Workshop proposals for the 2024 Gathering are now closed. Applicants will be notified in December.
Have questions about the process? Read our Frequently asked questions about workshop proposals
2024 FGC Gathering Details
Dates: June 30 – July 6, 2024 – at Haverford College in Haverford, PA
Theme: Rooted in Story
Workshop Times: Workshops will be 5 sessions, Monday-Friday, 9am-11:45am and held in-person only
Have questions? Check out our page of frequently asked questions about workshop proposals.
For 2024, what is the Workshop Committee looking for?
We look for workshops that:
- Are spiritually grounded, for instance with daily time for worship and/or worship sharing
- Address the Gathering theme, Rooted in Story. Roots anchor and nourish trees, and they have symbiotic relationships with other living things. How do Friends’ stories about ourselves anchor us to certain ways of being? How can we deconstruct and reconstruct our stories to tell the truth about who we were, are, and need to be?
- Support FGC’s commitment to transforming into an actively antiracist faith community
We want the Gathering to include workshops on a broad range of topics such as Quaker faith and practice, Quaker history, social justice and anti-oppression concerns, environmental stewardship, strengthening our Meetings, indigenous concerns, celebrations of diversity, and family issues. In addition to direct instruction and discussion, workshops can include various modes of engagement such as visual art, music, movement, and writing. To create a slate of workshops representing diverse identities and interests, we seek especially proposals that question traditional Quaker narratives and awaken Friends to new perspectives on our faith, ourselves, our community, and each other.
If the concept of antiracism is newer to you, we invite you to watch this QuakerSpeak video featuring Vanessa Julye, Coordinator for FGC’s Ministry on Racism Program, and expose any ways that your workshop concept might center whiteness or European-American experiences and voices. Can your workshop weave a wider welcome and invite, honor, and even center the experiences, voices, and needs of People of Color?
Resources for facilitators on incorporating an anti-racist framework can be found in the FGC’s Spiritual Deepening Library in the Inclusion and Wholeness section. You can explore further resources on the topic Weaving a Wider Welcome in FGC’s Spiritual Deepening Library.
How much time is required during the year preceding the workshop?
- December: Receive edited short description, work with staff on further editing if needed. Confirmation due promptly.
- January-February:
- Edit detailed workshop description and leader bios for the website. Attention to detail needed!
- Access workshop leader materials and work with staff if there are any problems receiving our email and accessing information.
- Compose any message you want sent automatically to people who register for your workshop. Exact text needed.
- Winter and/or Spring: Participate in antiracism trainings online. Optional for People of Color.
- March 15: FGC office needs to know name of elder and/or tech support person. Any added co-leaders need to supply contact information.
- April: Registration for the Gathering required. Allow at least 30 minutes online or on the phone with FGC staff.
- June: Time to read through workshop resources and information. Info Session with all workshop leaders. Pre-Gathering A/V training for anyone who wants to use audio-visual equipment during the week. If online workshops are offered, Zoom training for those workshop leaders will take place in June.
- During Gathering: Optional drop-in session for workshop leaders to support one another
A Workshop Leaders timeline with dates will be sent to all leaders of accepted workshops shortly after the workshop is accepted.
We expect all workshop leaders to follow FGC guidelines, including the Gathering Expectations and the COVID Pandemic Health & Safety Policy.
Submitting a proposal
There are two parts to each workshop proposal: your proposal form (preferably submitted online but available by email), and a letter of support for each co-leader.
Part 1: Workshop Proposal Form: Workshops are proposed via an online form where you share your plans and background with the Workshop Committee. The deadline is October 14. Instructions and the form are on this page, and progress can be saved.
Part 2: Letter of Support: The letter of support should also be received by the posted deadline. This letter should directly address your skills and current ability for leading the proposed workshop, from the perspective of Friends. Members of the Workshop Committee often do not know not know the workshop proposers, so these letters of support help the committee in its discernment process.
Leaders of workshops at the 2023 or 2022 Gatherings can choose to have their workshop evaluations used in lieu of a letter of support. Proposals will not be considered without either a letter of support or a workshop leader evaluation summary from the past two years.
Confirming Receipt of Proposals. You will be sent to a webpage with a thank you message when your proposal is submitted, and you will be emailed a copy of your proposal. You will be notified of the Workshop Committee’s decision in early winter.
Most years we receive more proposals than we can accept, but they are all appreciated. The Workshop Committee looks forward to reading your proposals!
Financial Credits for Workshop Leaders
Workgrants for the 2024 Gathering have not yet been determined. In past years, workshop leaders have been eligible for a reduction in costs equal to 50% of the Basic Fee per workshop as leadership credit. (The Basic Fee is the cost for an adult to attend the Gathering, sleep in the least expensive adult double room, and eat three meals a day.) There is only one credit per workshop, so co-leaders need to decide how to share this credit. Leaders may request additional scholarship support for themselves and their families from FGC (during the spring registration process) or from their meetings.
Ready?
For more information:
FGC Gathering Office: gathering@fgcquaker.org 215-561-1700, x2
Have questions? Look for the answers: frequently asked questions about workshop proposals.