Junior Yearly Meeting / Jr. High YM Retreat Coordinator

JYM-JHYM Retreat Coordinator's Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2012 (October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012), approved by Coordinating & Advisory Committee, 11/8/2011.

Position Goals For All Youth and Young Adult Program Staff

The purpose of the Yearly Meeting's youth and young adult retreat programs is to provide safe and trusting communities in which young people can seek to find that of God in themselves and each other in joyous and loving circles, grounded in the Religious Society of Friends. Pastoral care, information and referral services, and general communication between retreat weekends to the young adults, the youth and their families are significant components of this work.
At NEYM Sessions the Yearly Meeting's youth and young adult programs provide programs and services for infants, youth and young adults.
In all of NEYM's youth and youth adult programs, the primary goal is to help our children and young adults develop a Quaker identity and promote a sense of Quaker community by providing age-appropriate opportunities for communication and witness of who we are as Friends.

This is a full time position (40 hour per week) that requires some weekend and evening hours. NEYM Annual Sessions will require more than 40 hours per week of work.

Work will be from a home-based office, at retreat sites, and at least three times during the year at the NEYM Office in Worcester or other suitable location for staff meetings

Organize four Junior YM (JYM) retreats, (Nov, Jan, May, Sept) and five Jr. High YM (JHYM) retreats (Oct, Nov, Jan, Mar, May), plus the 6th grade retreat (Mar)
Provide pastoral support and leadership development for young people and their families
Recruit, screen, and nurture teen and adult leaders to work with young people as retreat and Sessions program staffers
Supervise all who interact with the JYM and JHYM programs, including maintaining appropriate procedures for child safety following Yearly Meeting guidelines and procedures
Assist Youth Programs Committee and Sessions Committee with the development and implementation of the JYM and JHYM programs at Annual Sessions, providing ministry, support, oversight and leadership in partnership with program coordinators
Provide consultation and support to committees, local meetings and groups as appropriate

Maintain the JYM and JHYM segments of the YM database
Coordinate mailings to JYM and JHYM young people and their families
Maintain and catalog the two libraries of books for JYM Retreats and JHYM Retreats

Develop and maintain the JYM and JHYM segments of the YM website
Develop and maintain internet-based methods of communication with young people, their families, and the local meetings
Contribute articles to The New England Friend on youth activities

Prepare for, implement program for, and follow up on 2012 Sessions
Prepare for FY2013 retreat year, including publicity, cleaning up database, health forms, staffing applications, and inventorying supplies and equipment
Organize and carry-out retreats

Engage with other youth workers to integrate all age constituencies into a more comprehensive approach to youth programming
Continue development of a policy for online use of photos, videos and other images
Work with the Communications Director to develop the JYM/JHYM segment of the NEYM website
Work with the database manager to use the NEYM database for JYM/JHYM data tracking
Create a digital catalog/database of the JHYM Library (both Retreats & Sessions)
Locate and attend a professional enrichment/renewal training, conference or retreat by the end of the 3rd Trimester (Gretchen)

For each Retreat:
Participants and Resource People complete evaluation forms
Financial forms completed and sent to the Accounts Manager
Brief retreat report sent to the clerk of Youth Programs and YM Secretary
A short written narrative, sent to the YM Secretary, forming the basis for a review of task accomplishments as outlined in the "Work Plan Priorities" section above

Trimester review with the YM Secretary based task accomplishments as outlined in the "Work Plan Priorities" section above
Annual Report to YM Secretary and Youth Programs Committee that includes:

Written narrative evaluating goals, priorities, and task accomplishments for the year
Written reflection on queries listed below
Annual summary statistical retreat report
Standard evaluation forms completed by parents of participants of JYM and JHYM retreat programs, circulated by the YM Secretary and Youth Programs Committee

How does Spirit move through you and your program?
Do you feel supported by parents, by youth staffers, by the Youth Programs Committee, by the YM Secretary, by Yearly Meeting?
What collaboration among youth programs would you suggest?
How could the process of recruiting, screening, training and finding substitutes for resource persons be improved?
How successful is this program in integrating youth into a future active adult participation in their monthly and yearly meeting?