YOUNG FRIENDS GENERAL MEETING
Nottingham Friends Meeting House, 19 to 21 February 1999
Minutes

Present:
Co-clerks:		Daphne Fisher		Co-convenors of Overseers:	Michael Grimes
			Nick Perks						Paddy Uglow
Treasurer:		Andy May		Officer of Outreach:		Nick Sturge
Convenor of					Administrator:			Klaus Huber
Nominations Committee:	Jane Cowling

Monthly Meeting Representatives
Balby:			Sonja Lewycka		North Wales:			Anna Jones
Bournemouth & Swanage:	Tim Sanders		Nottinghamshire & Derby:		George Kendall
Brighouse:		Bethan Hillas		Reading:			Simon Best
			Robyn Kearns		Settle:				Anna Watson
Hardshaw East:		Heather Rowlands	South Wales:			Ruth Wood
Kingston & Wandsworth:	James Williams		Warwickshire:			Jo Coffin
Leicester:		John Myers		West Devon:			Paddy Uglow
Lincolnshire:		Naomi Jane Bailey	West Somerset:			Tim Høle
Luton & Leighton:	Miriam Rowe		Worcester & Shropshire:		Rachael Young
Northumbria:		Mark Allen

Jason Barton, Linda Batten, Philip Batten, Anna Benedikz, Adam Boulter, David Boyd, Alex Brierley,
Rachel Bryers, Rowan Burrough, Anna Carter, David Carter, Helen Close, David Cockcroft, Jennie Craddock,
Duncan Curtis, Cesare DiRienzi, Aletia Dundas, Mark Eccles, Mike Eccles, Bluebell Eikonoklastes,
Chris Elliott, Owen Evans, Ruth Evans, Bryony Evens, Richard Evens, Anne Fairweather, Alia Ganaposki,
Simon Gray, Zandy Hemsley, Ceri Hillas, Judi Hodgkin, Emily Hollister, Harry Kingham, Andrew Kingston,
David Kirk, Paul Levy, Harriet Lloyd, Clare Lockwood, Alice Lynch, Rachel Muers, Rachel Phillips,
Sarah Povall, Anne Pommier, Wil Quick, Richy Rushmer, Edd Sellman, Anna Sharman, Cathy Sharman,
Jenny Shellens, Simon Shepherd, Emily Smith, Lana Snook, Mike Stokes, Juliette Stoller, Andy Taylor,
Katy Turquoise, Robin Vanner, Rob Wallis, Nessa Williams, Helen Wolfson, Anton Yevdokimov; 

TOTAL: 87.


99/1 Opening Minute
Welcome, everybody, to YFGM in Nottingham! We extend a special welcome to our visitors from abroad:
Emily Hollister, Alia Ganaposki and Cesare DiRienzi from the USA; Anton Yevdokimov from Russia;
and Sarah Povall from South Africa.

99/2 Dots and Commas
We thank Bryony Evens and Richard Evens for agreeing to check our dots and commas this weekend.

99/3 Report on the Officers/Overseers/Quintessential weekend
Nick Sturge and Alex Brierley have reported on the Officers/Overseers/Quintessential winter weekend,
which was held last December in Leicester. This was a wonderful chance for the group to come together.
They considered YFGMs over the past year, and thought about the future. They invited a speaker,
Irene Hardisty, who led them to reconsider the taboos surrounding the disclosure of sexual abuse.
The changeover of appeals was also considered. Various ideas were discussed, which fed into the
following minute.

99/4 Appeals and Concerns
* We have only one Appeal at a time, partly so that there is no doubt what to do with cheques made out
  simply to "The YFGM Appeal".
* We note that YFGM may adopt any number of Concerns (by a decision made by a full business session
  of YFGM), as well as one Appeal. We are reminded that the meeting has a duty to consider carefully
  its response to each concern that arises. We may decide to allow groups to raise money for Concerns
  in some cases, so long as this does not conflict with the Appeal fundraising. It is important that
  good communication is maintained between all those who are fundraising within YFGM. If we do raise
  money for a Concern, we should appoint a Treasurer to be responsible for presenting accounts for it
  every year in the normal way. Officers have responsibility for reviewing Concerns and reminding YFGM
  to lay them down when they are over.
* At the meeting when a new Appeal is decided on, the name of a contact person or co-ordinator should
  be recorded in the minutes. It will also be made clear who is the Treasurer for the new Appeal.
* The Appeal Group will suggest a timescale for the new Appeal (normally one, two or three years),
  after which we might expect the Appeal to be laid down.
* We will also minute a change-over date for the Appeal, probably to be a couple of months after the
  YFGM when the decision is made, so that the old and new Appeal groups have time to wind up or start
  up their activities and to publicise the change, to ensure that donations go to the cause they were
  intended for.

