Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM) is composed of Friends of junior high and high school age 13-18. It’s a fun, youth led group that focuses on welcoming each other and connecting deeply through fun and shared reflections. JYM operates as a simultaneous yearly meeting within PacYM. Adults are present in the JYM community as Friendly Responsible Adult Presences (FRAPs) to ensure a safe and fun gathering, and provide technical or spiritual support when welcomed. In some ways it’s similar to a summer camp with a focus on community building, service work, but with a component of self reflection and discovering Quakerism’s role in our lives. In keeping with Friends’ practices, JYM selects officers and committees as needed, holds business meeting, and approves minutes as needed.
This year JYM will be having a teen camp out for the week. Right next to our main gathering building in the center of campus we’ll pitch a ring of tents where we’ll sleep out under the stars. Night FRAPs will be present for any issues or nerves that come up in the middle of the night, and we’ll have a dimly lit path back to the building should anything come up. Day highs are expected to peak around 80 and nightly lows can dip down to 45. Please bring a tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, pillow, blankets, and a light, if you need any of these items of would like to know more about the camping set up contact Keenan the youth programs coordinator at youth@pacificyearlymeeting.org
The schedule will be packed with games, art, hikes, worship sharing, Alternatives to Violence Project, Respectful Relationships, support groups. Alternatives to Violence Project is work that many Friends in the Yearly Meeting do to teach the paths of peace. Respectful Relationships is an inclusive and consent based approach to topics of sexuality and relationships with self and others. Support groups are smaller cohorts of teens within JYM that are led by a recent JYM graduate or clerk for the purpose of making everyone feel welcomed, at ease, and connected to the community. For any and all questions email youth@pacificyearlymeeting.org and we’ll direct you to your answers.