender. There was much support, in the usual manner of wild hand gesticulation. A friend wondered how male Young Friends would get sports bras to wear. The group offered the suggestion that males borrow them from females. A friend commented that “a nipple is a nipple” so it doesn’t matter to her, it’s an individual choice, and seeing males shirtless has become a natural part of our generation. She added that there is no problem with sports bras. A friend asked who would be concerned about safety (harassment, rape, etc.), and many hands were raised. The Clerk declared that it was time to move on.

Announcements:
A friend announced the location of items left at the dance. A friend who had obviously not been paying very close attention made a comment about the Equal Decency Guideline. The Clerk and Adult Co-Clerk held aloft a “Thanks Cookie!” sign and announced the appreciation we, and all those Young Friends who have had the privilege of working with Cookie over the past thirty years, feel. Cookie responded with a heartfelt thank you. An excerpt from his message: “It was just a temporary job I took…30 years ago. This has been a gift to me, sometimes a very hard gift, sometimes a wonderful gift- most of the time a wonderful gift. I would like to thank all of the people who have been there for those 30 years.”

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Young Friends Meeting for Business for October 26, 2008, ended with friends requesting that Friendly Adult Presences leave. After a very, very brief period of silence, friends began their evaluation of the Halloween Gathering 2008 (see Halloween 2008 Evaluation).

Evaluation of Halloween Gathering

Ballin Things   
• Eli's DJ Dance
• Kurt's Food
• Friendly Adult Presences freaking awesome.
• John Scardina is a baller - Clearness
• Mysterious Workshop
               we love Cookies
• Wink
• The Ice Cream at Ummm's http://www.ummmicp.com/
• Late night
• Worship sharing
• Affirmation O
• Small groups were small, it was nice.

Not So Ballin Things
• Sleep more
• The music was way too Ballin (too loud)
• (Niki liked the ________?????)
• People didn't take worship sharing questions seriously

Hopes for Ballers to Come
• Really small worship sharing groups but have them conglomerate for work crews
• Delegate space for those who value sleep
• We Hope for Ballin ass gatherings to come to Come!

August 20, 2008 Onas 2008 Meeting For Business Minutes       Eric Frysinger, Recording Clerk

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Young Friends Meeting for Business for August 20, 2008, began with a period of silent worship.

Friends were welcomed by the clerk and asked to raise a hand and wait to be called upon by the clerk. The clerk asked Friends for approval of the agenda, during which a Friend requested that the agenda be read aloud. Friends then approved the agenda.

First item: Christmas theme
The clerk opened the discussion for ideas from friends. First, a friend suggested an arts and music gathering. Another friend requested clarification about why friends were asked this here instead of in a working group meeting. A request for time to contemplate was gladly obliged. After a short period of contemplation, a friend suggested drawing lessons as part of the music and arts gathering. A confused friend asked for clarification on whether the contemplation was for thinking of more theme ideas or for ideas for the arts and music gathering. Another friend showed support for arts and music gathering, and suggested theater, visual arts, music. Unable to remember properly, a friend asked for clarification on the theme of the last Christmas gathering, believing that it had something to do with arts and music. In response, a friend suggested a Quaker spin on the theme, which received support, in the form of much wild hand gesticulation. Clarification was asked about choosing workshops and whether friends are limited to one type of art/music. Young Friends reached consensus that friends should be able to attend a wide range of workshops, in order to better expand our horizons. A friend suggested painting and drawing in connection to spirituality, citing the example of art therapy. This led to a suggestion by a friend for a workshop on how music and religion relate. Friends once again gesticulated wildly, but the clerk, unable to comprehend exactly what was meant, asked for the speaker to clarify what exactly their idea entailed. Another friend suggested conflict resolution theater, mentioning a leader who led that workshop at a previous gathering. Keeping with the theatrical theme, a friend mentioned “theater of the oppressed” and offered to lead a workshop based on “painting what you hear.” Another friend mentioned a school study on doing multiple types of art at once. One friend suggested a workshop on Shakers. Someone suggested the not-entirely formulated idea of “arts in service to something.” The friend then elaborated on the idea, suggesting self-service, with workshops led by Young Friends for adult friends, which received popular support in the usual manor (crazy hand motions). A friend mentioned making a video or other type of multi-media presentation to show the world what we do, reach out to adults, and show what we stand for. Another friend elaborated calling this “community expression” as opposed to self-expression. Yet another friend expanded further on this, suggesting a video about ourselves to use for self and FAP recruitment. A concerned friend pointed out that “Young Friends Christmas Gathering is not that long, and that Cookie said this at working group but that Christmas Gathering is like a normal weekend with 1.5 more days, and it is not that long; the video idea is great, but video editing or multimedia editing is a ton of work.” Cookie agreed and suggested starting this project at Christmas Gathering or sooner, and use the week at Onas to edit the video, but said it might be better to do so before that so we could show the video at Residential Yearly Meeting. A friend suggested filming at multiple gatherings and using a mix of live and still film, and another friend added the idea of taking photos of works of art made by Young Friends. A friend countered with a suggestion of physically bringing the works of art. Friends approved taking these ideas and moving on to the next item, per request of the clerk.

