Young Friends General Meeting is the national organisation for young Quakers (from 18 to 30-ish) in the United Kingdom. The General Meetings alluded to in the title are held in February, May and October each year, in various places in the country.
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The Young Friends Movement in the United Kingdom, emerged in the first decade of the Twentieth Century, inspired by John Wilhelm Rowntree and led by Neave Brayshaw[1]. The first National Conference of Young Friends was held in August 1911. Among the first generation were many conscientious objectors, who suffered badly during the Great War.
The movement has influenced London/Britain Yearly Meeting strongly during the Twentieth century, for instance on the issue of Ethical Investments[2].
The name changed from Young Friends Central Committee to the present name in 1993[3].
In 1998, YFGM gave the annual Swarthmore Lecture to Friends gathered at Yearly Meeting in London, with the title Who do we think we are? Young Friends' Commitment and Belonging [4].
Young Friends General Meeting now has two representatives on Meeting for Sufferings[5].
Various local chapters exist, and hold regular meetings. They carry out a special project each year, based on the concerns of the members in regard to the needs around them. The organization also publishes a monthly magazine entitled Young Quaker.
Perhaps summing up its work is a statement from 1926:
'Our work is based on the thought that 'What you have inherited from your forefathers, you must acquire for yourselves to possess it'. That is to say that each generation of Young Friends by its experiments must discover for itself the truths on which the Society is built, if it is to use those truths, and to continue and enlarge the work of the Society. Hence the occasional separate meetings of younger Friends and our desire to have means of expressing corporately our own experience' (Quaker Faith & Practice, 21.04)
While Young Friends General Meeting has historically organised a range of events, there are currently a total of 8 YFGM-run events each year:
| Event | Timing | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Young Friends General Meetings | February, May/June, October | Large Friends' Meeting Houses around Great Britain |
| 3 YFGM Planning Weekends | January, April, September | Friends' Meeting Houses around Great Britain |
These Meetings comprise the main events of YFGM, and are the main venue for conducting the business of the Meeting. They also serve as spiritual gatherings, and act as the hub of the community.
Smaller events, Planning Weekends serve a dual purpose. Primarily, they exist to plan the proceedings of the General Meeting held in the following month. They also serve as a venue for the meeting of committees, encouraging cooperation and awareness between them.