Emily Walpole, Young Friends Clerk.
Long has the question been asked, ‘How to keep in contact with distant Friends?’ This is especially pertinent for Young Friends. Today, it should be more easily solved but sometimes months go by without any movement on the email list. For a community as supportive as ours, it’s curious that sometimes we’re not sure what everyone else is up to.
At camp, it was suggested that we start some form of interaction throughout the year so that those who aren’t at camp are not forgotten. We also aim to discuss issues that arise between our two camps, meet new Young Friends and perhaps hold ourselves some Meetings for Worship.
A number of years ago, Canberra began Dahl Nights. Once a fortnight YFs got together for a shared meal – generally dahl (a vegetarian dish of varied recipe, filling and size), and hung out. Thus the name came about. (It’s highly possible that the author has misspelt “dahl”). The strength of the Canberra group is what allowed us to facilitate the writing of Finding Our Voice, the 2010 Backhouse Lecture.
So, YFs invite individuals, aged 16 to 30-ish who have an interest in who we are (this question is thoroughly examined in our Backhouse Lecture and even we find it difficult to answer!) to join us on the first of every month, for “Dahl and Skype’. The time may vary but the host will not (dahl_night). To join us, all you need is:
- a computer with a microphone,
- a set of headphones (optional but reduces echoes)
- Skype – downloadable from the internet for free
- Internet connection Date: 1st of every month
Time: Generally 19:00 East Coast/ 18:30 Adelaide/17:00 West Coast Host: dahl_night
(An explanation of our ‘host’: add dahl_night to your Skype account and are logged in, whoever is running the Skype conference that night will invite you to join the chat if you so wish)
We would also ask that those who know of new young people in their meeting who are wanting to meet other young people, to please pass on information about our Skype nights (a poster is forthcoming with the Secretary’s newsletter with an explanation about Skype nights and other YF things, and we’re hoping to get one put up in all Meeting spaces).
As always, further information is available through the Young Friends clerk – yfclerk[at]quakers.org.au.
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