Vital Friends: Quaker Youth Programming
Looking for resources to build and nurture the spiritual foundation of Quaker youth? Explore the resources below for activities for worship and movement, organizations and conferences for religious education, and print materials to build youth programming into your Quaker community!
Looking for resources to build and nurture the spiritual foundation of Quaker youth? Explore the resources below for activities for worship and movement, organizations and conferences for religious education, and print materials to build youth programming into your Quaker community!
- Quaker Coloring Pages
- Meeting for worship in the classroom
- Community Building and Energizing Activities
- Quaker Religious Education Collaborative, which organizes an annual conference and monthly Conversation Circles for Quaker educators
- Sparkling Still
- Spiritual Deepening Library, which features activities and resources for children under each library topic
Adult Young Friends and High School Clerks Training
One important aspect of FGC’s youth development work is our annual Clerks Training for our rising Adult Young Friends & High School clerks. For the past seven years, David and Nancy Haines have lovingly and skillfully facilitated this weekend training. In preparation for Gathering, training participants have the opportunity to learn how to clerk meeting for worship for attention to business, and are given the opportunity to practice these skills. Additional training is provided for recording clerks. The 2020 training will be in North Carolina in March.
Hear what previous training participants have said about their experience:
“I learned that I have a greater capacity for leadership than I previously believed. The skills of servant leadership will be useful in any environment I am called to lead.”
– High School Clerk 2015
“I am now more confident in my ability to let the body be the source of discernment and in allowing myself to not be an intellectual participant but rather a vessel to feel the movement of the spirit.”
– AYF Clerk 2016
“I learned I have the ability to voice ideas and will be accepted for them even if I am afraid.”
-High School Clerk 2017
“I think the weekend helped me be more centered in decision making and leadership and I can see myself using some of the skills, such as when to take a moment of silence, in other meetings or group lead events outside of Gathering or even Quakerism.”
– AYF Clerk 2018
“I am especially grateful for the tools they gave us to be confident in our clerking abilities and to facilitate rather than direct.”
–AYF Clerk 2019
A Reflection on the Gathering High School Program by Madison Paulus
“The FGC Gathering High School Program has been a constant in my life throughout a period of intense development and growth. Having this sense of stability helped me feel consistently supported. This proved to be tremendously necessary during college application season.”
As she looks ahead to college, Madison Paulus of Salmon Bay Friends Meeting looks back at her experiences in the FGC Gathering High School Program.
Faith & Play™ Stories
Created by Friends in 2005, Faith & Play™ Stories, Inc. are a Montessori-inspired resource for religious education programs and Friends schools.
- Read a one-page overview of Faith & Play™ Stories
- Buy Faith and Play: Quaker Stories for Friends Trained in the Godly Play® Method – Second Edition at QuakerBooks
Friends interested in becoming Faith & Play facilitators are encouraged to look into these upcoming trainings:
- August 28th to 30th at Powell House in Old Chatham, NY. For more information visit the Powell House website or contact Faith & Play Stories.
- Local trainings in Maine from May 8th to 10th and Illinois from August 14th to 16th may be open to Friends from other meetings. Friends interested in participating should email faithandplaystories@gmail.com.
Looking for an activity to engage young people in your Quaker community now? Melinda Wenner Bradley of Faith & Play Stories highly recommends this skit about vocal ministry, written by teens.