Quaker news 86 by Quakers in Britain

Quaker News C

A quarterly update on Quaker work in the care of Britain Yearly Meeting CMY

Promoting a free and fair election in Kenya No 86 Spring 2013

Contents Promoting a free and fair election in Kenya All are welcome at Yearly Meeting 2013 Helping children to explore peace A new vision for Swarthmoor Hall Looking out for children of prisoners News in brief

4–5 6 8–9 11 12 14

Cover: An elder shows his voter registration and ID cards in a civic education workshop in preparation for the Kenyan election in March. See pages 4 and 5. Photo: Laura Shipler Chico

Editorial When I travelled to Kenya in April 2012 for the 6th World Conference of Friends, I was warmly welcomed into the meetings and homes of Friends whose lives had been changed by the violence of 2007–8 following the Kenyan elections. In this issue of Quaker News, Laura Shipler Chico describes what Kenyan Friends, with the support of Quaker Peace & Social Witness, have been doing to avoid a recurrence of those scenes (pages 4 and 5). The World Conference issued the Kabarak Call for Peace and Ecojustice, to which Quakers worldwide are responding. Here in Britain, we are working with ecumenical partners (see page 3) to call for binding carbon-reduction targets to be applied to government energy policy. Peace education for our young people, and a drive to counter the growing militarism in schools in England and Wales (pages 8 and 9), maintain our 360-year commitment to living peacefully in the world. These actions stem from deep places in our spiritual lives, rooted firmly in long-held Quaker testimony. This year, Yearly Meeting (page 6) continues its exploration of what it means to be a Quaker today, this time with a focus on trust. Events for Quaker children and young people around the Quaker News – Spring 2013

country (page 7) provide further opportunities for exploration of our Quaker identity. This year’s Outreach Conference (page 10) explored how wellgrounded, confident Quaker communities can reach out to the world, sharing our insights and providing a welcome to seekers. Swarthmoor Hall in Cumbria (page 11) is another place where we can tell the story of Quakerism, both as we are today, and the tale of Margaret Fell – whose home it was – and her husband George Fox, who lived there only briefly between the many spells he, like so many early Quakers, spent in prison. Much Quaker work is distinctive for its long timescales. We can trace our commitment to prison reform (which continues today, see page 12) back to these early experiences. And our commitment to peace has its roots in the turbulent times of the English Civil War, from which Quakerism sprang. Long-term commitments require sustainable funding. The QPSW stamp club (page 15) makes its contribution to this; what contribution can you make to sustaining Quaker work in the world? Paul Parker Recording Clerk

A quarterly magazine about work supported by Britain Yearly Meeting. Britain Yearly Meeting works on behalf of Quakers in Britain, supporting the Quaker faith and putting Quaker values to work in the world. It is a registered charity, number 1127633. Quakers try to live simply and sustainably, promoting peace, equality and truth. Putting faith into action is central to their way of life and they gather weekly for quiet worship, usually on a Sunday, in more than 475 locations across Britain. You are welcome to any Quaker meeting for worship. Find your local meeting, and more information about us, at www.quaker.org.uk.

Also available in large print Quaker News, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ qn@quaker.org.uk 020 7663 1119 Printed by Headley Brothers Ltd on 100% recycled paper. Please don’t throw this magazine away – pass it on to someone else, leave it for others to pick up, or recycle it.

Quakers demand a sustainable and fair energy system Over the past six months Quakers across the country have called on the government for radical changes to the way the UK generates and uses energy. Chris Walker explains how we are taking action now for a greener and fairer future. This year’s Energy Bill is the best opportunity the government has to fulfil its legally binding commitment to reduce the UK’s climate impact. The government has also been pressured to help the four million UK households in fuel poverty by making energy prices fairer. Yet campaigners say that the government has shown little ambition in the Energy Bill to tackle climate change, reduce our use of fossil fuels or control rising consumer bills. Quaker Peace & Social Witness has coordinated calls from churches for improvements for a just Energy Bill. Quakers are joined by the Methodist Church, Baptist Union, United Reformed Church and the Church of England in calling on MPs and peers to support amendments to the bill this spring that would commit the UK now to cutting power-sector

