YAY Gathering – Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Parents and sponsors are a key part of the intergenerational community we are building together at YAY, and all youth need to be accompanied by a parent or sponsor. Families with children middle school and younger may choose to stay on campus, or to commute. High School program participants must stay on campus and have a designated overnight sponsor if their parent/sponsor chooses to commute. For more information about housing, visit the FGC website.

No, there will not be an Attenders Directory for YAY Gathering.

Use the Gathering Contact Form! This form is updated for each Gathering event.

If you don’t see the contact person or activity you are looking for on the form, email the Gathering Office and we will connect you.

Many of the activities offered at the YAY Gathering are intergenerational and designed to be meaningful and accessible for all ages– including adults! This includes semi-programmed morning worship, afternoon intergenerational offerings like crafts, games, and other participant-led activities, and the daily evening program. See the YAY schedule for more details. In addition to intergenerational activities, there is a two-hour workshop block each morning. While Junior Gathering groups meet and high schoolers participate in a workshop, parents and sponsors can sign up for their own workshop, join extended meeting for worship, or take some time for themselves. “Quaker Parents Vibing” is a workshop specifically designed to give parents at the YAY Gathering a space for community, connection, and rest.

Learn more here

Testing and masking are some of the tools that we will use to keep each other safe at the YAY Gathering. Visit the YAY Covid Safety Page for details.

FGC wants Friends to attend our gatherings regardless of financial need. Scholarships and workgrants are available for those registering for the YAY Gathering, or for the full or half-Gathering options for all-ages in-person Gatherings (but not for part-time registrants). Register early to get highest priority for financial assistance.

A workgrant is a fee waiver for specific volunteer service. You can apply for a workgrant or scholarship when you register. Priority for scholarships goes to Friends in FGC-affiliated meetings. There is also funding specifically to help Friends of Color attend FGC events – learn more about applying for this funding.

As well, many monthly meetings have funds for just these type of events – we suggest you ask your meeting early!

Learn more about Financial Aid for the 2025 YAY Gathering.

If these instructions don’t help, then click “Needs staff processing” as your payment option and contact the Gathering Office via email or phone: 215-561-1700, ext. 3200. Do not leave your credit card number on our voice mail!

To make a payment by credit card:

1. Visit this link to access your YAY Gathering registration
2. Click “Already Registered”
3. Enter primary registrant’s email address, exactly as entered on the registration form.
4. Enter Confirmation Number (it’s in the primary registrant’s confirmation email, or you can click on the request button).
5. Click “Log In” button.
6. Click “Submit Payment” button.
7. Complete credit/debit card information
8. Click “Submit” button at the bottom of the page.

The primary registrant will automatically receive an email noting the payment .

To make a payment by check:

Make out the check to Friends General Conference and write “YAY Gathering registration” in the memo line along with the names of everyone you’re paying for

Mail the check to:

Gathering Staff
Friends General Conference
1216 Arch #2B
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Send an email to the Gathering Office with your name, the amount you charged, and the amount you wanted to charge. We can only issue a credit to your card once your bank has processed the transaction (not necessarily the same day). Please do not send your credit card number to us via email and do not leave it on our voicemail!

Mail the check to the Gathering Office, payable to Friends General Conference. Make sure that the memo line includes your name and “FGC Gathering”

The mailing address is:
Gathering Staff
Friends General Conference
1216 Arch #2B
Philadelphia, PA 19107

1. Make sure that the amount you’ve entered as your total payment is equal to or less than the balance due on your account—the form won’t let you overpay. (If you want to make a donation, we can add that to your registration.)
2. If paying less than the total due on your account, make sure you have itemized your payment (for example, if you want to make a payment of $100, you need to say whether you want that applied to your program fee, housing, etc). You can’t pay more than is due on any single item, and the total in those item boxes must add up to your total payment.
3. Check the formatting of your total payment. It should have a dollar amount, decimal point, and cent amount, with no dollar sign or other punctuation. For example, if you were paying $100, your total amount should look like this: “100.00” not like “$100.00” or “100”.
4. Please make sure that your billing name and address exactly match your credit card bill. Slight variations (such as “Ave” instead of “Avenue”) can prevent your charges from going through for some banks.
5. If you still have problems, click “Needs staff processing” to complete your registration form and email the Gathering Office or call 215-561-1700, ext. 3200.

All cancellations must be submitted in writing (email preferred) or completed online by the registrant. We strongly recommend that anyone cancelling one person from a multi-person registration contact us rather than cancelling online. Cancellation fees apply, except in a few circumstances. Read the cancellation policy & instructions for how to cancel.

Adding or changing information about financial aid? Please do NOT make changes in your registration form. Instead, email the new information to the Gathering Office.

