Youth Program Report to Representative Committee 2014

Youth Program Coordinator Supervisory Committee (YP-Committee) Report to Representative Committee 2014

Having assumed growing responsibilities, as noted in comments from Friends in plenaries at Annual Session 2013 and reflected in Youth Program reports over the last four years, the “Youth Program Coordinator Supervisory Committee” is therefore seasoning a new name for itself – the “Youth Program Committee.” With that in mind, this report will abbreviate “Youth Program Coordinator Supervisory Committee” as “YP-Committee.” We will continue to use the abbreviation “YPC” to refer to the “Youth Program Coordinator.”

The full YP-Committee meets once per month by conference call, and its subcommittees meet by conference call as needed. The YP-Committee comprises Sophie Brinker, Jennifer Carr, Mary Klein (co-clerk), Steve Leeds, Hannah Mackinney, Alyssa Nelson (ex officio, Youth Program Coordinator), Thomas Rios, Sandra Schwartz, Steve Smith (ex officio, PYM Presiding Clerk), Jim Summers (co-clerk), and Nathan Walker. One spot on the YP-Committee remains open.

In addition to regular conference calls, the YP-Committee held a face-to-face meeting in Palo Alto on November 22 & 23, 2013. Designated committee members also meet at least one per week by phone or video chat with the program’s employee, our YPC, Alyssa Nelson.

Alyssa continues to provide support to and collaborate with Monthly Meetings, Worship Groups, Quarterly Meetings, various PYM committees and officers, individual Friends, and a number of Quaker organizations. In addition to working with teen and young adult groups and committees, she has been collaborating with some of PYM’s M&O subcommittees as needed, such as about re-envisioning the annual session schedule and format (“Experimentation & Implementation Subcommittee”) and broadening the youth program work to the rest of PYM – Hawaii, Mexico, Guatemala – beyond California and Nevada (“Support for Distant Meetings Subcommittee”).

This year, Alyssa has been part of the FWCC planning committee for the upcoming consultation to be held in Sacramento, CA on March 14-16, helping to make the event youth and family friendly, and to create a workshop on Servant Leadership. (There is still some room for Friends to register!) In Spring she will be again offering the “Adult Allies to Youth” workshops, April 5^th at San Jose Meetinghouse (with Julian Garret) and April 19^th with Orange County Friends at their annual retreat (possibly open to other interested Friends). Contact Alyssa to sign up for the workshop. She is also working with the SCQM Youth Planning Committee and an artist, Tanna Moontaro, from Santa Monica Meeting to organize for a mural to be painted at the Santa Monica Meetinghouse on April 26^th during SCQM Spring Quarter; the first visioning meeting will occur with JYM and YAFs at RepComm.

Since the 2013 PYM Annual Session, the YP-Committee has been working to update its goals and objectives, considering that the program is no longer temporary and that it is now responsible for managing the income generated by the Bob Vogel Endowment (the interest portion of which we have started referring to informally as the “Youth Program Fund”). With these considerations in mind, the YP-Committee is reorganizing its work into five subcommittees. The YP-Committee is also designing an interest group for Annual Session 2014 to involve a wider group of Friends in envisioning how to further develop our youth and intergenerational community and grow our collective understanding about what sorts of supportive resources are needed and available. A working draft of the Youth Program Fund description and application (i.e., accessing the interest from the Bob Vogel Endowment that is managed by the YP-Committee as well as other forms of support) is appended to this report.

The following outline presents the current WORKING DRAFT of the YP-Committee’s new structure of subcommittees, goals, and objectives:

Big Picture Subcommittee

Members: Mary Klein, Alyssa Nelson

Goal: Reflect on overall program and articulate both the state of the program and its vision for the future.

Top-Priority Objectives:

• Coordinate the YP-Committee in producing a new comprehensive “Goals and Objectives” document for PYM’s Annual Session 2014.
• Plan for regular, comprehensive program evaluation.
• Prepare reports for Representative Committee Meeting and Annual Session.

 

Program/Resources Subcommittee

Members: Jim Summers (convener), Sophie Brinker, Steve Leeds, Hannah Mackinney, Sandra Schwartz, Alyssa Nelson

Goal: Provide and support intergenerational opportunities for children, teens, young adults, and older adults to learn, work, and play together – to grow in faith and build the beloved community. [Alternative wording: Provide opportunities for Friends of all ages to participate more fully together in the beloved intergenerational community of PYM, taking special care to include youth.]

