SAYF


	SAYF NEWS Our Nurturing business meeting started with the Young Friends query, "How do you create and nurture community?" Then we reflected on the work we did in August defining "The State of SAYF." We assessed our successes, what changes or ideas we have put into action but aren't complete, and what things we have yet to implement. It was a weekend of nurturing each other and facing the inevitable changes that will happen when 5 of our 9 nurturers graduate this year. Friends were tender with each other with an underlying sense of ease and deep community. The Worship Journals from our January 2023 retreat in Atlanta and our February NCSCSC retreat have been added to our Epistles page, keeping good company with all the many journals from previous SAYF retreats. The Next Retreat of our 2022-23 Season will be taking place March 24-26, 2023 in the beautiful and rustic surroundings of the Arthur Morgan School and Celo Friends Meeting. === Lead FAN: Mari Otha <otha.mari@gmail.com> Planners: Celo/AMS Young Friends March 24-26 Celo/AMS Retreat Cover Page March 24-26 Celo/AMS Retreat Registration Directions to Celo & Arthur Morgan School Covid Guidelines for Retreats (revised) SAYF Medical Release Form (2023) SAYF Community Guidelines (2022-23) HEALTH SAFETY REMINDERS FOR RETREAT ATTENDERS Please read and observe revised Covid guidelines (above) for in-person SAYF retreats. ======================== Additional Connections for our SAYFers: -- The April 2021 retreat inspired us to capture the historic Young Friends Book Recommendations posted as graffiti in the AFM High School room. Photos are Here, and the page includes links to epic photos from SAYF white water rafting adventures, 2010-2014. -- To help us all stay better connected as we welcome new lights to our community, SAYFers are asked to please add or confirm their contact info and preferences via this online SAYFer Contact Form -- We continue to invite "anytime" worship journal writing as another way to stay in touch with our SAYF spirit and your inner light. Journal Submissions will be published to our EPISTLES page as they are submitted via email to: Autumn Woodward <awesomeSAYFers@gmail.com> ======================== DONATIONS: Retreat attenders, parents and Friends of SAYF are invited to make tax deductible contributions to this teen program of the Southern Appalachian Yearly meeting and Association (SAYMA) Gifts are especially helpful this year, as explained in our 2021 Donation Request Letter. ============================ PLEASE SEE THE LINKS BELOW for the most current guidelines and additional program information. Parents can reference the annual Parent Letter and Schedule of Retreats for a view of our plans for this year and ways adults can participate. Relevant information for the 2022-23 season, includes contact details for our Steering and Nurturing committees. Bios of current Steering and Support committee volunteers will be updated soon: Parent Letter & Info Packet 2022-23 (inclusive of below) New SAYFer Welcome Letter 2022-23 Retreat Schedule 2022-23 SAYF Nurturers & Steering List (2022.08.29) SAYF Values & Sleeping Arrangements (20220829) SAYF Community Guidelines (2022.08 rev) Covid-19 Guidelines for In Person Retreats (2022.03.20 rev3) Additional Items: Steering Committee Bios (2021.09.10) Support Committee Bios (2021.09.10) Kevin (the suggestion box) Guidelines (2019.02) Queries for Young Friends (2018 update) About our Retreats:** Each retreat is planned by the Young Friends of the meeting that is sponsoring or hosting the gathering. They choose a theme and decide on worship, workshops, activities and food. They experience Quaker process in this planning and produce a schedule for the weekend. Each retreat begins on Friday evening with a guideline review after all teens have arrived, then a worship sharing circle follows as the first activity on Saturday morning. The retreat ends on Sunday around noon, after gathering in silence to write and share our worship journal epistles about the weekend. The young Friends have their own Nurturing Committee comprised of experienced attenders who uphold the guidelines during the retreats and attend an additional two retreats each year to conduct business and address any issues that arise for their SAYF community. They also nurture individuals during the retreats. Attenders of our retreats and their Parents are encouraged to help us improve the program via our Feedback Form. ======================== About Our Website & links: * Forms and documents are made available in (publicly distributable) PDF format. Most web browsers and many free applications, both proprietary and Liberated Open Source, are available to view and print PDF files. Mac OS X systems include the "Preview" viewer for this, and the Free, Freely Distributable, Open Source LibreOffice suite (for Mac, Linux & others) supports the reading, saving and editing of almost all common document formats, both open and proprietary, including support for PDF view, edit and conversion. Gmail & Googledocs services also support PDF creation, viewing and printing. ** Any and all puns found on this site are intentional, even when accidental. :-)

Last updated 2023.03.14

SAYF NEWS