Young Friends gather in Yorkshire
Over seventy people took part in Yorkshire Friends Holiday School
Yorkshire Friends Holiday School (YFHS) took place at Bootham School, York, from 21-28 August.
More than seventy participants, aged from thirteen to eighteen, attended the eighty-third Holiday School. Among those attending were a group of young Friends from Ireland Yearly Meeting.
Guy Milner of YFHS explained that the focus of the week was social justice, in particular what Friends can do collectively or individually to help reduce suffering and unfairness in their communities. The programme included, for the first time, an opportunity for Friends to take part in social action themselves.
Some participants visited a community garden, while others packed bags at a local supermarket to raise money for a special care baby unit. A peace vigil was held in St Helen’s Square to show solidarity with those affected by conflict. Other Friends wrote letters to their MPs and created ‘twiddle-things’ for people living with dementia to help them keep their hands active.
In their epistle, the participants described this opportunity as ‘the highlight of the week for many’ and credited it with bringing them even closer together. They wrote: ‘After a few days of listening to and being inspired by stories of social action, it was incredibly rewarding to give something back ourselves.’
