Junior Young Friends - children aged 13 to 17:
Apart from their regular Meetings each week or each month, young and middle teenagers' highlight of the year is their annual national camp, when they get to meet kids from other Meetings, learn from older teens and young adults, as well as spend time with the older adults who help guide the show. These six night events are held in a different part of the country each year.
The purpose of these gatherings is to bring Quaker teenagers together at the age at which many disappear from Meetings, so they might have a sense of identity among Quakers. It is an opportunity to help them understand some Quaker philosophy and activities, give them an experience in a Quaker group, as well as an opportunity to get to know each other and have a good time doing things together. The teens are encouraged to participate in daily Meeting for Worship, Business Meeting, a work programme, and to write the 'epistle', a summation of their activity and reflections.
A theme is usually tied to a gathering. This creates a focus for discussions and workshops. Young Friends as well as several adults, help to organize the event and take the role of leaders during the gathering. Young Friend leaders make sure that the day-to-day activities take place.
The gathering structure is generally to have sessions in the morning with talks/activities drawing on Quaker values, attitudes, concerns and/or history. This is a time to talk at a deeper level. Afternoons have a variety of more social activities, such as crafts, community help, visits to places of interest, films, shopping etc. In the evenings, there is time for games and movies.
- Read the Junior Young Friends Epistle from Camp 2024 here . . .
Epistle of Junior Young Friends Camp 2024, Napier, 15 – 21 April 2024
On Monday the 15th of April the Junior Young Friends travelled to Napier to meet in the Asher Hall, part of St Paul’s Presbyterian Church. The contents of JYF this year were focused on team-building, getting to know each other and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones. Throughout the week we were challenged to make new friends and work together as a team.
The first half of the week included lots of team-bonding exercises like scavenger hunts, discussing deep topics such as Te Tiriti o Waitangi, going to Arataki honey farm and bush walks. We ended Wednesday relaxing with a movie.
In the second half of the week we focused on connection with ourselves and others and we talked about giving back to the community. One way we explored connection was with a full day of drama games. Most of those games were fun and energetic but throughout the day they became more serious, thoughtful and challenging.
One way we gave back to the community was by visiting an organic farm, learning all about organic farming, and even helping out with picking crops. Our last full day together was spent visiting various activities, such as op-shops, museums, galleries, mini-golf and Ocean-Spa. We also had a JYF concert which is said to be a long-standing tradition. It started with a skit and then some comedy, singing and gymnastics acts to follow.
The whole week was very enjoyable but there were some challenges that came with the week as well. Lots of us were affected by uncomfortable mattresses and lack of sleep. There were also some instances where people got lost or separated from the group which was frustrating but was easily fixed by ice cream and a lesson to take away. Overall, this year’s JYF was an enjoyable and enlightening experience.
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