Thursday, November 18, 2010

Winter and Spring Retreats!


Warm Heart, Warm Hands January 7-9, ages 11-14
There are as many was to heal as there are to be hurt. In all cultures around the world there are healers who are known for their abilities to cure and mend. This weekend we’ll explore our own healing powers through many different techniques, such as massage, healing touch, meditation, and energy work.

The Friendly Firebrand: Social Action February 25-27, ages 11-14
Rebellion is a hallmark of adolescence. Challenging authority is also one of things that Quakers are best known for. This weekend we’ll look at examples of people, some of them Friends, who faced great adversity for causes they believed in. We’ll explore different ways to take a stand, in our personal lives and in the larger world, and try to find constructive and positive ways to stand up for ourselves and what we believe in.

Green Eggs and Hamlet March 11-13, ages 14-18
What do Shakespeare and Dr. Seuss have in common? They are both known for inventing words, creative use of language, and storytelling abilities. This weekend we’ll try our hand at all of these things. We’ll look at different forms of poetry and practice poetic writing. We’ll explore different storytelling styles and techniques, and when we can’t find the right words, we’ll make new ones!

Finding the Inner Me March 25-27, ages 11-14
A large part of connecting with others comes from our ability to connect with ourselves. We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with messages about who we should want to be, what we should want to look like, and what things we should want to own. These external voices can be so loud that it can be hard to hear the internal voices of our souls. This weekend we’ll talk about ways to turn down the volume of the outward noise and search for avenues into our inner selves...

Thank You for Being a Friend April 15-17, ages 11-14
What makes a good friend? Why is friendship important? How do friendships change as you transition from childhood to adolescence? How do you deepen the friendships you have, and how do you form new ones? How do you say “no” to a friend and how do you know when to let go. We will tackle these questions and more this weekend, as we examine the complicated world of friendship.

He, She, Ze... Me? May 13-15, ages 14-18
Society is constantly telling us what it means to be a man or a woman, and what forms of sexuality are healthy or unacceptable. This pressure is often felt most keenly at adolescence, when we are going through the physical transformation from child to adult, and are beginning to explore our sexuality. This weekend we’ll examine some of the assumptions and stereotypes about gender and sexuality and discuss some of the safe and healthy ways we can explore our identities.

Creating Your Way June 10-12, ages 11-14
There are endless forms of creative expression, and many ways to express yourself within each form. Some like to sing in choirs, some in karaoke bars, and others in the shower. Haiku, limericks and sonnets are all very different, and are all poetry. This weekend, we’ll explore as many ways to express our creativity as we can. We hope that you’ll come prepared to share your favorite ways, but also to try new ones. So bring your instruments, your journals, your scrapbooks, your dancing shoes, and anything else you might need, because we are going to have some fun!

To Register email us (at yfirinterns@gmail.com) and we'll send you a printable registration form OR pick up a copy of our new beautiful blue brochure and check inside for a hard copy of the form.
Mail in your registrations to:
The Beloved Community House
599 Trumbulls Corners Rd.
Newfield, NY
14867

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Recent Travels of the Young Friends in Residence

Hello all!

Anna facilitated her first retreat a few weeks ago, "What Makes You Come Alive?" I (Helen) wasn't there for it, but from what I hear they had some great discussions about shared spiritual practices, and they each got to make a super cute t-shirt with depictions of what makes them come alive.

Franklin and I were not at that retreat because we were in the Hoosier State for a Young Adult Friends Consultation on creating a cross-branch inter-visitation program. Surprisingly enough, no one made an acronym for that. What would it be? YAFCOCACIP? That has a certain ring to it, I guess. Anyway, we drove all the way to FUM headquarters in Richmond Indiana, and had a great weekend talking with other Young Adult Friends about what intervisitation means to us, what our experiences have been, and what we might like to see in a more structured intervisitation program. There were Young Adults from all over the country, and all different kinds of Quakerism. It seemed like people had a lot of ideas, and I'm hopeful for where it may go in the future. Special thanks to Emily Stewart and Wess Daniels for planning and facilitating the consultation, and to the Quaker Hill Retreat Center for hosting us. Also, to the residents of Miller Farm, Thornburg House, and the Darby ladies of Brick City for giving Franklin and me a place to stay!

A few days after we got back from Indiana, we all found our way to Flushing, Queens for NYYM Fall Sessions. Natalie worked with the children's program in the morning on Saturday and Franklin hung out with the teen group all weekend. We all had the opportunity in the afternoon session on Saturday to present to the body. The weekend was challenging in many ways for us and for others involved in our program, but we were very grateful for the vocal support from many of those present, and to have the opportunity to share about our experiences with the group. So many people took the time to share, both with the group and with us personally, how much they appreciated the work that we are doing. It means a lot to us to know that we have your support.

We are all looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with our respective families, but will be back soon to prepare for our December retreat. We're really excited for this one! It's an Alternatives to Violence Program weekend for ages 11-18, led by Jens Braun on December 17th-19th. Hurry and register your child, this one is filling up!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Fall Updates!

Hi, everyone!We have been having a wonderful fall here at Beloved Community House. Our house now full with four interns, we have been working hard to strengthen our community. A favorite way of doing this is through sharing food. We have dinners together almost every night, and sometimes spontaneous pancake breakfasts. Recently, we've been coming up with creative ways to eat the massive amounts of butternut squash we receive from our local CSA. So far we've had curried red lentil and butternut soup, squash pie, squash bread, and squash pancakes.

Last week we attacked the task of preparing our garden for the winter. Natalie, our garden-guru, spearheaded this effort, and helped us think about what we want our garden to look like next year.Franklin works on clearing and turning over beds.
Natalie and Anna put up a branch that we can grow vines on next year.

This Halloween, the Young Friends, plus f/Friend Aaron Lindop, got dressed up together and went out on the town. There was a lot of hubbub as we all ran around getting ready - Franklin carefully trimming his beard, Anna borrowing pants and a neck tie, and Natalie and Helen spending more time on (and putting more product in) their hair than they care to admit.Franklin and Aaron
Helen, Natalie, and Anna