Details
The Midwinter YAF retreat will be February 14th-17th (President’s Day weekend) at Woolman Hill Retreat Center in Deerfield, MA.
About the theme
The theme of this retreat is "A Gift to Be Received: Covenant Community".
This retreat is for young adult Quakers and Quaker-curious individuals (ages 18–35) who want to center spiritual growth, build community and explore Quakerism. Young adult Friends (YAF) retreats are an opportunity to "try on" Quaker spiritual practices, connect with peers in a similar life phase and/or in a similar stage in their spiritual journey, enjoy time spent in joy & worshipful togetherness, bring a spiritual lens to the decisions in our lives, and cultivate our friendships and spiritual connections with one another.
Throughout the retreat we will hold questions like:
- Who/What am I living my life for?
- How can leaning into community nurture me spiritually?
- What are the costs and benefits we experience in the parts of our lives where we have a choice between individualism and a community orientation?
- How is community-based Quaker tradition in dialogue with the individual-based society we live in today?
As always, there will also be space at the retreat for resting, hiking, playing, eating, singing, worshiping, and enjoying the peaceful beauty of February at Woolman Hill.
About YAF retreats
Our retreats are for young adult Quakers and Quaker-curious individuals (ages 18-35) who want to center spiritual growth and explore Quakerism with other young adults.
Young Adult Friends (YAF) retreats are an opportunity to "try on" Quaker spiritual practices, connect with peers in a similar life phase and/or in a similar stage in their spiritual journey, enjoy time spent in joy & worshipful togetherness, bring a spiritual lens to the decisions in our lives, and cultivate friendships and spiritual connections with one another.
About the location
The retreat will be held at Woolman Hill Retreat Center in Deerfield, Western Massachusetts. Woolman Hill is surrounded by the beauty of meadows and woods and features simple facilities such as a big farmhouse-turned-modern-dormitory, a historic Quaker meetinghouse, and rustic cabins heated by wood stoves. We sleep in shared rooms (2-4 people) on a mixture of bunks and other beds and when you register, you’ll be able to specify your housing or sleep needs.
Timing
Arrivals begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, February 14th and the retreat ends at noon on Monday, February 17th (President’s Day). If you need to arrive late or leave early, you will be able to tell us that when you register.
In addition to registering for the full retreat (or most of it, if you need to arrive a little later or leave a little early), we are also offering a Saturday commuter option (Feb 15th) for folks who live nearby and can’t stay longer.
Health protocols
Our current policy regarding COVID and illness prevention at retreat is available here.
If you have any specific questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding COVID protocols at the retreat, please feel free to contact the coordinators at [email protected].
Payment details
This retreat is pay as led (sliding scale, pay what fits your budget contributing as you are able). Please let interest, not finances, determine your attendance. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. We offer these suggestions which reflect the cost of food, building usage, materials, & honoraria:
$150 makes a helpful contribution towards our costs, for those with a limited income
$240 covers the room & board costs of one participant (thanks to a reduced rate from Woolman Hill)
$350 covers the direct cost of one participant attending as well as some of the related costs for putting on this event (such as staff time)
For Saturday-only commuters we suggest $75 or $50 if budgets are tight.
We ask for a $35 deposit at the time of registration.
Capacity and cancellations
If your plans change, please contact us ASAP ([email protected]).
We do offer refunds but ask that anyone canceling within 14 days of the event consider making a contribution to the event if possible.
If the retreat is full, email [email protected] to join the waitlist. Please note if you are a full time participant or commuter.
Participant leadership
We are always happy to have YAFs help out during the retreat. If you have excitement and leadings around providing support for the retreat, please let me know! We are looking for a few folks to be small group leaders and would appreciate anyone stepping up to have care of worship, as well as looking for people who want to lead songs, games, or optional interest groups during free time or meals. If you feel called to any of these roles, let me know at [email protected].
Register here. Registration closes February 6th (or when the retreat fills, if that is earlier).
Questions? Email Collee Williams.
Want to be reminded about this and other young adult focused events? Join the low-volume young adult opportunities list.