Second Item: February Gathering- George Lakey
Cookie explained that George Lakey ran an organization (name?) and it always used to be necessary to notify him several years in advance of the gathering. He does things such as nonviolent peace action, and Cookie suggested asking him what topic he’s excited about. A friend told about a workshop taken with Lakey about class differences and expressed excitement over how focused, skilled, and engaging Lakey was. Friends approved requesting Lakey to help with the gathering. A friend asked why this was on the agenda, and another friend responded that he is a “big wig” among Quakers and his coming is an honor, and explained that Lakey would be running an entire day’s worth of activities or perhaps even more. The clerk reiterated this explanation. A friend said that he is also a Broadway music expert, and requested that we include this somehow. Cookie related a story about this. At the conclusion of the story, friends agreed to move on to the next item in the interest of time.

Third Item: FAP recruitment
The clerk outlined the problem of not having enough male Friendly Adult Presences (FAPs) and no new FAPs. Cookie said that it’s positive that we have a group of consistently attending FAPs, but the down side is that the numbers are dwindling and if regulars are unable to attend, it lowers the pool even more, possibly to the point of turning away Young Friends. A friend asked about the possibility of tuition benefits for Young Friends who recruit FAPs, but another friend felt uncomfortable with the idea, saying that it sounds like bribery. A FAP stressed the importance of inviting adults to gatherings to court them and show that they are not only needed, but valued and wanted, and explained that in her own Meeting, the adults don’t know how to approach younger friends, saying that adults are “fond and afraid.” She said that if we actively asked adult friends to participate, it would encourage them to FAP for gatherings. Another friend from the same Meeting explained that at that Meeting, Young Friends had run opening exercises to make themselves seem more approachable, using a panel. Adults opened up and the gap was bridged. A friend suggested having inter-generational worship sharing at Residential Yearly Meeting, a strategy that has worked before, and hands were flapped in approval. Another friend suggested Young Friend hosted activities, such as talent shows, games, or other such activities. One friend said that during carpooling, she discusses who to invite to FAP, and then asks the adult friends who were suggested if they will FAP. She went on to suggest that Young Friends should ask adults to FAP, because it makes the adult feel wanted. A friend asked about the fame of Young Friends, and how many people know it. Cookie elaborated that some Meetings know more than others. A friend also answered that it depends on the individual, but people don’t really know unless they share in the experience. Another friend explained an idea that during announcements at individual meetings, Young Friends could announce a need for FAPs, and that would make adults more likely to want to participate. A friend mentioned making a video for recruitment. Another friend’s suggestion of creating a Young Friends music video was met with semi-approving hilarity. The subject of FAP recruitment then morphed into Young Friend recruitment.