emissions by 2030, improving energy efficiency, and tackling fuel poverty. Quaker meetings and individuals have called on more than 60 MPs to support changes to the bill to deliver action to cut UK carbon emissions and make energy prices fairer. Quakers in Britain staff have met directly with MPs, peers and civil servants to call for action, as well as providing local Quakers and Christians with the resources to engage with MPs themselves. Research by leading energy consultants Garrad Hassan shows that with policies to support renewables, improve energy efficiency and better interconnect our power system with other European countries, the UK could achieve a renewables-based power system by 2030. With these commitments, the UK could attract investment in the green economy and create many thousands of green jobs in coming years. Improving our energy efficiency and ending our reliance on gas are just two of the measures that could help bring rising consumer bills under control. The calls for a better Energy Bill made by Quakers, churches and other groups have already made a difference. The Labour Party has committed to support the introduction of a target to cut power-sector carbon, and a range of backbench Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs have also voiced support. After pressure from campaigners, the government has removed a controversial clause that would have allowed fossil-fuel plants to be exempt from emissions restrictions when committed to using carbon capture and storage. This is an as

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Visit www.quaker.org.uk/ speak-out to keep up to date with opportunities for action on the Energy Bill and other sustainability issues. Sign up to our Earth and Economy e-newsletter and updates at www.quaker. org.uk/earth-and-economy. ‘Like’ the Sustainable Quakers Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ SustainableQuakers.

yet underdeveloped technology to partially capture and store carbon dioxide before it is emitted. This policy change reduces the danger of the UK remaining highly dependent on coal power plants for decades to come. Action on the Energy Bill by Quakers forms part of our corporate commitment made in 2011 to become a low-carbon, sustainable community. A key part of this commitment is to call for wider social and political change for sustainability. Quaker Peace & Social Witness recognises that by investing in a sustainable, renewables-based power system, the UK can reduce its ecological impact and move towards a better economic system. Chris Walker is Sustainability & Peace Programme Coordinator for Quakers in Britain. Contact: Chris Walker chrisw@quaker.org.uk 020 7663 1009 www.quaker.org.uk/sustainability Quaker News – Spring 2013

Promoting a free and fair election in Kenya 4

Quakers and local partners have been working to avoid a repeat of the post-election violence that shook Kenya in 2007/2008 by giving people the tools to nonviolently demand justice for their communities. Laura Shipler Chico reports. The small classroom in Nairobi was crammed by the time we arrived. Elders with deep wrinkles lining their faces, mothers with babies strapped to their backs, and young men sporting T-shirts and oversized suit jackets all sat riveted on the edges of their narrow wooden seats. They had already been there for two hours, discussing Kenya’s new constitution, its bill of rights – their rights – and the process for the elections that were coming. Now they moved on to the topic of leadership and integrity. They would be there for three hours more and would not take a break. In this room were 79 of over 25,000 people mobilised by a coordinated Quaker effort to prevent a repeat of the violence that stunned the world five years ago after allegations of a rigged election. The violence left 1,200 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. The root causes of the election violence were complex, but they all pointed to inadequate and self-interested

governance, propped up by corruption and impunity. There are such riches to be personally gained by the victors that political aspirants can be motivated by greed to do everything in their power to win. This can include manipulating ethnic politics and leading the electorate to believe that if someone from their own ethnic group is in power those riches will trickle down to them. Thus, in Kenya, politics has largely been not so much about ideology as about ethnic affiliation, loyalty, bribery, poverty, inequality and intimidation. From a desire to challenge these dynamics came an invitation in 2009 to Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) to collaborate with the Kenyan organisation Change Agents for Peace International (CAPI). After careful discernment through the British Quaker committee structure, the invitation was accepted and plans were made to draw from and adapt the QPSW ‘Turning the Tide’ model, a holistic Quaker approach to

An elder shows his voter registration and ID cards in a civic education workshop. A record 85% of registered voters turned out on 4 March. Photo: Laura Shipler Chico

