Yearly Meeting special interest sessions 3
‘I can be in a space where there are lots of people like me.’
The Groups Fair was a chance for Friends to meet members of various Quaker groups. Members of the Black, Brown and People of Colour Fellowship spoke of the group’s ability to nurture those who were otherwise feeling isolated in their Meetings. It was a safe space, a place for healing. ‘I can be in a space where there are lots of people like me,’ said one.
Quaker Social Action showed videos of its most recent work on the ‘Cook Up’ project, providing kitchen space for those who needed it. Sammy, a refugee, talked about being able to make the familiar food of his home country: ‘I feel human again.’
The Quaker Socialist Society was also present, giving a flavour of its work. In a centenary year for Ada and Alfred Salter, members were looking to fund Friends involved in small actions for social change.
Quaker Community Bamford ‘New Light’ weekends have garnered interest, and the small full-time community is hoping to grow by late summer with new permanent community members joining them. Their retreats continue to be popular and the recent spring planting was really successful – ground cleared, beds prepared and many vegetables planted.
Quaker Disability Equality Group (QDEG) offered an insightful chat with members who have had first-hand experience of living with a disability.
Ade Couper explained that QDEG works to promote inclusion for all who want to attend Meetings; this extends to far more than installing a ramp. Barriers to accessing Local Meetings (LMs)are as diverse as the individuals who experience them and not all disabilities are visible – dementia, hearing impairment, neuro-diversity, mental ill-health, and chronic conditions, all require different adaptations and QDEG supports LMs with advice and ideas to enable every Quaker to feel welcomed and included.
Northern Friends Peace Board is offering much information on the war in Ukraine, including the text of the recent letter they sent to Liz Truss, urging the UK government to to avoid words and actions that lead to an escalation of tensions.
Friends Fellowship of Healing members spoke about how the pandemic had changed their work, with groups moving online and the creation of a distant healing group. Their healing work at a distance has been to offer gentle help to keep people in a good place mentally and emotionally, focussing on wellbeing and staying inwardly peaceful.
Staff from the Quaker United Nations Office gave a feeling of what it had been like to be on the inside of the COP26 discussions. Although the conference outcome had not been enough for many Friends, Lindsey Fielder Cook said that it had actually been better than she had expected. Language around human rights had improved, and measures made were tougher than those made in Madrid. It had been a very busy time, of course – thirteen hours a day, six days a week, said Lindsey – and staff were close to burnout. But Friends, locally and nationally, had been incredibly supportive, and what they’d achieved was notable. Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge then spoke of the ‘phenomenal shift’ in international relations that was being caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was challenging standards that ‘we had thought were established’, she said. QUNO would continue to challenge the language of militarism.
Woodbrooke staff were on hand to answer questions. There had been a well-documented acceleration in its online worship and learning programmes, but, interestingly, there had also been a shift in the location of those Friends accessing what Woodbrooke had to offer, with more than ten per cent of Friends joining from outside Britain.
Yearly Meeting special interest sessions reporting by Alastair Reid, Annique Seddon, Elinor Smallman, Joseph Jones, Laurence Hall, Rebecca Hardy and Sarah FitzGerald.
Comments
Please login to add a comment
