University of kent campus at Canterbury Photo: University of Kent
Changing the way we live to sustain the world we live in
Kevin Redpath looks forward to Yearly Meeting Gathering 2011 and encourages Friends to get involved
The word ‘sustainability’ evokes images of bikes, climate protests, kitchen gardens and recycling centres. We hear it increasingly in the current climate of dire warnings on environmental chaos and economic retrenchment: ‘We must build a sustainable economy!’ What does this really mean? What is sustainable in our lives, what is unsustainable? What is the Quaker response to these issues?
Our hope, in planning the gathering for next summer based on sustainable community and sustainable living, is that you will start from where you are, meet with Friends from all over the Yearly Meeting and abroad, share each other’s views and leave changed by the experience. We hope we will inspire each other to continue to explore sustainable living and that we will create a new foundation from which our lives will speak long after the event.
The campus of the University of Kent is beautiful. It overlooks Canterbury with a view of the cathedral and our full sessions will be held in a specially erected big top. As well as Yearly Meeting business sessions we will have special interest groups, excursions, discussion groups, opportunities to explore Quaker work around the Yearly Meeting and to enjoy each other’s company.
Our hope is that the gathering will be less a case of us ‘putting on a show’, and more a question of members of the Yearly Meeting bringing their interests, concerns and activities surrounding our theme to Canterbury, so that we will create the gathering together. To this end, if you have a suggestion for a special interest group, an activity, or you wish to become involved in promoting the event to members and attenders of your Area Meeting, please let us know. We can’t promise to include every suggestion but to create a gathering that is relevant to you, we need your input. If you have suggestions, email ymg@quaker.org.uk Visit the YMG page at www.quaker.org.uk/ymg and from there visit our lively Facebook discussion group. We look forward to seeing you in Canterbury in 2011!
Kevin is part of the YMG planning committee.
