Local Friends

You and your Housemates aren’t building community in isolation. At least one Friends meeting in your city has taken QVS “under the care of the meeting.” There’s a preexisting Quaker community in your area, and they embrace the opportunity to support you as an expression of who they are meant to be.

Under the Care of the Meeting

Throughout the year, local Friends will look for practical ways to help you feel welcomed and supported. They will invite you to Quaker events. As individuals, they might invite you to join them for an afternoon of making cookies or hiking in the woods. They will certainly bring you food. They will want to know if you need anything. 

During your QVS Year, you will have limited access to money. However, you will have more access to community. Having enough money allows you to solve problems independently. How will your perceptions need to shift so you can draw on community as a resource? 

Community is a Resource

We hope this year will strengthen your ability to build the bonds of community -- even with people who see the world differently. The Enneagram may be a useful tool for thinking about our differences. Talking about equity and privilege will be essential for this work. 

Engaging the local Quaker community will give you an intergenerational experience of community. Our society is often quick to divide us by generations. It’s easy to find examples of baby boomers complaining about millennials or millennials mocking Gen Z. How can we develop a more generous approach to intergenerational dialogue? 

When you visit a local meeting, the people around you will probably be noticeably older. What patterns of community life might reflect the assumptions of an older generation? Do any of these assumptions exclude you? If so, think twice about leaving the status quo unchallenged. By taking QVS under the care of the meeting, these Friends are committed to making space for you and your experience. How can you build their capacity for the work they’re called to do? How might the experience of older Friends inform your understanding of community, spirituality and social change? 

It’s Intergenerational!

We expect you to spend some time with a Friends meeting in your area. QVS wouldn’t function without the support of local Friends. They are the community that nurtures your community.

You can connect to local Friends by attending meetings for worship. Local Friends also welcome your presence at business meetings, classes or events. Participate wherever you have time and interest. 

If your site placement is looking for donations or volunteers, spread the word among local Friends! There’s probably a newsletter, email list or Facebook group for announcements.

All the meetings that support QVS have appointed certain people to serve on the Local Support Committee (LSC). In your city, there might be a few QVS alums on the LSC, too! The LSC works to coordinate how local Friends express their care and support for you. Your Coordinator meets regularly with the LSC. They’d love to hear directly from you. Please contact the clerk of your LSC if you have questions or requests. 

Since your Spiritual Nurturer is probably a local Friend, that relationship may serve as another connection to the Quaker community. Your Spiritual Nurturer is happy to help you reflect on your experience; that includes your experience with local Friends! 

You and your Housemates can also build community by inviting local Friends to your house. You can extend a general invitation or invite selected individuals. 

You can also make a personal connection! Ask a Friend to teach you how to crochet or share some other interest. Local Friends may be members of a local museum or cultural center, or hold season tickets for the local Sportball franchise. If you’re interested, let them know you’d like to attend as their guest before the year is over.

Making Local Connections