Quaker News – Spring 2013

active nonviolence. The hope was to work toward building the momentum for a mass nonviolent witness for peaceful, transparent, free and fair elections. The vision of this joint work was to transform the angry and destructive energy that is so easily manipulated by political elites into a positive, nonviolent force to fight for people’s rights and to stand up for a just peace in Kenya. QPSW and CAPI believed that if people had nonviolent strategies for challenging injustice (i.e. structural violence) they would be less likely to resort to direct violence, and would be more likely to actually change the structural conditions that lead to violence in the first place. Over the last few years local nonviolent campaigns started as a result of this partnership have tackled corruption, land grabbing, bank fraud and community marginalisation, with surprising success. But now another election was coming and the country was braced for a repeat of what happened last time – or worse. Building on the credibility of recent campaigns and on the deep-rooted peace work of Kenyan Quakers, QPSW facilitated and funded a coordinated Quaker effort to prevent election violence and to promote a free and fair election. This involved expanding our collaboration to involve Friends Church Peace Teams (FCPT), African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI) and Friends United Mission (FUM) to ensure that all our efforts were complementary, consistent and had the maximum impact in a small corner of a complicated country. Our approach focused primarily on Nairobi, Western and North Rift

Participants in a civic education workshop discuss the rights of women as part of learning about Kenya’s new bill of rights. Photo: Betty Atieno

provinces in Kenya: areas that had seen severe violence after the last election. Our strategy had three prongs:

Know your rights First, we needed a massive ‘know your rights’ campaign. If people do not know their rights, they cannot advocate for them. This was the first election under the new constitution and people did not understand the electoral process, the new devolved structure of government, or their rights within it. Through street theatre, community gatherings called barazas, church meetings, workshops and even at funerals, our combined civic education efforts reached well over 20,000 people in just five months.

Identify the problems Secondly, we needed to help

people identify the problems. For this we had two methodologies. While CAPI facilitated interethnic dialogue forums in hotspot communities to encourage people to connect with one another and jointly analyse the root causes of past violence, Friends Church Peace Teams trained over 1,200 citizen reporters in Western and North Rift Valley provinces to send in reports of any early warning signs of violence to a centralised call-in centre.

Take action Lastly, we worked to help communities take action based on what they had learned. Friends Church Peace Teams headed up initiatives to defuse rising tensions and CAPI’s ‘Turning the Tide’ programme sparked campaigns to hold political aspirants and the

electoral commission accountable. As a result of our civic education, people in Lugari, Western Kenya, developed inter-ethnic, crossparty vetting mechanisms for local candidates. They demanded that candidates publicise their vision and credentials rather than rely on ethnic partisan politics, and even managed to persuade them to take part in a public debate – historically very unusual in Kenya. A movement built around a Swahili slogan, translated as “It is not for our politicians to organise us. We will organise them!” When citizen reporters sent news that four people were murdered in Mt. Elgon, and then a fifth was assassinated, Friends Church Peace Teams leapt into action. Calling on all Quaker peacebuilders in that remote community and surrounding areas, they delivered a message of peace at the funeral of one of the victims and followed up with trauma-healing and listening workshops in an effort to interrupt the cycle of revenge. These efforts were rooted in local communities and in volunteerism, and that was the strength of this work. The fact that people mobilised their own communities and the response did not come from outside but from deep within is a testament to the Quaker notion that there is that of God in everyone; the answers lie within each of us. As the world braced for the Kenya elections, and funds flooded in through international agencies for short-term election observation and open-source early warning systems, QPSW supported locally driven initiatives that relied on an ongoing presence to not only prevent election violence in the short term but to challenge the core structural conditions that gave rise to that violence to begin with. Laura Shipler Chico is East Africa Programme Manager for Quakers in Britain.

