The youth showed their joy and happiness fully.
2019 Junior Gathering Staff
The FGC YAY Gathering depends on the help of participants who give their time and energy to youth program support and care for the event as a whole. Whether you volunteer your time, or apply for a workgrant position to offset your YAY Gathering registration costs, we are grateful for your help!
A variety of workgrants are available for the YAY Gathering. Workgrants are fee-waivers that cover between 40-100% of your individual registration fees for YAY Gathering.
The largest number of workgrants are working with youth in either Junior Gathering or the High School Program. Workgrant applicants may be young adults or parent/sponsors of youth (sorry, youth attenders cannot apply for workgrant positions) who would like to help out and reduce the cost of their attendance. In addition, older adults who are not parents or sponsors of youth, but would like to attend and support the YAY Gathering, are only eligible to attend if accepted into a workgrant or volunteer role.
I’d like to serve as Youth Staff at the YAY Gathering. What do I do?
- Read job descriptions and decide how you’re led to serve.
- Read staff expectations.
- Consider your COVID safety needs and willingness to participate in masking and testing requirements. Youth staff play an important role in modeling and implementing FGC’s Pandemic Health and Safety Policy. Read the policy here.
- Complete a staff application. (See buttons below)
- Complete all required reference and background checks.
- Note: New applicants and those who haven’t served with FGC Youth Programs in the past two years are required to provide references. Additional background checks and reference renewals may be required for staff, depending on their role and the legal clearance requirements of the event location. See “Requirements” on the job descriptions for details.
- All staff must complete a brief, online Child Safety Training video and quiz.
- Participate in online staff trainings and meetings in advance of the YAY Gathering. This includes a Zoom training on anti-racist practices for in youth work, and a pre-event planning meeting (Junior Gathering group coordinators only).
- Arrive early at the YAY Gathering for in-person staff training.
- High School staff training begins the evening of Tuesday, 7/1/2025. Staff who need to arrive a day early in order to be on time for the evening session should contact kodyh@fgcquaker.org.
- Junior Gathering group coordinators should arrive by 6pm on Tuesday, 7/1/2025. Support staff should arrive by 9am on Wednesday, 7/2/2025, and are welcome to arrive the prior evening.
The young staff I worked alongside were enthusiastic and spent their time directly with the children with attention and love.
2019 Junior Gathering Staff
Workgrant Compensation
Workgrants are available according to need for Junior Gathering and High School staff positions.
Due to the intensive nature of the High School program, all High School staff receive a 100% workgrant*.
Junior Gathering workgrants vary based on position. Up to a 50% workgrant* may be awarded to JG morning support staff and 40% may be awarded for evening support staff.
*Workgrants are calculated as a percentage of the total cost for an adult to attend the YAY Gathering and stay on site.
Be sure to indicate the amount of financial need on your registration. If you don’t need your entire workgrant to pay for the Gathering without financial hardship, consider donating it back to support others’ Gathering attendance.
Many monthly and yearly meetings financially support their members and attenders coming to the Gathering. Consider asking your meeting if they are able to offer this kind of support!
Depending on program needs and structure, there may be drop-in volunteer opportunities to support Junior Gathering for a single session or activity. Many Friends have found that serving Junior Gathering in this capacity is a rewarding and fun experience!
Other YAY Gathering Workgrants
To apply for any of the workgrants listed below, email Gathering Staff with a few sentences about why you think you would be a good fit for the role. If you are already planning to attend YAY Gathering (i.e. you are a young adult or are bringing children or teens), you may instead apply when you register.
All YAY Gathering workgrant positions require flexibility and the capacity to handle challenges with kindness and patience.
- Access Needs and Dining Coordinator, 50%— Liaises between YAY attenders, FGC staff and volunteers, and host site staff to help ensure that participant accessibility and dietary needs are met. Should have a strong understanding of a variety of accessibility needs and accommodations, allergies, and dietary restrictions, and be comfortable advocating for participant needs.
- COVID/First Aid coordinator, 50%— Works with FGC staff and volunteers to implement FGC’s COVID and Infectious Illness Policy, including test distribution, responding to symptoms and positive tests, advising staff, and answering participant questions. As needed and able, responds to participant requests for first aid support. A good fit for a medical professional. Minimally requires current first aid training and up-to-date knowledge about COVID and contagious illness safety.
- Housing assistant, 40%— Works with FGC staff and volunteers to assist participants with housing issues that arise once they arrive. Should be organized and comfortable interacting with people who may be under stress.
- Office support, 40%— Answers participant questions and assists FGC staff with administrative tasks. Should be organized, comfortable doing a variety of administrative tasks using a computer, able to track and share information clearly, and maintain a calm and friendly presence.
- Youth program supply coordinator, 50-100%— Depending on availability, may work online, in the Philadelphia office, and/or on-site during YAY to organize, inventory, and distribute youth program supplies to program leaders and spaces. Should be organized, reliable, and physically able to move and lift supplies.
- Pre and post event office, 50%— Assist with a variety of tasks, most often packing and unpacking event supplies, in person at the Philadelphia FGC office. Good position for someone in the Philadelphia area who prefers to complete their workgrant hours outside of the event.