YOUNG FRIENDS GENERAL MEETING Liverpool Friends Meeting House, 28 to 31 May 1999 Minutes Present: Co-clerks: Nick Perks Co-convenors of Overseers: Michael Grimes Anne Pommier Paddy Uglow Treasurer: Andy May Officer of Outreach: Nick Sturge Convenor of Administrator: Klaus Huber Nominations Committee: Jane Cowling Monthly Meeting Representatives Brighouse: Robyn Kearns Pontefract: Anne Pommier Lancaster: Tony Padgett Reading: Simon Best Leicester: John Myers South Wales: Ruth Wood Lincolnshire: Naomi Jane Bailey Warwickshire: Joe Coffin Norwich & Lynn: Richy Rushmer West Devon: Paddy Uglow Hazel Stanway Wirral & Chester: Flip Bridges North Wales: Anna Jones Jason Barton, Linda Batten, Philip Batten, Anna Benedikz, Becky Boyer, Claire Britten, Rachel Bryers, Rowan Burrough, Gavin Burnell, Stephen Cappleman, Anna Carter, David Carter, David Cockcroft, Jennie Craddock, Rachael Davis, Sam Daws, Alice Drewery, Mike Eccles, Bluebell Eikonoklastes, Chris Elliott, Owen Evans, Bryony Evens, Richard Evens, Anne Fairweather, Ben Fairweather, Daphne Fisher, Carolyn Forrest, David Gee, Stephen Gibbs, Matthew Gough, Simon Gray, Chris Gribble, Nicola Grimes, Zandy Hemsley, Judi Hodgkin, Emily Hollister, Mark Jones, Harry Kingham, David Kirk, Paul Levy, Emma Lindley, Alice Lynch, Emily Miles, Alice Morning Star, John Myers, Anja Nuttin, Jane Osborne, Rachel Phillips, Jenny Pickrell, Carol Robinson, Richy Rushmer, Edd Sellman, Anna Sharman, Cathy Sharman, Jenny Shellens, Simon Shepherd, Lana Snook, Ella Speirs, Hester Speirs, Juliette Stoller, Carolyn Styles, Katy Turquoise, Robin Vanner, Tom Wickens; TOTAL: 83. 99/13 Opening Minute We welcome everyone to YFGM in Liverpool, particularly David Gee from the Quaker Council for European Affairs in Brussels and Jenny Pickrell from the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva. 99/14 Our Beliefs: what are they? We have begun our time together with an exercise that has given us the opportunity to begin to share our beliefs and our doubts. We have heard readings from Quaker Faith & Practice and personal ministry on our testimonies to Equality, Peace, Simplicity, and Truth. We have considered, through creative listening in small groups, our individual responses to these testimonies and the manifestation of our beliefs in action. We hope that our weekend will be enriched by this grounding in worshipful community. We thank Quintessential and all those who have contributed towards this exercise. We hope that this process of searching and sharing will be carried forward at this and future YFGMs. 99/15 Additional member of Nominations Committee For this General Meeting only, we appoint Rachel Phillips to Nominations Committee. 99/16 Change to the make-up of Officers We agree that the post of international secretary should cease to be an officer post and should instead be a part of Outreach Committee. We agree to appoint, as a trial until the end of October, an extra officer who would take on some of the roles previously done by the Interchurch/Interfaith or International Secretaries. We ask Officers, including the new appointee, to define this role more fully, possibly as the role of convenor of Officers. We expect to make a 3 year appointment at October YFGM. 99/17 Report from the Parliamentary Liaison Assistant and the Programme Assistants We have heard from David Gee, Anne Fairweather and Jenny Pickrell, currently working at the Quaker Council for European Affairs, the Parliamentary Liaison Section for Britain Yearly Meeting and the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva. Between them they are part of an exciting range of Quaker initiatives on political issues at national, European and international level. It has been inspiring to hear of their work. There are opportunities to discuss their work, get involved and support them and their successors, through the special interest groups this afternoon and by talking with David, Anne and Jenny. 99/18 Report from the SASSA Appeal Group We have heard from Sassa (Supporting work for Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse), our current appeal group, about their progress since February YFGM. They have been involved in raising awareness as well as money, for example by running a stall at Yearly meeting, gathering resources, and creating a list of contacts with charities in the field. They will be financially supporting Adult Survivors of Incest and Sexual Abuse (ASISA) in Norwich as well as Counselling and Advice of Survivors of Sexual Abuse (CASSA) in Bradford and feel this will bring a better balance to their work as ASISA work with men as well as women. We wholeheartedly support them in their work and encourage people to attend this special interest group this afternoon or get involved in other ways. 99/19 Dots and Commas We thank Bryony Evens and Emily Miles for agreeing to check our dots and commas this weekend. 99/20 Corporate Witness We feel strongly that YFGM needs both to be a place for refuelling and a channel for action. As a large body we struggle with inertia and the limitations of only meeting three times a year, but we have experienced that together our actions can be powerful and through YFGM we are supported in things we cannot do alone. We need to continue to find shared values and to hear the different voices in our midst. There is a need for greater action and we wish to fully support the peace vigil organised for this afternoon and future initiatives of this kind. We ask Officers to look for ways to include opportunities for action and encourage new ideas to come forward. 