Young Friends outside Friends' School Saffron Walden. Photo: Michael Wood.
Young Quakers explore equality
Young Friends explored the theme of ‘Equality and Inequality’ at a recent summer school
Sixty-seven young Quakers, aged from eleven to fourteen, took part in this year’s Friends Southern Summer Event (FSSE) summer school, held at Friends’ School Saffron Walden from 16 to 23 August.
The young Friends worked with twenty-three staff volunteers to explore the theme of ‘Equality and Inequality’.
Outside speakers joined the participants, who had travelled ‘from all across England, from Cornwall to Warwick to Ipswich to Brighton’, organisers told the Friend.
A speaker from the charity Scope told Friends about issues affecting disabled people which lead to them experiencing inequality. An asylum seeker called Conteh, from Sierra Leone, also visited the group. He spoke of his journey and his struggle to become an equal citizen in the UK.
Martin Wilkinson talked about economic inequality in different societies and the effect it has on various health indicators. Colin South from the board of governors of Friends School Saffron Walden challenged his audience to envisage what equality in schools should look like.
Social activities included trips to Saffron Walden Maze and a barn dance.
In their epistle, the young Friends described the summer school as ‘a great experience’, and one which those involved would remember for their whole lives.
Summer school in 2015 will take place from 22 to 29 August. Its theme will be ‘Quakers in War’.
Correction 07/10/14: Colin South was director of Friends School, Ramallah/el-Bireh from 2000-2004 and is a governor of Friends School Saffron Walden. He is not a member of the Board of Governors of Friends School Ramallah.
