About the Young Friends Programs
(07/24/07)
(Adapted from 1998 Guide) (See Note 1.)
The Junior and Senior Young Friends programs are integral aspects of Intermountain Yearly Meeting. Young Friends are middle and high school youth who plan their own activities and business sessions, participate with adults in activities and yearly meeting business sessions, and serve on IMYM committees. Their presence is vital to the cohesiveness of the yearly meeting. Adult coordinators or advisers are selected and available to generally assist these programs, giving advice and help as appropriate.
Current practice specifies that Junior Young Friends are those youth entering 6th through 9th grades, and Senior Young Friends are entering 10th grade or older. (See Note 2.)
Senior Young Friends assist Junior Young Friends in organizing their activities and selecting officers, and provide leadership to encourage growth of their sense of community and their understanding of the Quaker business process. At least two Senior Young Friends are appointed to work directly with the Junior Young Friends in a support capacity. Junior and Senior Young Friends are invited to participate, with all other Friends, in programs of Junior Yearly Meeting.
Appointments involving Young Friends: For most Yearly Meeting positions, the Yearly Meeting Nominating Committee makes recommendations to the Yearly Meeting for its approval, i.e., appointment. For most Young Friends positions, the nomination comes from the Young Friends body to the Clerk of the Nominating Committee to be recommended on to the Yearly Meeting for appointment.
Terms for most Yearly Meeting positions begin with the rise of yearly meeting and include three annual sessions. Current practice for many positions is to have two or more people in shared or teamed service. (See Note 3.)
Coordinators for Junior and Senior Young Friends programs: These Coordinators work with Young Friends in planning and implementing the various programs and in meeting organizational needs. The Coordinator for Senior Young Friends (also called the Friendly Adult Presence, or FAP) is nominated by Senior Young Friends and advanced by the Nominating Committee to Yearly Meeting for approval. Similarly, the Coordinator for Junior Young Friends is nominated by Junior Young Friends, but with the advice of Senior Young Friends, and advanced by the Nominating Committee to Yearly Meeting for approval. The three year term begins at the rise of an annual session. The Coordinators are members of the Executive Committee and ex officio to the Continuing Committee, and attend those meetings. Current practice is to appoint more than one person for teamed service.
Positions held by Senior Young Friends: Nominations are submitted by Senior Young Friends to the Clerk of the Nominating Committee to be advanced to Yearly Meeting for approval. A person may hold more than one appointment.
1. Senior Young Friends Clerk (term to coincide with Adult Coordinator).
2. Regional Representatives to Continuing Committee, one from each region.
3. One member each to Executive, Finance, Watching, Guest Resource Speaker Committees for one-year terms.
4. Two members to the Committee for Oversight of IMYM-AFSC Joint Service Projects for one-year terms, nominations to be forwarded to the Clerk of the Nominating Committee by the Committee on AFSC. (See Note 4.)
5. Two members to Committee on Ministry and Counsel for one-year terms.
Positions held by Junior Young Friends: Nominations are submitted by Junior Young Friends to the Clerk of the Nominating Committee to be advanced to Yearly Meeting for approval. A person may hold more than one appointment.
1. Junior Young Friends Clerk
2. Regional Representatives to Continuing Committee, one from each region.
3. Two members to Committee on Ministry and Counsel for one-year terms.
Reimbursement of expenses for certain travel:
Regional Representatives to Continuing Committee: Costs for attending the Continuing Committee in January in order to assist with planning Young Friends activities for the annual gathering are the responsibility of the representative's Regional Meeting (or Monthly Meeting). (1998 Guide)
Senior and Junior Young Friends Clerks and Adult Coordinators: The Yearly Meeting is responsible for the expenses for these people to attend Continuing Committee and the annual gathering. (1998 Guide)
Notes and Concerns:
1. This page contains administrative information about the Young Friends programs. At some time, the Young Friends will likely have their own section on this website, on which they will post their own program information.
2. IMYM 02-13 states that Friends approve that the entry into Senior Young Friends be the beginning of 10th grade and asks that Continuing Committee consider further the possibility of having two groups to meet the needs of all Junior Young Friends. Has there been any further consideration of this since 2002, or is it a dead issue?
3. Are three year terms practical for Young Friends positions?
4. Current practice is one representative member appointed to the Committee for Oversight of IMYM-AFSC Joint Service Projects for one-year terms, nominations to be forwarded to the Clerk of the Nominating Committee by the Committee on AFSC.