Option A (easiest method): Use link in primary registrant’s confirmation email

1. Follow the “Click here to view your registration” link from the primary registrant’s confirmation email
2. Click “Already registered?”
3. Enter Confirmation Number (it’s in your confirmation email)
4. Click “Log In” button
5. Click “Modify Registration” button
6. Click “Next” until you reach the page where you want to make a change
7. Make desired changes
8. Click “Next” Button until  you see a FINISH button
9. Click FINISH

Option B: Use generic link to completed registration forms

1. Use this link (link will be updated when YAY Gathering registration is open)
2. Click “Already registered?”
3. Enter primary registrant’s name and email address, exactly as entered on the registration form
4. Enter Confirmation Number (it’s in the primary registrant’s confirmation email, or you click on the request button)
5. Click “Log In” button
6. Click “Modify Registration” button
7. Click “Next” until you reach the page where you want to make a change
8. Make desired changes
9. Click NEXT Button until  you see a FINISH button
10. Click FINISH

When you ask us to change a financial item, the registration software adds the cost for the new item to your bill. But it does not always remove the cost for the old item. Staff has to do this manually. Please allow several days for us to correct your account and send you an updated financial statement.

Your confirmation is very likely in your Junk Mail or Spam Mail folder. Go find it and other emails from the Gathering! Read more about Gathering email being treated as spam. If you do not find your confirmation, please call the Gathering Office. Do NOT assume that your registration is complete without a confirmation letter.

I click NEXT and nothing happens.  Scroll to the top of your screen to look for a red error message.  If you missed answering a required question or didn’t use the required format (for example you used a space or a letter when a number was required), the form won’t let you proceed to the next page.  But it will describe the error to you.

Please also check the top of the page for instructions you may have missed.

I’ve tried everything and I’m still stuck!  Email the Gathering Office or call us at 215-561-1700, ext. 3200 and leave a message if we are unable to answer right away. We will return your call and can finish your registration by phone. If you get stuck right before a deadline, we will check e-mail and phone messages for technical problems before closing those options.

If you initially signed up you do not need carpooling, or have confirmed a ride/passengers with someone on the list, you can remove your name from the carpool list. To re-enter your registration summary:

Return to the registration site by following this link (link will be live once YAY Gathering registration is open)

Enter your Confirmation number (it’s in your confirmation email) and click the OK button.

Click the Modify button in the “My Registration” tab

Click on the Information link to the right of your name (under “Modify”)

Look for the blue “Not Carpooling?” stripe near the bottom

Change your answer to “No” for this question: “Do you want your name listed as interested in carpooling?”

Click through to last page of your registration and click “Finish

You first need to register for YAY Gathering. Then you can view the carpool list:

1. Return to the registration site by following this link.
2. Click “Already Registered”
3. Enter your Email and Confirmation number (it’s in your confirmation email) and click the Log In button.
4. Click on upper POST REGISTRATION tab at the top.
5. Click on CARPOOL LIST tab on the next line down.
6. The list is arranged by state. Look at the column listing departure date.

Using this list: Contact the people traveling from the same state or region you are coming from or traveling through to arrange carpooling.

For those wanting to carpool from an airport in the region, others interested are listed under the province or state where the airport is located (i.e. Michigan) and then listed by city or airport. You may need to click on the person’s name to see all the information available.

The FGC High School Program is open to young people who have completed ninth grade, have not yet turned 19 as of June 30, 2025, and have not yet completed a first year of college. If you meet those criteria, registering for the High School Program is an option for you. 18-year-olds who have completed high school have a choice between registering as high school participants and registering as adults.

High School Program participants enjoy a close-knit community with an abundance of support and mutual care. If you’ve never experienced the FGC High School Program before and want to see what it’s like, or if you have participated and enjoyed the experience, registering as a high schooler may be the right decision for you.

Adult attenders have a high degree of autonomy, and may need to be more proactive about seeking connection, structure, and support. The Adult Young Friends community and dorm is available to help connect and support adults ages 18-35. If you want to be more independent, registering as a young adult may be the right choice for you.

Please consider this choice carefully before registering, as we are not able to accommodate last minute changes from one registration group to another.

Friends General Conference is committed to creating safe and affirming community spaces for transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, and questioning youth. All youth workers receive training in respecting and celebrating gender diversity, including using young people’s chosen names and pronouns. We work to recruit and support youth workers with a range of gender identities and experiences. Participants in FGC youth programs can expect a welcoming social environment, positive adult role models, and support addressing any challenges that arise. Please contact event staff (gathering@fgcquaker.org)  with any specific needs or questions you may have.