YOUTH COMMITTEE
POSITION DESCRIPTION: Youth Committee
Position description approved by NPYM Steering Committee, January 2009
Youth Opportunity Fund information approved by Coordinating Committee, April 2010
Revisions approved by Coordinating Committee, April 2013
NOMINATION AND APPROVAL: NPYM Nominating Committee is responsible for fil ing this
committee. Usual y nominations are approved at Annual Session; however, nominations can
also be approved by Coordinating Committee or Executive Committee.
TERM LENGTH: 2 years
TERM BEGINS: October 1
MEMBERS: Four to five members, with staggered terms to avoid complete turnovers. If
possible, the committee should be diverse in terms of geography, meeting size, and age. Also if
possible, one member should have local Meeting First Day School experience or Annual
Session Children’s Program experience, and another experience as a Junior Friends advisor.
REPORTS TO: NPYM Annual Session and Coordinating Committee
WORKS PRIMARILY WITH: Religious education committees and Central Friends and Junior
Friends Advisors at the local and Quarterly Meeting levels. Also works with NPYM Junior
Friends Advisors, Annual Session Children’s Program Coordinating Team, and Clerks of Junior
and Young Adult Friends of Quarterly and Yearly Meetings.
The Youth Committee Clerk or a designated member shall be a member of the NPYM
Coordinating Committee.
NPYM encourages the committee to ask others to help work on special tasks or ad hoc
subcommittees.
DEFINITIONS:
NPYM uses these terms as follows:
• Children – birth through 5th grade
• Central Friends (CF) – 6-8th grades
• Junior Friends (JF) – High-school age Friends
• Young Adult Friends (YAF) – post- high school age (18) to about age 35
“Meetings” refers to Monthly Meetings and Preparative Meetings.
CPCT – Children’s Program Coordinating Team.
FAP – “Friendly Adult Presence”.
The Youth Committee serves the Yearly Meeting by supporting Yearly and Monthly Meetings in
their work with children and youth. This committee nurtures spiritual development and a sense
of community for our children and youth, and supports their transition to adult participation in the
life of Friends.
The Youth Committee is responsible for implementing, and is subject to, the NPYM Youth Safety
policy.
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RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Administer the Youth Opportunity Fund (see below).
• Network with Meetings, Worship Groups, and Quarterly Meetings to share ideas,
resources, and concerns. This could include (but is not limited to):
o Education regarding NPYM safety policies;
o Curriculum resources;
o Transitions for children moving from one age group into another;
o Transition of youth into adult roles in the meeting;
o Raising children with Quaker values, and other support for NPYM families.
• Encourage mutual support among Central and Junior Friends and their advisors at al
levels. This could happen through the use of technology (blogs, list serves, e-mail, etc.).
• Provide oversight, advocacy, and support of youth programming that occurs in
conjunction with Annual Session (AS). (See the recommended timeline below.) This
includes:
o Partnering with Nominating Committee to identify AS youth program staff
(Children’s Program Coordinating Team, and Central Friend and Junior Friend
advisors) in a timely way;
o Supporting CPCT in identifying teachers and activities staff;
o Organizing other family supports for Annual Session (family quiet room; childcare
during committee meeting times, communications about the Children’s Program
and CF and JF camp), as needed;
o Advocating for resources for the Children’s Program;
o Acting as liaison among Children’s Program, Junior Friends, Young Adult Friends,
and older adults;
o Supporting Children’s Program and Children’s Activities staff during AS.
TASKS & TIMELINE for Youth Committee work around Annual Session:
By the end of February
• Work with Nominating Committee, as needed, to make sure the Children’s Program
Coordinating Team (CPCT) is on board.
By the end of March
• Work with Nominating Committee, as needed, to make sure the CF Camp Coordinator is
on board.
By the end of April
• Assist the Children’s Program Coordinating Team, as needed, to make sure there are
lead classroom teachers and an Activities Director on board.
By the end of May
• Assist the CF Camp Coordinator, as needed, to identify an assistant or co-coordinator
for CF camp.
• Assist the Children’s Program Coordinating Team, as needed, to identify assistant
classroom teachers and activities staff.
• Safety: Work with the NPYM Secretary to ensure that CPCT members, all teachers,
nursery staff, and Camp coordinators/FAPs have background safety checks and
confirmation of Meeting attendance as required by NPYM Youth Safety Policies and
Guidelines.
EXPENSES & TRAVEL: Reimbursement is provided for office expenses (long distance phone
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calls, postage, and photocopying). Travel expense is reimbursed according to NPYM travel
reimbursement policy. Submit reimbursement requests with receipts to NPYM Treasurer.
Submit all expenses relating to Annual Session to the NPYM Treasurer, with receipts, as soon
as possible and no later than August 31.
YOUTH OPPORTUNITY FUND
DEFINITION: The NPYM Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) provides partial financial support for
the spiritual enrichment of individual Central, Junior, and Young Adult Friends of North Pacific
Yearly Meeting. In addition to providing material support, it is NPYM’s intention that YOF schol-
arships are awarded in a way that fosters Quaker process and support from local meetings for
Central, Junior, and Young Adult Friends.
TASKS & TIMELINES:
• Set annual disbursements. In consultation with the NPYM Treasurer, the Committee
decides how much money may be spent annually from the Youth Opportunity Fund. That
amount is reported to the Steering Committee. The annual amount spent should assure
that the Youth Opportunity Fund maintains a balance of at least $10,000, fair market
value, after the annual disbursement.
• Publicity. The Committee has responsibility to make the Fund known to Central, Junior,
and Young Adult Friends in NPYM. Information should be distributed through direct
contacts, Coordinating Committee, and information posted on the NPYM website.
• Fundraising. The YOF is intended to be a permanent resource. Therefore the Committee
solicits support for the Fund from individuals and the Yearly, Quarterly, and Monthly
meetings of NPYM. When appropriate, the Committee may make special appeals to
support specific youth ventures like the World Gathering of Young Friends. In those
cases 25% of the “earmarked” donations wil revert to the general YOF.
• Awarding Grants. YOF grants are intended to be partial grants and generally will not
exceed $500. There wil be three application and award cycles in each calendar year.
Applications are due: March 1, May 1, and October 1, with award decisions general y
made within two weeks. The application form will ask for the fol owing information:
o amount of money sought,
o purpose for the support,
o support gathered from family, local and/or Quarterly Meetings,
o statement of how spiritual enrichment is part of the experience, and
o plans for reporting back about the experience.
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