n Oct 5-8 I participated in a wonderful conference for FGC teens called Young Quakes.This year's conference was held in Burlington, New Jersey.This is only the third Young Quakes that has been held, and I regret that next year's gathering will have to be my last as I will begin my senior year.

Young Quakes is different from the FGC teen group in that it is a smaller group of people (44 teens this year).This enables us to form a more tightly knit community. Being shorter than the FGC Gathering, there is more structured activity and less free time. Although having more free time is great, the time was well spent and helped encourage a more spiritual atmosphere at Young Quakes.This was my second Young Quakes and I wouldn't miss one for the world.

I came up in a van from North Carolina full of teens.After the wonderful experience of Young Quakes the year before, I knew much of what to expect and was giddily excited to be going.The workshops, plenaries, and activities were great, often fun and entertaining as well as educational. Young Quakes is a unique and life changing experience. Many of my friends there said that it was one of or even the best week they have ever had. I whole-heartedly agree that it was one of the best weeks, only to be compared with the Young Quakes of last year. Many of my friends also told me that with the terrible news of the bombing of Afghanistan there was no place they would rather have been.

That day, October 7th, most of the teens went outside to frolic by the river and enjoy our free time.We formed a circle and were playing "duck duck goose" when someone came over to tell us that the bombing had begun.After that nobody wanted to play, and the circle became a prayer circle. Many spoke and some cried.We all helped to comfort and support each other with many hugs and inspiring messages.After a while it was suggested that the prayer circle be moved inside out of the cold.As we went the short way back to the conference center we linked arms and walked along the road singing songs about peace as a small protest to what was happening.As we got back inside we went into the dining hall and listened to the frightening words of President Bush on the radio. Then we reformed our circle on the floor with a candle in the middle and worshipped. Many songs were sung and many people spoke.We did our best to console one another and come up with positive ways of dealing with this crisis. Once we all calmed down we continued with our regular schedule. Afterwards we all signed the peace testimony and tacked it up outside the meeting house.We also made black armbands to wear to protest the war.We had much discussion about it in support groups.

Many people said that it was wonderful to be surrounded by a community who understood what you were feeling at such a time and that they didn't know what they would have done if they had been home. I personally don't think I could have handled it very well, being surrounded by war hawks and those who cheer for war and crow for justice when they are doing something so horrible.There is certainly no place I would rather have been. Young Quakes is a wonderful conference with a strong sense of community and I am blessed to have been a part of it.

ur family was very personally involved in the events of the World Trade Center. Son Tim was working on the 85th floor of the North Tower, the first tower hit. He and his work colleagues spent the next one and one quarter hours in the stairwells, finding their way out of the building that was clearly buckling. Tim remained calm by humming,"How can I keep from dying" to the tune of "How can I keep from singing" under his breath on the way down. He and his office colleagues emerged safely from the North Tower just in time to outrun dust and debris as the South Tower collapsed. In the meantime, we spent four horrifying hours, numbly packing to await the bad news with our daughter in Minneapolis-only, miracle of miracles, to hear via e-mail and his mother-in-law that Tim was safe. Husband Steve and I did drive to daughter Tanya's and to New Jersey where we gathered for meeting for worship in Tim and Melinda's living room.What sorrow and what joy!

We also went to the Jersey City docks where we joined others in quietly watching the massive smoke plume rising from the wreckage.We went to Union and Washington Squares in Manhatten as well. I was told that the Quakers had put up large pieces of canvas on the fence of Washington Square, with a canister of markers next to each piece. People could then write their thoughts on the canvas.Thoughts ranged from memorials to the missing and peace messages to some of hate and revenge. It was comforting to see that there were very few of the latter.

The sights of these memorials, prayers, and quotes gave rise to a suggestion for meetings-to create your own piece of canvas with the thoughts of your meeting. People could add their thoughts out of silence as time goes on. I have not spoken with any Friends in New York, and consequently do not know the future of the panels that they put up. I have wondered if Friends would like to display them at Yearly Meetings? The FGC Gathering? The Mall in D.C.? If anyone out there is moved to do some organizing or knows of someone who is, please let me know. [Friends who wish to contact Mary may do so through Michael Gibson, Religious Education Coordinator, at michaelg@fgcquaker.org, or by writing him at the FGC address.]

The material for this lesson plan comes via Jeanne Lohman, Quaker poet and aunt of my dear elder in Menomonie, Dottie Bacon.The material was originally written by Chris Corrigan.

My daughter Aine and I were walking in the woods today playing a game. She was pretending that there were monsters in the forest and that they were coming to eat us.We had to be vigilant.We had to defend ourselves. I asked her "What is the plan? What are we going to do if we see one of the monsters?"

