Announcements

Quaker Institute for the Future

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The Quaker Institute for the Future (QIF) is holding its Summer Research Institute on Zoom from August 16-20. They are also, for the first time, offering $300 stipends to applicants aged 18 to 35 years old  to make a presentation on research that resonates with the QIF mission of advancing a global future of inclusion, social justice, and ecological integrity through Spirit-led participatory research and discernment. – CYFYM

Dear Friends,

Please mark your calendars!  The Quaker Institute for the Future’s 2021 Summer Research Seminar will take place by Zoom from August 16-20, 2021.  Registration will begin on May 1 and will close on July 15.  Participants are encouraged to make a donation to QIF that is within their means.  Please share this notice with Monthly and Yearly Meetings, Quaker groups and anyone else who might be interested in participating this year.

About the 2021 QIF SRS 

QIF Summer Research Seminars create a venue for spirit-led research using Quaker methods of discernment and reflection.  The seminars are centered around research presentations that include time for questions, clarification, and discussion, followed by a time of collaborative discernment conducted as a “meeting for worship for sharing.”  Time is also reserved for theme-based discussions, worship sharing, artistic and other creative sharing, and informal interactions among participants.  More information about summer research seminars is available at http://www.quakerinstitute.org/?page_id=1215

We welcome those who wish to make a plenary presentation followed by worshipful discernment including all in attendance, as well as those who just wish to attend without making a formal presentation.

Stipends for young researchers

In 2021 for the first time, QIF is also offering $300 stipends to applicants aged 18 to 35 years old  to make a presentation on research that resonates with the QIF mission of advancing a global future of inclusion, social justice, and ecological integrity through Spirit-led participatory research and discernment.  

What QIF asks of successful applicants: QIF will expect successful applicants to make a research presentation of 20-30 minutes during the SRS.  The presentation will be followed by a period of Spirit-led discernment involving all participants at the SRS.  Because the success of the SRS will depend on participants creating a sense of gathered community as much as possible with the on-line format, we also ask all stipend recipients to attend as much of the SRS as possible given other time demands.  Finally, we would like each stipend recipient to write a short reflection (a few paragraphs) about their SRS experience, which QIF can share as a blog post on the QIF website. 

The SRS organizing committee will hold one or more orientation sessions for stipend recipients and will be generally available to help stipend holders to prepare for the SRS.  

Application requirements:  Applicants aged 18-35 years are requested to submit an application providing the following information:

  • short description of the presentation topic (around 200-400 words)
  • how the presentation aligns with the QIF mission of advancing a global future of inclusion, social justice, and ecological integrity through Spirit-led participatory research and discernment
  • status of the research, i.e. are you just getting started, mid-way through, or nearing the end?
  • the kind of discernment you seek (e.g., if you are just starting your research, maybe you want more of a “brainstorming” response, whereas if you are mid-way through or near the end, you may have specific questions or issues for which you seek more clarity)
  • Contact information for one or two references, i.e. people who are familiar with you and your work.

Deadlines: Stipend applications are due July 1 and successful applicants will be notified by July 15.

Registration and more information

Please contact me (Geoff Garver) at  to register or to apply for a 2021 SRS stipend, or for additional information about the SRS, including more about the stipends and how to apply for them.

Blessings,

Geoff

CYM in Session 2021

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CYFYM Fellowship Time

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Fellowship Time is every Thursday from 7:30-10pm EST via Zoom.

Join Meeting
Password: Quaker

 

CYFYM Worship Sharing

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Worship Sharing via Zoom is taking place every other Thursday from 12pm-1pm EST.

The next meeting is Thursday April 8th 2021

Join Meeting

CYFYM Meeting for Worship

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CYFYM is currently holding Meeting for worship via Zoom every other Saturday from 10:30-11:30am EST and every other Sunday from 7:30-8:30pm EST. These events will alternate weeks.

Zoom Link:

(Saturday) Join Meeting

(Sunday) Join Meeting

Next Meetings:

Sunday April 11th

Saturday April 17th

Representative Meeting

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Just to let Friends know that there will be additional Representative Meetings this year. If you are not a representative you are still welcome to attend as an observer. Please contact to receive the Zoom Link.

What is it?

Representative Meeting is a gathering of named representatives from each Monthly Meeting across Canada. They meet to do business and make decisions when Yearly Meeting is not in session.

Next Representative Meeting:

Saturday January 23rd 2021 – 12:30pm Central  Standard Time

(CYM Business Session)

*Reporting and Clearness for Trustees and Finance Committee

 

Saturday February 6th 2021 – 12:30 pm Central Standard Time

(CYM Business Session)

*CAST

Yearly Meeting Cancelled 2020

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We must announce, with regret, the cancellation of our yearly gathering scheduled for Winnipeg this August. Yearly Meeting is normally where much of our business is attended to – and an opportunity for all sorts of fun socializing and spiritual enrichment.

For details about this difficult decision, please see the message below from the Clerks of Yearly Meeting. As we plan next steps together, please stay safe and supportive of one another.

For updates on how sessions will be held over Zoom in place of this years In-Session Meeting, see the following webpage: https://quaker.ca/yearlymeetinginsession/

Letter From the Clerk

Dear Friends,

On Friday, March 13th, the Canadian Yearly Meeting Committee of Clerks met electronically, as we do monthly, and after much discussion and careful discernment, and with regret, decided to cancel the sessions of Yearly Meeting in Session scheduled for this coming August.

We are well-aware that this decision will be a great disappointment for many Friends who cherish our annual gathering, but we hope that it will also seem prudent and wise. Many of our members are in the higher-risk categories (over 60 and/or with underlying conditions such as hypertension), and many make their travel plans well in advance of the CYM dates. An early decision is desirable for these Friends.

