Coordinator of Children's Yearly Meeting
(07/24/07)
(Adapted from 1998 Guide.)
Children's Yearly Meeting: The Children's Yearly Meeting is an integral part of Intermountain Yearly Meeting, providing children from infants up through entry into 5th grade some opportunities to form vital friendships, and to live and learn for a brief time within a community of Friends. The Yearly Meeting gratefully encourages all Friends who are able, to increase this sense of community for those who will become the leaders of the Yearly Meeting in the future.
The Coordinator provides leadership and arranges the Children's Yearly Meeting program for the annual gathering. This involves planning and implementing activities for all children up to entry into 6th grade who, attend the annual gathering.
Appointment: The Coordinator is appointed for a three year term beginning at the rise of an annual session, and is a member of the Executive Committee and ex officio to the Continuing Committee. Current practice is to appoint one person each year to a three-year pattern of shared or teamed service.
Responsibilities of the Coordinator of Children's Yearly Meeting include:
1. Keeping the activities, interests, concerns, and needs of the Children's Yearly Meeting before the yearly meeting.
2. Determining the division of age groups within Children's Yearly Meeting and recruiting age‑group coordinators.
3. Providing the age group coordinators with the following: guidance in implementing religious education, centering, and craft activities; assistance in securing volunteers to carry out with such activities; and reports of past experience to facilitate their task.
4. Sending information about Children's Yearly Meeting to the Registrar by the end of February to be included in the registration material.
5. Contracting with paid babysitters and teachers as needed.
6. Ensuring that Children's Yearly Meeting equipment will be properly stored between annual gatherings, and making certain it will be available at the next annual gathering.
7. Informing the Ghost Ranch Program Office of program scheduling and facility and equipment needs for the annual gathering. (There may be reasons for some joint program and logistics planning with the Coordinators of the Young Friends programs.)
8. Coordinate with the Ghost Ranch Program Office during the annual gathering regarding program shifts, additional needs, corrective actions, etc.
9. Allocating the Children's Yearly Meeting budget and making budget requests.
10. Working with the Registrar to schedule opportunities for worship sharing for age‑group coordinators and others Friends unable to attend regular worship sharing because of Children's Yearly Meeting responsibilities.
11. Coordinating adult and teenage volunteers from among the yearly meeting attenders to spend time with Children's Yearly Meeting. This includes providing the Registrar with sign-up sheets by the end of February to be included with the registration materials, and providing the Coordinator of Operations with the sign-up board used to advertise ongoing needs at yearly meeting.
12. Assisting Children's Yearly Meeting children in formulating communications with the Yearly Meeting at large and with other groups.
13. Preparing a report of information useful for future Children's Yearly Meeting coordinators.
Executive and Continuing Committees: The Executive Committee meets in late summer to evaluate the various aspects of the most recent annual gathering and begin planning for next year's annual gathering. The Coordinator of Children's Yearly Meeting may be asked to submit a written evaluative report in advance of this Executive Committee meeting. In its winter meeting a few months later, the Continuing Committee completes the planning for the next annual gathering. The Coordinator attends this meeting to report on plans for the upcoming gathering and to receive instructions from the Committee. The Yearly Meeting pays upon request the travel expenses to these meetings.
Financial Arrangements: The Yearly Meeting pays the expenses of the Coordinator of Children's Yearly Meeting to meetings of the Executive and Continuing Committees, and to the annual session as needed. (See the Guide page Who Pays IMYM Travel.) Children's Yearly Meeting has a budgetary allowance supplied by annual gathering fees for program materials and staffing. The Coordinator should consult with the Treasurer at an early planning stage to learn the current budgetary situation and spending procedures.
