Details
Being a F/friend
“Thank you for being a friend… traveled down the road and back again… your heart is true… you’re a pal and a confidant…”
Why, Xinef, (you ask), are you quoting the theme song from the hit 1980’s sitcom Golden Girls?
Well my Young Friends, it is because December has hit which means it's basically January which means it’s basically the Young Friends Midwinter Retreat! (applause) And this time around, we are going to celebrate friendship and community and togetherness. We’ll get to know each other, get to know a bit more about the Quakeriness of our community, and bring some brightness and warmth to the cold of New England winter. Given the theme and the time we’ll have together, I encourage you to not only join us but also consider if you’d like to take it one step further and BRING A FRIEND!!
The Meat and Potatoes
Young Friends Midwinter takes place Friday evening January 16th through Monday afternoon on January 19th at Woolman Hill Retreat Center in Deerfield, MA.
Food will be provided for all meals, there are ample bedding options (no need to camp on the floors), showers available, good hiking, sleddable hills, the works!
A more detailed email will be sent to registered participants as the retreat draws nearer.
The Frilly Bits
This retreat has two main components to its theme: building healthy community (being a friend) and understanding a bit more about the Quaker housing of the YFs program (being a Friend). [fyi: the capitalization of the letter F in F/friends tends to indicate how Quakers make a soft distinction between members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and people we have a friendship with] So we will be talking about friendship, realness and authenticity, supporting our neighbors, being inclusive, as well as a little “Quaker 101”.
This would be a great retreat to invite a friend to! Really, we are excited to continue growing this community, sharing from the great wealth of love, joy, wisdom, and peace that is cultivated amongst Young Friends. – Do you need to be Quaker to come? No! – Do you need to have gone to a retreat before? No! – Do you need to have attended any other NEYM or adjacent program to go? No!
What to consider for someone who might enjoy a Young Friends retreat? – If you’re interested in intentional connection with other teens – if you’re interested in group singing, games/activities, grounding, deepening, sharing meals in a communal space – if you’re interested in having an unplugged weekend – if you’re interested in trying out some spiritual or meditative practices, or diving in to some learning or sharing in group conversations and workshops… then this may be for you!
If you are interested in attending and it's your first time or first time in a while, here are some resources for you to check out: https://neym.org/about-young-friends
