Young Friends is for any high-school-aged person interested in experiencing Quaker community. You do not have to be a Quaker or attend a meeting to come! Young Friends is an LGBTQ+ affirming community, and it welcomes those from all backgrounds and walks of life. To help distinguish Young Friends from other stages of community life, we have laid out the following explanation for how entry into and graduation from the program works in Young Friends.
How entry and graduation works
Generally, young people are expected to attend Young Friends for no more than the 4 years between the July before they enter high school (9th grade, or the academic year in which a child turns 15 for homeschoolers) and the August after they graduate high school (or the equivalent for homeschoolers). The Young Friends Program offers two summer gatherings (Annual Sessions in July and the Late Summer Gathering in August), and both of these gatherings welcome those who are just entering high school and those who have just graduated from high school. When a new Young Friend attends their first gathering it is very important that they attend the full event, arriving on time for opening games and explanations the first night! This is a vital orientation to the community for newcomers.
There are some cases in which a Young Friend may be able to spend a 5th year in the Young Friends program, like if they have repeated a year in high school. Young people who would like to continue in Young Friends after their 4 years and feel they have this or a comparable situation should alert the Young Friends Facilitator — decisions will be made on a case by case basis by Young Friends staff and the Youth Religious Life Coordinator. Factors include but are not limited to: the individual’s behavior in and contribution to the Young Friends program in the past and the degree to which the individual has an adult life and adult privileges that might clash with the requirements of the Young Friends program.
The Young Adult Friends Program welcomes all those 18 and older who are no longer in high school (or the equivalent homeschooling experience) with open arms! Generally, the Young Adult Friends Program expects to see new attendees after Annual Sessions – those who have just graduated from high school should attend Annual Sessions as Young Friends rather than Young Adult Friends. Those who are 18 and would like to attend Annual Sessions (or an earlier Young Adult Friends event) may be in touch with the Young Adult Friends staff to explore this option. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. Anyone who does attend a Young Adult Friends event may not attend any further Young Friends gatherings. Once you decide you would like to join the Young Adult Friends community at an upcoming event or retreat (whether it’s a short evening event or a full weekend or longer event), it’s time to say goodbye to Young Friends.
As Young Friends graduate they or their parents may want to change the email notifications they are receiving from the Young Friends program. Anyone can do this by visiting pym.org and scrolling down to the section titled “Subscribe to Online Newsletters.” Next, type the email address in question in the blank and hit “submit,” and it is possible to see all the PYM email lists that apply to that address, as well as modify them.