She replied,"Feed them." "Feed them?" I said."Yes," she said. "If we feed them they won't want to eat us."

I think she has the answer there. Imagine if George Bush took that $40 billion that Congress gave him and used it to feed people. Heck, take $20 billion to fix up US security and clean up New York and use the other half to feed people. And not just feed them with food.

What if we decided that people's spirits needing feeding too? What if we chose to take $1 billion and build the biggest, most beautiful mosque in the world, right in the heart of Kabul.And what if we gave it as a gift, no quid pro quo, as a place for people to feed their spirits? What would the reaction be? What do we want the reaction to be?

We have choices. Seems we could bomb innocent people to death and celebrate, mirroring the images of September 11, and thereby satisfy our thirst for vengeance. But what would that get us? A world that so admired the West that it wanted to emulate it in every way and celebrates its way of life? Or would a large part of the 5 billion people that don't live in the west see things differently? Would more people feel as if vengeance was the only possible response, and figure out more simple and effective ways to terrorize? We can have that kind of world if we choose it.

Or we can take Aine's advice and feed people. And what would that get us? There is no better way to rob the world of it's anger and bitterness, jealousy and hate, than to feed people unconditionally ...feed their bodies, minds and spirits. Build places of learning, places of spirit, places for healing and nourish-ment, places of community.Take that $40 billion dollars and spend it in every neighborhood in the world. Put the world to work growing food, healing people, restoring land and water, building communities, creating the thin fibres of connection between peoples, families, communities, cities, nations...."If we feed them they won't want to eat us." Can you think of a better form of security?

CHRIS CORRIGAN,CONSULTATION-FACILITATION
OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Process (for intergenerational use):

1. Read the above.

2. Discuss questions out of the Silence, using a worship sharing technique that encourages listening and respect of each individual. Divide into small groups for this worshipful spoken response.This provides the opportu-nity for everyone to speak in a large group and for adults to listen to children.

3. Respond by writing or drawing on your peace canvas or quilt, which we hope may be displayed somewhere for the general public and news media.

There are many people out there who are ready to turn to Friends Meetings as a spiritual home these days.This could be an opportunity to invite others to your intergenerational First Day School and to reach out into your community as you continue to work through peaceful responses to recent events..

This second lesson plan in my Peace and Justice series is entitled "A Pilot's Speech" and is forwarded through a chain of people, most recently my Menomonie elder, Dotty Bacon.

1. Read or tell the following story:

A Pilot's Story

The following is from a letter by a professional friend about her return flight to D.C. in September.

I just wanted to drop you all a note and let you know that I arrived safe and sound into Dulles Airport tonight [9/15] at about 6:00. It was an interesting flight.The airport in Denver was almost spooky, it was so empty and quiet. No one was in line for the security check point when I got there so that went fairly quickly, just x-ray of my bags and then a chemical test to be sure nothing explosive was on them.Then I waited 2-1/2 hours to board the plane.What happened after we boarded was interest-ing and thought I would share it with you.

The pilot/captain came on the loudspeaker after the doors were closed. His speech went like this:"First I want to thank you for being brave enough to fly today.The doors are now closed and we have no help from the outside for any problems that might occur inside this plane. As you could tell when you checked in, the government has made some changes to increase security in the airports.They have not, however, made any rules about what happens after those doors close. Until they do that, we have made our own rules and I want to share them with you. Once those doors close, we only have each other.The security has taken care of a threat like guns with all of the increased scanning, etc.Then we have the supposed bomb. If you have a bomb, there is no need to tell me about it, or anyone else on this plane; you are already in control. So, for this flight, there are no bombs that exist on this plane. Now, the threats that are left are things like plastics, wood, knives, and other weapons that can be made or things like that which can be used as weapons.

"Here is our plan and our rules. If someone or several people stand up and say they are hijacking this plane, I want you all to stand up together.Then take whatever you have available to you and throw it at them.Throw it at their faces and heads so they will have to raise their hands to protect themselves.The very best protection you have against knives are the pillows and blankets.Whoever is close to these people should then try to get a blanket over their head-then they won't be able to see. Once that is done, get them down and keep them there. Do not let them up. I will then land the plane at the closest place and we WILL take care of them.After all, there are usually only a few of them and we are 200+ strong! We will not allow them to take over this plane. I find it interesting that the U.S. Constitution begins with the words 'We, the people'-that's who we are,THE people and we will not be defeated."

