Why Join Young Friends?
Hey teens! This is Tara and Clare, the co-facilitators for the super awesome, brand-new program for 8th-12th graders. We know spring is a busy season and you might be wondering whether this program is something you really want to make time for. So let us tell you a little bit more about the program and about us!
Who are “Young Friends”
For over 40 years, teenage Quakers and their Quaker-curious friends have been a force of youth activism, radical spirituality, and the creators of a powerful youth-centered community in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. We’ve taken part in learning and action on environmental issues, LGBTQIA+ identity, anti-racism, Indigenous rights, and more. But if you ask anyone who has been a part of Young Friends, they’ll tell you that the best part is being in a group that is fully accepting of each other. We have fun in Young Friends, even while we’re working on big ideas and issues.
The New Young Friends…and why you should join!
The new Young Friends community will continue this legacy, but in new ways. The spring pilot program needs teens like you to try out our new model. You will:
- Meet 3 times in person and 4 times online
- Participate in workshops (like Queer theology, prison reform)
- Play games, eat pizza and go on at least one nature adventure
- Give feedback and help plan the program for next school year
Participants who complete the program will receive a $300 stipend, in recognition of your gifts shared in this co-creating. You can also log community service hours for school. It’s a great resume-builder, plus you are genuinely helping create something awesome for new generation of Young Friends!
Find the Young Friends Interest Form here
About Tara and Clare
Clare has been the Young Friends facilitator since 2021, creating and running programs for PYM youth. She has worked for almost a decade with Quaker youth, in both PYM and at Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s summer camps, working with children and teens to create radically inclusive and welcoming communities.
She is so excited to launch this program!
Tara has created and/or supervised programs for teens that support LGBTQ identity, drag performance; spirituality, anti-racism, mythology and magic, community building, sexual wellness and body positivity. She is a former co-facilitator of PYM Middle School Friends, and so excited to be back with PYM youth program!