99/5 Finance Report
We have heard a report on our finances including presentation of the budget for 1999. YFGM currently
has funds of around £25,000 held in its accounts. We are grateful for the work of Finance Committee
that has resulted in a more healthy financial position than has often been the situation in the past.
Whilst recognising the need for prudence we hope that individuals and groups can be supported
financially, expressing our witness in the world. We strongly encourage people to run interest groups
or bring items to Officers for the consideration of YFGM.
We agree to approve the budget with the increase of the Summer Gathering Bursary to £2,000. We ask
Finance Committee to consider more pro-actively ethical options in the investment of our funds.

99/6 Programme Assistants at QCEA and QUNO
We have heard about the difficulties experienced by the Programme Assistants at the Quaker Council for
European Affairs and the Quaker United Nations Office. We hope to strengthen the links between them
and YFGM. We express our support for the EMEYF initiative to improve oversight and pastoral care of
Programme Assistants. We hold the Programme Assistants in the Light. We invite them to attend YFGM
in May 1999 to share their concerns and experiences with us and to bring to us any ideas they have for
how we might support them further. We offer to pay their travel expenses this May.

99/7 SASSA Appeal
We thank Irene Hardisty from QHAPSA and Sarah and Cas from Bradford Rape Crisis for their valuable
contribution to our session this morning on our SASSA Appeal.
The Appeal group have reported on their current and proposed activities which include running a stall
at both Britain Yearly Meeting and Summer Gathering this year. We are all encouraged to take part in
these.
We note that the Appeal Group may be contacted via the Office. We plan to review our Appeal in
October 1999.
We ask the Co-Clerks to write a letter to Children & Young People's Section and Quaker Home Service
in support of their work on the "Safeguarding children from harm" document.

99/8 Management Group Report
Management Group has reported that things have continued successfully with the Administrator and the
Office. The database is now finally up and running in a successful version and the office guide is
developing well.
We will start the process of recruiting Klaus' successor in April and the change-over is timetabled
for July. The new post will be for 16 hours per week as at present.

99/9 Nominations
We appoint the following people to the posts which they have kindly agreed to take on.
We release from service the people mentioned below and thank them for all their work on our behalf:

Position		Person/s appointed		Period		Released from service

Co-clerk		Anne Pommier		3 years		Daphne Fisher

Pardshaw 		Anna Sharman			3 years		Harry Kingham
Committee		Mike Stokes					Emily Smith

Management Group	Simon Gray			3 years		Alice Drewery

Representative on	Bethan Hillas			3 years		Peter Kennedy
Northern Friends
Peace Board

Report for 		Rachel Phillips		one-off		N/A
The Friend

Facilitator for 		Adam Boulter			until June '99	N/A
working group on
'Mobile YFs' at
Woodbrooke Conf.

Representative on	Nessa Williams		3 years		Jennie Craddock
Children & Young					(to start June)	(to be released: June)
People's Committee

Quintessential		Mike Eccles			3 years		Jonathan Kemp
									Rachel Kemp
									Rachel Phillips

Nominations		Rob Wallis			2 years		Judi Hodgkin
Committee

99/10 Volunteers
The following people have kindly agreed to undertake the following duties at our next General
Meeting in Liverpool:
Off-floor accommodation organiser:		Robyn Kearns
Crèche co-ordinator:				Emily Hollister
Catering:					Anna Benedikz
						Judi Hodgkin
Janitors:					Bluebell Eikonoklastes
						Simon Shepherd
Pan transport:					Klaus Huber

99/11 EMEYF Grant
We agree a one-off grant of £1,000 to Europe & Middle East Young Friends this year, in particular
to support the Spring Gathering. We ask Finance Committee to determine the situation regarding grants
to EMEYF in recent years and to bring the issue to our next meeting.

99/12 Closing Minute
Our time together in Nottingham has now come to an end. We have shared something of our plans, our life,
and ourselves. We have travelled a little further together as a community.
We thank our janitors - Mike Eccles and David Cockcroft - and our caterers - Rachael Young and
Owen Evans - for providing us with the essentials of the weekend.
Two Officers have completed their period of service this weekend - Gavin Burnell as General Fund
Treasurer and Daphne Fisher, Co-Clerk.
We thank Gavin for all his work, in particular on the process of charity registration and the
development of financial systems. His contribution to Finance Committee and General Meeting will be
felt and appreciated for some time.
We thank Daphne for all her work behind the scenes and at the table. Her commitment and organisation
have been invaluable to the work of Officers and she has continued to be an enthusiastic participant
in many other aspects of Young Friends' activities.
We wish them, and each other, safe journeys and more sunshine.

Signed in and on behalf of Young Friends General Meeting

	Nick Perks		Daphne Fisher
	
	Co-clerks