Top-Priority Objectives:

• Develop procedures for allocation of funds and other supports for youth or intergenerational projects directed or supported by the YP-Committee, and a system for monitoring and evaluating how the resources were used.
• Produce a set of guidelines for the committee to use in deciding how to spend funds, and an application process to allow PYM Friends to seek funds and other support from the YP-Committee (for example, time or guidance from the YPC or other committee members). Drafts of guidelines and applications are attached.
• Assure financial transparency in the management of YP-Committee program funds, including the money transferred to the Youth Program Fund from the Bob Vogel Endowment.
• Plan an interest group for PYM Annual Session 2014 to (1) Coordinate and encourage activities among various youth and intergenerational programs of PYM, (2) Acquaint Friends with the Youth Program Fund and how the fund and other YP-Committee support may be accessed, and (3) Encourage Friends to give input to the YP-Committee.
• Help create a common understanding throughout PYM of the relationship between the Bob Vogel Endowment (which is managed by the Finance Committee) and the Youth Program Fund (which is interest income from the Bob Vogel Endowment, managed by the YP-Committee).

Communications Subcommittee

Members: Jennifer Carr (convener), Mary Klein, Tommy Rios, Nathan Walker, Alyssa Nelson

Goal: Build and support systems and infrastructures for Friends to share information, ideas, and questions about PYM’s youth programs.

Top-Priority Objectives:

• Develop a system for providing regular support to the Youth Program Coordinator’s outreach activities.
• Develop a unified identity and voice for PYM youth programs.

Personnel Subcommittee

Members: Steve Leeds (convener), Jennifer Carr, Hannah Mackinney, Jim Summers

Goal: Support the YPC as a minister. Oversee the workload carried by staff to assure that the amount of planned work is realistic, that the right priorities are set, that the necessary volunteer help is available, that the work is fairly compensated, and that staff is learning, growing, and thriving in the job.

Top-Priority Objectives:

• Clarify the set of practical and strategic questions that remain for PYM to resolve concerning employment of a Youth Program Coordinator; for example, benchmarks for evaluations, and other personnel policy issues raised by long term employment of a Youth Program Coordinator.
• Prepare necessary materials to support the PYM Clerk in helping PYM resolve these questions as far as possible at the 2014 Annual Session.
• Conduct a performance evaluation of the Youth Program Coordinator in Spring 2014.

Nuts and Bolts Subcommittee

Members: Mary Klein (convener), Steve Leeds, Jim Summers, Alyssa Nelson

Goal: Develop and maintain transparent and accessible systems for managing administrative responsibilities.

Top-Priority Objective:

• Evaluate current systems for administering YP-Committee responsibilities in partnership with other relevant PYM entities, such as the Treasurer, Finance Clerk, and Presiding Clerk, and revise where needed.

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As the YP-Committee continues to develop these goals and objectives, and as the Coordinator and YP-Committee continue to implement and support youth programs throughout PYM, we are guided by the following statements that were accepted at the 2013 Annual Session of PYM:

 

From the “Statement of Purpose for Use of Funds from the Bob Vogel Endowment,” as amended and accepted by Annual Session 2013, presented by the ad-hoc committee comprising the clerks of the Youth Program Coordinator Supervisory Committee, Pacific Friends Outreach Society, and PYM Finance Committee:

“Consistent with the terms of the [PFOS] gift, requests to spend funds will be managed and approved by PYM’s Youth Program Coordinator Supervisory Committee (YPCSC), or another appropriate committee to be determined by PYM in the case that the YPCSC is laid down. The financial aspects of this gift (such as investments and accounting) will be managed by PYM’s Finance Committee and Treasurer. The YPCSC will use these funds to foster faith and fellowship among PYM Friends. The YPCSC will give funding preference to projects that involve youth, particularly projects of an intergenerational nature. PYM will engage in an ongoing visioning process to develop ideas for strengthening our intergenerational community; the YPCSC will direct funds towards helping PYM realize our collective vision. Funded activities may take place throughout PYM, its Quarterly and Monthly Meetings, and Quaker organizations. While funds may not be used for the Youth Program Coordinator’s salary, funds may be used to provide financial support for Friends to facilitate or join in activities conducted or promoted by PYM’s Youth Program Coordinator Supervisory Committee.”

 

See also the minutes of Plenary V of Annual Session 2013, in which PYM accepted the Bob Vogel Endowment from PFOS:

https://www.pacificyearlymeeting.org/2013/pym-docs/pym-2013-annual-session-plenary-v/

 

Minute from the Board of Pacific Friends Outreach Society (PFOS) that offered the balance of its funds to PYM:

“The [PFOS] Board minutes its decision to offer the assets of Pacific Friends Outreach Society, that remain after expenses are paid, to Pacific Yearly Meeting as an endowment to be known as “The Bob Vogel Endowment.” The income from the fund is to be used as determined by the Pacific Yearly Meeting committee, Youth Program Coordinator Supervisory Committee (the “YPCSC”), or a successor committee, with the exception that it cannot be used for salary or wages. If compliance with this restriction becomes impossible for the Pacific Yearly Meeting, the “Bob Vogel Endowment” fund will pass to a successor organization to be determined by the board at the time of the final execution of the transfer of assets. The successor organization must also meet the eligibility requirements under the Pacific Friends Outreach Society to receive an asset distribution. The use of the income from the endowment will be restricted to programs that support Quaker youth.”