Welcome to Young Friends!
Young Friends is a warm and welcoming community of high-school-age youth who come together across New England to explore the Quaker way, to be spiritually nourished by loving community, and to build relationships that last a lifetime. The Young Friends program supports spiritual peer connection mainly through in-person weekend retreats for high schoolers, and sometimes also through shorter in-person events, online workshops, interest groups. Young Friends also have their own program during NEYM Annual Sessions each summer. Sometimes gatherings are for just high schoolers (Young Friends) and sometimes they are for all teens, whether they are in middle or high school. Whatever way we gather, the Young Friends community is a place to find out what Quakerism means to you, build community together, and have a respite from the busy everyday routine of school to soak up some silliness, joy, and laughter. Continue below to see if Young Friends is right for you or your teen and to find out what we have to offer this year.
Watch a video about Young Friends!
This group has taught me patience and compassion more than any other group I have been a part of.
I’ve gained a level of self assurance & worth, open mindedness, and the ability to approach conflict in a loving way.
There’s a great balance between soul searching and absolute joy and fun.
Quakerism has allowed me to be flexible in my own definition of it. It’s about how I look at the world and the communities I add to. Being Quaker isn’t about following rules, it’s about how I live my life.