99/21 Kosovo Earlier in the weekend a special interest group was held on the situation in Kosovo. We are not able in the time available to make a corporate statement on this issue. However we support individuals within YFGM who wish to sign and suggest amendments to the letter written in the interest group which expresses the need to uphold those who make decisions in positions of power. 99/22 Amendments to Financial Policy Further to minute 7 of Finance Committee, 23 May 1999, and to our decision to appoint an extra officer we approve the following changes to our financial policy: a) Delete 'International Secretary' and append 'and one other Young Friend' in clause 1c. b) Add the following to the beginning of clause 1i: The signatories of all accounts held by General Meeting shall be recorded by minute of General Meeting. All accounts shall have three signatories, the Treasurer and two members of the relevant committee or group, or the Co-Clerks. c) Change 'any' to 'all' in the first sentence of clause 2g and replace the last sentence of the same clause with: Any committee or group of General Meeting, which has its own funds, shall have a treasurer appointed by General Meeting. The appointment shall be for a period of three years, except the events treasurer, which is for 1 year. d) Delete clause 9e. e) Delete the second half of clause 11b from ', and shall be responsible...' and replace it with: A Young Friend shall be appointed as Young Quaker Treasurer. f) Delete the second half of clause 12c from ', and shall be responsible...' and replace it with: A Young Friend shall be appointed as Pardshaw Treasurer. g) Add 'Jamboree, Jamborette and' to the beginning of clause 6b. h) Replace in clause 6c the sentence beginning 'Any surplus should be given to General Meeting...' with the sentences: Any surplus shall be held in the Events Account. If the funds held do not cover any reasonable loss, it shall be met by the General Fund. i) Insert 'Events' before two occurrences of 'Treasurer' in clause 6e and insert in the middle of this clause the sentence: The Events Treasurer may ask the General Fund treasurer for additional funds to cover these expenses if required. j) Delete clauses 6f and 6g. k) Insert a new clause 6e and re-letter the following clauses: General Meeting shall appoint an Events Treasurer to oversee the financial affairs of all Special Interest Gatherings. 99/23 Nominations We appoint the following people to the following posts and release from service the people mentioned below and thank them for all their work: Position Person appointed Period Released from service International Secretary John Myers 3 years Hannah Williams Outreach Committee David Kirk 3 years Chris Gribble Overseer Anna Jones 2 years Jenny Shellens Employment Treasurer Klaus Huber 3 years Linda Batten (from Aug.'99) (from Oct.YFGM) Pardshaw Committee Joe Coffin 3 years Ben Fairweather Nicky Grimes 3 years Mike Stokes Meeting for Sufferings Alice Morning Star 3 years Jennie Craddock representative Children & Young People's N/A N/A Jennie Craddock Committee Representative Quaker Home Service Nicky Grimes 3 years Simon Best Representative Council representative Officer David Cockcroft up to and N/A including Oct. YFGM We also ask Outreach Committee to consider their numbers in the light of the new role included in their committee and thank Bluebell Eikonoklastes for his contribution to the work of this committee. 99/24 Internet Co-ordinator We agree to lay down the position of Internet Co-ordinator and for this work to be taken on by Outreach Committee. We release Alice Drewery from service and thank her for her work. 99/25 Nominations Committee We appoint Paul Levy to serve on Nominations Committee from October YFGM. We release Lana Snook from service and thank her for her work. We note that we shall require the appointment of a further member to this committee at October YFGM. 99/26 Volunteers The following people have kindly agreed to undertake the following duties at October General Meeting: Janitors Richy Rushmer Caterers Christine Brown Daphne Fisher Chris Elliott Crèche co-ordinator Anja Nuttin Pan transport Nick Sturge Off-floor accommodation co-ordinator Anna Sharman 99/27 Closing Minute We have experimented with a number of changes this YFGM, including the session run for us by Quintessential and the opportunity for shared witness in a Peace Vigil. These changes have led to deeper explorations of what we want to be and do as YFGM - at the least we have new experiences to reflect on and a platform for further questioning, experimentation and learning. We have also been enriched by input from Northern Friends Peace Board, Quaker Social Responsibility & Education, and the Young Friends working in the Quaker United Nations Office, the Quaker Council for European Affairs and the Parliamentary Liaison Section. We thank our caterers, Judi Hodgkin and Anna Benedikz, and all our other volunteers. We also wish to thank all those Young Friends who have been co-opted during the weekend to Overseers, Officers and Nominations Committee. We could not have managed without their generosity of time and effort. Hannah Williams, our outgoing International Secretary, has not been able to be with us, but we hold her now in our thoughts. We thank her for the verve and passion she has shown in this post. We wish her well in her demanding training as a midwife. We also would like to thank Klaus Huber, our administrator for nearly two years, who will be shortly coming to the end of his period of employment with us. His efficiency, cheerfulness, initiative and overall competence have been amazing. We hope that our separate journeying during the summer will challenge and sustain each of us, until we meet again as a journeying community. Signed in and on behalf of Young Friends General Meeting Anne Pommier Nick Perks Co-clerks