Fourth Item: YF recruitment
A friend explained that they used the Young Friends web site to get an idea about Young Friends and suggested using stories written by Young Friends to put on the web site, which would further flesh out what the Young Friends program is. The clerk mentioned a surplus in the scholarship fund and asked for recruitment ideas. A friend suggested writing answers to worship sharing questions, and giving them to Cookie for quotation on the web site. Another friend asked for clarification on what the question would be. The friend who made the original suggestion agreed to differ to nurturing committee. A concerned friend requested anonymity on the answers. A friend offered praise to Cookie, calling him a “wonderful person” and repeated something said by Cookie or Elizabeth Walmsley (he couldn’t remember which) “a while ago,” “the Burlington conference center is a wonderful place and it is so tempting to hold many gatherings there, however, one of the great ways to recruit new Young Friends, and FAPs for that matter, is to take conferences to more meetings, and that is a nightmare for Cookie, but it works.” A friend asked for clarification on the Young Friends program’s relationship with Middle School Friends and middle schooler recruitment and suggested recruitment of middle schoolers. A friend mentioned that her Meeting had many middle schoolers; another friend mentioned a specific middle schooler, who received lots of cheering from other members of his Meeting. A friend suggested communication with middle schoolers, and there was a suggestion for outreach at Swatara. The idea of 8th graders being included with Young Friends at Swatara was brought up, but before it could be thoroughly discussed, a friend’s cell phone rang, and he departed with apologies drowned out by uproarious laughter. A friend talked about doing a work camp in Philly in 8th grade with the high school kids, and suggested allowing 8th graders to join in on smaller gatherings. Another friend reminisced about being invited to play Wink and other games with the Young Friends when she was in middle school. Another friend talked about Young Friends FAPing for Middle School Friends, which has been proven a good recruitment tactic. A friend suggested 8th graders being considered Young Friends at a certain gathering. The clerk requested noting this suggestion and moving on, which was approved, yet again with the hands. A friend showed support for Young Friends FAPing at Middle School Friends. Another friend spoke to that, saying that he became psyched about Young Friends after meeting a cool Young Friend who FAPed an Middle School Friends gathering. A friend mentioned other Young Friends from her Meeting helpfully, and apparently somewhat annoyingly, badgering her until she came. Other friends showed support for being recruited at Meetings. Another friend offered to talk to Elizabeth Walmsley about recruitment. A friend, who will be a clerk of the Quaker Leadership Program at Westtown School for the 2008-2009 school year, offered to use “shameless plugs” for Young Friends. Cookie told what for him was a rather short story about being a part of an outreach program and said that groups tend to put their efforts into the least effective method; adding that the number one recruitment method was invitation. A friend named another friend who is “personally responsible” for her recruitment. A suggestion was made for letting Young Friends know about Middle School Friends gathering dates for the purpose of FAPing. A friend asked about recruiting non-Quakers and whether that is permissible. Following affirmation that non-Quakers are indeed allowed, another friend asked about reaching out to Friends Schools in the area and announcing that Young Friends is recruiting. Friends then moved on to the next item on the agenda.

Fifth Item: Working group
A volunteer explained the idea behind working group meetings and expressed knowledge about inconvenience of location and mentioned the enticingly delicious chocolate chip soda bread served at every meeting. A friend said that anyone who attends should load their cars up with people to bring, because working group meetings plan out gatherings, so the more Young Friends present, the better. It was silently noted by the Recording Clerk that this would sadly mean less chocolate chip soda bread per individual, but it was a sacrifice for a worthy cause. Another friend showed support for filling up cars. When a friend asked about location, mentioning renovations at the Friends Center, Cookie clarified that the location may have to be altered. A friend requested dates be sent out, and Cookie responded that they are, and they are also on the website. Friends eagerly moved on to the sixth and final item, other than announcements, on the agenda.

Sixth Item: Nurturing committee concerns
A representative from the Nurturing Committee brought forth a question: What do the guidelines mean to the community? Should they be changed, and if so, how? An option was presented for a discussion to be held during worship sharing time. A friend raised a concern that worship sharing is too important to Young Friends, and also to himself personally, to be missed. Another friend said that there isn’t much chance to have this discussion beyond the present or worship sharing. A member of nurturing committee clarified that the intent was to have a discussion as a whole group, the whole community discussing the guidelines. In response to a query as to whether the discussion would be mandatory or voluntary, another member of the Nurturing Committee said that it was assumed people would want to go. It was clarified that this could be similar to a worship sharing and could end up being a very spiritual activity. Friends approved having this discussion, and then continued to debate the details. A friend, speaking for the Nurturing Committee, said that Nurturing Committee decided that this discussion would not be a formal Meeting for Business, and therefore no business decisions would be made, so that everyone would be able to talk more openly. A friend asked about whether we should focus on a specific guideline, and it was clarified that we should focus on the guidelines as a whole. A friend asked for clarification on timing of the discussion. Consensus was reached for having the discussion during worship sharing time. The clerk happily announced that we had “Finally made it to announcements” and there was much rejoicing.

Announcements:
A friend congratulated the clerks on a job well done, much to the embarrassment of the Recording Clerk, whose work had yet to be viewed. Another friend announced a discussion about Adult Young Friends, to be held at dinner. A friend asked for the age range for this meeting, and it was suggested friends who fall within the age range of 18-35 should attend. A friend announced the creation of a lost and found table. Wink was announced for 4:00 PM.

Friends closed with a period of worshipful silence. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Young Friends Meeting for Business for August 20, 2008, concluded on a positive note. Very restless friends dispersed for a lively and highly competitive game of Wink.

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