Children and Youth Programs

Annual Sessions, 2025

Sierra-Cascades has a safeguarding policy that requires a background check of child care and youth workers. It includes safeguards such as requiring at least two adults to be with children and youth at all times. For more information, you may read the policy here or send an email to safeguarding@scymfriends.org.

If you have questions about the youth or children’s programs, you may email gathering@scymf.org.

Children’s program

We will have childcare and children’s program for ages birth through grade school age. It will be available during meetings and workshops but not during free time on Saturday afternoon. There is no additional charge.

Youth Program

Sara Lavenhar will be leading the middle school/high school youth program.

Sara is a Junior Friends Advisor for North Pacific Yearly Meeting. Sara wrote that “Junior Friends Advisors are adults who are initially identified by the Junior Friends, and then nominated, screened, and approved through NPYM’s nominating process.” As a Junior Friend Advisor, she has experience in guiding youth in planning events and activities, as well as providing appropriate adult supervision.

During the program, Friends will explore how our inward experience of the Divine can lead us to outward action, both individually and as part of a community. We will discuss the importance of diverse spiritual and life experience in the search for Truth, as well as challenges to achieving inclusion and diversity.

Our faith as Quakers and Christians often leads us to work towards a more just world. The youth will learn about some historical and contemporary examples of Quaker faith in action, and discuss ways to 'walk our talk': what are we led to do based on our beliefs and our spiritual experience?

Schedule

Friday

10 - 10:30am: Introductions, ice-breakers

10:30am - 12pm: Friends and Diversity: exploring diversity and inclusion in our meetings and communities.

  1. Quaker Pizza activity: how to create an inclusive community using pizza as a model

12 - 1:30pm: Lunch

1:30 - 2:30pm: Worship/worship sharing with queries OR Bible Study

2:30 - 5:30pm:

  1. Quaker Faith in Action: learning about historical and contemporary Quaker actions

  2. Service project OR Movement/creative activity

5:30 - 7pm: Dinner

7 - 8:30: Free time/Quaker games/Speaker Matt Boswell

Saturday

9:30 - 10:30am: Worship/worship sharing OR Bible Study

10:30am - 12pm: Quaker Faith in Action: what actions can we take individually and collectively to create a more just and loving world?

12 - 1:30pm: Lunch

1:30 - 4pm: Walk at Reed College

4 - 5:30pm: Epistle drafting

5:30 - 7pm: Dinner

7 - 8:30pm: Quaker Trivia

Sunday

9:30 - 11am: Worship and Speaker Matt Boswell

11am - 12pm: Finalize Epistle

12 - 1:30pm: Lunch

1:30 - 2:30pm: Looking forward

  1. Brainstorming future long-term service projects

  2. Planting seeds for future youth

2:30 - 4pm: Business and Epistle Reading