Junior Friends
[The information below is from 2020, and will be updated for 2022 shortly.]
Junior Friends (JF) is a high school age group of awesome Quakers. We meet three times a year: for four days at NPYM, another four at Camp, and in February at our annual Winter Trip.
We are a group that plans and structures itself with the help of lovely advisers and Friendly Adult Presences (FAPs). During our time at NPYM we attend worship sharing with the larger meeting as a way to share experiences between a wider age group, and share learning about Quaker worship and process. Every year we also have an outing, depending on our location. In the past we have gone river rafting, spent afternoons at parks, or gone to the zoo. Junior Friends organize their own program and activities, maintain their own Meetings for Business and committees, and are responsible for their own code of conduct. At the end of the four days we join with the Young Adult Friends for a dance, and the Feast of Love! We then top off the evening with an optional Fish Bowl exercise where we bring in an outside medical professional so that we can openly/anonymously ask any questions that we have. This is a time for Junior Friends and Young Adult Friends to openly discuss how we apply the Quaker testimonies to different relationships in our lives.
If you have any questions about Junior Friends, please feel free to contact the junior friends’ co-clerks:
Co-clerks:
Ezra Ford: jfclerk1@npym.org
Adam Billen: jfclerk2@npym.org
Junior Friends Advisors:
Paul Christiansen: jfadvisor1@npym.org
Hunter Keller: jfadvisor2@npym.org
Junior Friends Camp
Following Annual Session, there is a 4 day Junior Friends Camp to which all Junior Friends are welcome. Junior Friends is a wonderful place to explore your spirituality and make wonderful life long F/friends in the process.
After NPYM, Junior Friends are encouraged to come to the camp we have annually for four days following NPYM. The location for camp 2019 is Oregon's Hudson-Parcher park. At camp we enjoy hiking, boating, exploration, worship, singing and worshipful business. We end each camp with a closing circle where we gather around the campfire and talk about our favorite moments from camp. This is always a very powerful and healing experience for all who participate. Junior Friends Camp is a wonderful opportunity to learn about Quakerism and to make connections with young Quakers from across the Pacific Northwest.
Transportation can be provided for all Junior Friends events. Cost: $50 , financial assistance available. If you are in need of financial aid please contact the advisors for more information. If you have any questions about Junior Friends Camp or camp transportation, please contact one of the camp coordinators below, or any of the Junior Friends Advisors listed above.
Camp Coordinators:
Sage Freeman: jfcampcoord1@npym.org
Sonia Boeger: jfcampcoord2@npym.org
Notice to Parents
Each Junior Friend under the age of 18 needs a paper Medical Release Form with a parent’s signature on file in order to participate in the Junior Friends Program. Unaccompanied minors need the second page of this form as well, which also requires the sponsor(s) to sign it, agreeing to accept this responsibility. Be sure to make additional copies of the whole form to give to your Jr. Friend’s sponsor(s). Sign and present both pages of this form, plus a copy of your child’s medical insurance information, and a signed check to cover the camp fee, to a Camp Coordinator just prior to the trip to camp.