To be clear, it is not simply a matter of the existing pandemic crisis of the Covid-19 virus, although that, of course, is the prime motivator here. Some Friends may be reacting to this news with a sense that the decision was made too early, but the fact is that our YM sessions require a great deal of preparatory work, much of which is done by volunteers. To ask this of our short-handed Program Committee and then to cancel after much work has been done seemed to us unfair.

We believed it would be preferable to cancel the sessions now for the sake of the many people who work hard to make CYM the wonderful gathering that it is; then work can proceed toward a joyous gathering in 2021. As you probably know, there is already much discernment underway about changes to be made to CYM to ensure sustainability. This decision allows these discussions to be more relaxed and thorough before our next gathering.

This unexpected cancellation of sessions will necessitate some new plans: for instance, an earlier and/or extra Representative Meeting; consideration of the terms of committee members and other Friends serving YM; and designations of individuals or groups to carry forward the business of Yearly Meeting until next year. You can be sure that the Committee of Clerks will be working on these plans and will keep Friends in CYM informed as they develop.

In the Light,
Beverly Shepard and Marilyn Manzer, CYM Clerks

Toronto Visit

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CYFYM Representatives met at Friend’s House in Toronto, 9th Month, 27th- 29th. We also met to consult with the CYM Education and Outreach Committee, which met the same weekend. Steve and Zaley observed the Climate March in Toronto, and paid a visit to Yonge Street Monthly Meeting to worship and fellowship with Friends there.

Your Reps will next be attending the Online Representatives Meeting of CYM, 11th Month, 30th.

Toronto Climate March 2019

Interior of Young Street Meeting House

Yonge Street Meeting House

CYFYM Report 2019

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Canadian Young Friends Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends 2019 Report

Thank you for blessing us to share with you.

We, as Canadian Young Friends Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, continue to find joy, hope, and community in the new life of our Yearly Meeting. Our new structure continues to serve our community well. Thank you for your support in this journey.

For the upcoming year, we have asked Zaley Warkentin and Wesley Weima to continue as CYFYM Representatives with the addition of Stephen Ginley (Peterborough MM). We thank Alex Wickenheiser for his service as a Representative over the past year.

We ask our Regional Contacts to continue in their roles from the previous year. They are Daniel Von Schulmann, Rebecca Wolfe-Gage, Rose Coutts, and David Summerhays, with the addition of Alex Wickenheiser (subject to consent).

Our Pre-Gathering this year brought both joys and challenges. It was felt to be both invaluable and transformative. We wish to hold another pre-gathering in 2020, and have identified the following Friends to serve in that capacity. Evelyne Russell (Toronto MM), Stephen Ginley (Peterborough MM), Caileigh Morrison (Winnipeg MM), Harmony Morris (Lethbridge WG; subject to consent) and Caroline Martindale (Hamilton MM; subject to consent) to liaise with Program Committee in her role on said committee. Stephen Ginley will liaise with fellow CYFYM Representatives.

Canadian Young Friends Yearly Meeting chose to name the following Young Friends to CYM committees.[1]

We name Caroline Martindale to serve as a CYFYM representative to CYM Program Committee for a term of two years.

We name Rebecca Ivanoff (Yonge Street MM) to serve on the Organisation and Procedure Subcommittee. Although Rebecca recently aged out, she is a (slightly) Older Adult Friend under the care of CYFYM, to whom we have given freedom of the meeting and feel led to have her represent us in this important work.

Cameron Fraser in his role as CYM Secretary, has been invaluable in supporting the CYFYM Representatives and the Gathering Committee. Many Friends expressed thanks for his mentorship and advocacy on behalf of Young Friends and Young Adult Friends. We feel that the support of a staff person such as the CYM Secretary is crucial to CYFYM being able to hold retreats and to function in general.

CYFYM acknowledges CYM is undergoing a process of transition. Change is hard, but there is joy in transformation and in resurrection. As Young Friends we want and need CYM to be here, because we need it to survive out there. We recognize and deeply appreciate that CYM does its best to meet our needs as we bring them forward. How do we meet the needs of CYM in its process of transformation? Changing is hard. We need to be brave. We need to be brave together.

A call to monthly meetings: we want to be at home in you. Education and mentorship should start in monthly meetings. If we want to uphold everyone and lift up spiritual and non-spiritual gifts, Friends need training. There is much intergenerational learning to be had.

After much discernment we bring forward the following requests to Yearly Meeting.

  • We ask Program Committee to prioritize CYM In Session workshops on clerking, recording clerking, vocal ministry, nonviolent communication, self-empowerment and digital literacy, on a reasonable timeline.
  • We ask Delegates to take this call for Quaker education back to their monthly meetings for discernment. What area of Friends Faith and Practice does your Meeting need to foster?
  • We ask Delegates to ask their monthly meetings to consider mentored positions so Friends of all ages can develop and practice skills in these areas.
  • We ask the CYM Clerk to distribute this minute to monthly meetings on our behalf. The relevant minutes will be forwarded.

We bring these requests as starting points. We feel there are many more opportunities to be explored in the future, and we encourage Canadian Yearly Meeting to seek way forward in this direction. The kind of change Canadian Yearly Meeting needs requires both laying down and lifting up. This will be difficult and at times even painful, but we believe The Spirit will strengthen us. We believe we can be brave together.

Canadian Young Friends Yearly Meeting names you to the Committee of Hope. We don’t feel like we’re dying out. Be brave with us.

[1] CYFYM laid down the practice of asking for reserved slots on CYM committees. As we are led and able, we may send Young Friends serve on CYM committees, and we ask for understanding of the sporadic nature of these namings.