With that, the passengers on the plane all began to applaud, people had tears in their eyes, and we began the trip toward the runway.The flight attendant then began the safety speech. One of the things she said is that we are all so busy and live our lives at such a fast pace. She asked that everyone turn to their neighbors on either side and introduce themselves, tell each other some-thing about their families and children, show pictures, whatever. She said "for today, we consider you family.We will treat you as such and ask that you do the same with us."

Throughout the flight we learned that for the crew, this was their first flight since Tuesday's tragedies. It was a day that everyone leaned on each other and together everyone was stronger than any one person alone. It was quite an experience. You can imagine the feeling when that plane touched down at Dulles and we heard,"Welcome to Washington Dulles Airport, where the local time is 5:40 pm." Again, the cabin was filled with applause.

2. After reading the story, there may be some discussion around the following questions:

a. For children: Do you have any bullies in your school or neighborhood? What do you do when someone picks on you? Or, worse yet, have you ever felt that people are ganging up on you? What did you do then? (This is an opportunity for adults to listen to the real, everyday traumas of children. Children are being asked to speak from experiences in their lives, not about something that they have seen on television.) And for adults:What do you say to children who are being picked on? What do you say to the bully?

b. For everyone:When our lives are being threatened, what are some ways that we may defend ourselves without killing the other person?

A possible next lesson:

1. Read the original version of the story, Fierce Feathers by L.V. Hodgkin. I have recently reprinted this story in Quakers I and II because it says so much about the power of worship and the ways that God may work in the lives of individual leaders with the support of the entire meeting.

2. Response activity:This is an excellent story to act out with your entire meeting in your meeting room.

3. Some ideas for adult and teen discussion:

a. Talk about the differences between non-violent protest and self-protection.

b. Consider the differences between having Native Americans come into a meeting for worship and Arabs destroying financial and economic space.

c. Does your meeting have leaders like Robert Nisbet and Zebulon Hoxie? In what way are leadership styles similar? Different?

d. How might you feel empowered to act as a commu-nity, say as role models or by offering non-violent training to the larger community in which you live? This is assuming that someone in your meeting is already trained in non-violent protest. It seems to me that Friends could begin to do some work in non-violent self protection, a concept that has been hovering in the wings for years..

After being in New Jersey and New York following September 11, I am finding that two comments from that trip stick with me on a daily basis.The first comment is from a friend:

"This is a wake-up call for Americans to examine the ways in which we live."

And, found hanging on a fence in Union Square:

"Peace will not come through a clash of arms but of Justice lived." Gandhi Resource book: The Mystic Heart of Justice: Restoring Wholeness in a Broken World, Denise Breton and Stephen Lehman. Chrysalis Books, http://www.swedenborg.com, 2001. See especially "Protecting Relationships by Changing Cultural Patterns," page 237.

Process:

1. While gathering, sing several peace songs. Peace I Ask of Thee Oh River is a favorite of mine.

2. Read the above quotes to the group. It might help to write them on a board or large piece of paper. Ask the group if anyone would like to add quotes from their experience, the recent Friends Journal, etc.

3. Ask the group to go into silence and respond to the reading through writing, drawing, or sculpting.The following questions may serve as "pump primers." They are NOT to be answered one by one as on a test. In fact, please note that there are NO right or wrong answers.And, the questions are rhetorical.

a. What words or phrases in these quotes spoke to your condition?

b. Play with these two words: peace, justice. How are they related? Separated? What aspects of these two concepts are similar? Different?

c. Justice: In what ways do you feel that you are living justly? What areas could use some work or improve-ment? What are you and Friends in your meeting currently doing to live justice in your community? With those with whom you work? At school?

d. Then think about peace.What contributes to your own sense of peace, peace within you? What are you and Friends in your meeting currently doing to live peace in your community? With those with whom you work? At school?

e. Are we as Friends finding ways to educate others in ways to live peace and justice? Are we looking at the possible reasons someone wants to destroy us? Are we sharing lessons in the psychological as well as physical effects of bombing?

f. And how about our national leaders? In what ways are we walking with them as they make decisions? How are we conveying our sense of peace and justice to them?

This lesson plan has not been tested. If you use this lesson, Mary Snyder and Michael Gibson would be delighted to receive feedback from you.

1. Am I fully at peace with my body, accepting with grace the genetic material I have inherited?

2. Do I have any expectations of myself or of others (family, friends, meeting members, coworkers) which, however subtly or unintentionally, do violence or other harm?

3. Isaac Penington wrote that "it is good for thy spirit and greatly to thy advantage to be much and variously exercised by the Lord." How have you been "exercised by the Lord" in recent months?

4. What is the Spirit calling forth in you in these days of violence, hatred and fear?