CAPI’s Turning the Tide Field Coordinator, Benard Agona, helps newly trained Resource People fine-tune their local campaign strategies. Photo: © Nigel Downes

Contact: Laura Shipler Chico lauras@quaker.org.uk 020 7663 1075 www.quaker.org.uk/east-africa Quaker News – Spring 2013

All are welcome at Yearly Meeting 6

Clare Scott Booth looks forward to Yearly Meeting 2013, when Quakers from across Britain will gather together as a community to worship, to make decisions and to explore what it means to be a Quaker today. “Take heed, dear Friends, to the promptings of love and truth in your hearts. Trust them as the leadings of God, whose Light shows us our darkness and brings us to new life.” Advices and queries 1 Yearly Meeting 2013 will be held at Friends House in London from 24 to 27 May. Last year we started on a journey of considering what it means to be a Quaker today. We will continue on the journey in 2013 by looking at what it means to be Quakers together – discerning together and then acting in the world. If there is a theme for the Yearly Meeting it is that of ‘Trust’. It is easy to affirm the truth of our first advice, which asks us to take heed to the promptings of love and truth in our hearts, but how much more difficult is it for us to trust in our corporate leadings? How can we own our decisions discerned together, perhaps by others, take responsibility for them and put them into practice? At this Yearly Meeting, we will give time to focus on Quaker work

Quaker News – Spring 2013

that has sprung from leadings and service. The report from Meeting for Sufferings will include consideration of the commitment made at Yearly Meeting Gathering 2011 in Canterbury to becoming a low-carbon, sustainable community. Britain Yearly Meeting Trustees will report on the centrally managed work undertaken as a result of discernment at earlier Yearly Meetings. At every Yearly Meeting, Quakers in Britain gather as a community, to make decisions, to worship and spend time together. Yearly Meeting 2013 will include an opportunity for all-age worship, a wide variety of special interest meetings, the Groups Fair – where you can meet Friends committed to various aspects of Quaker work – and singing. There will be a full programme for 0- to 15-year-olds; an opportunity for 15- to 18-yearolds to be accompanied to attend Yearly Meeting; and a young adults’ programme for 18- to 25-year-olds. This year’s Swarthmore Lecture will be given on Saturday 25 May. Gerald Hewitson of North Wales Area Meeting will explore ‘A journey into life – Inheriting the story of early Friends’ (see page 14). Part one of Documents in advance has been sent to meetings and is available on the website at www.quaker.org. uk/ympublications. It contains suggestions to help you and your meeting prepare both spiritually and practically for Yearly Meeting. At the opening session on Friday evening you can hear responses to three queries about our own experience, and we really hope you or your meeting will contribute your own responses:

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How have you discerned the right way forward in your own life? What experiences have you had of Quaker meetings being guided by the Spirit when making decisions? What do you value about the ways in which Friends work together?

We look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to Yearly Meeting. Whether or not you are able to be present, we hope that you will feel part of the event, by helping to prepare for the business, and afterwards by following it up in your local and area meetings. Clare Scott Booth is Assistant Clerk of Yearly Meeting Agenda Committee. Contact: ym@quaker.org.uk 020 7663 1040 www.quaker.org.uk/ym

Attending Yearly Meeting 2013 If you are in membership, all you need do is come along – there is no fee and booking is not required. If you are not in membership and wish to attend, you will need a letter of support from a local elder as set out in Quaker faith & practice 6.15 – see www. quaker.org.uk/ym for details. Children and young people should book onto a specific programme for their age group – see www.quaker.org.uk/ cyp-ym. Places are limited and booking for some programmes has already closed.

Hidden gems offer young Quakers a community experience Every summer dedicated Quakers across the country hold regional events for young people. The Quaker Life Children & Young People’s Team have been looking at how to learn from and support them. Ruth Charles reports. Each year five events take place across Britain that offer young people a Quaker experience they love and will never forget. These regional summer events are hidden gems. Run by dedicated Quaker volunteers, each event involves months of careful planning and creates a powerful experience for all who participate, as well as a great sense of Quaker community. The events cover several different areas, drawing participants from far and wide. For many young people attending one of these events is the highlight of the year.

This March the coordinators of the events met together with staff from the Children & Young People’s Team at Friends House. This enabled mutual learning from all and provided an opportunity to discuss common issues facing regional summer events such as publicising them to young people and recruiting volunteers. The meeting followed up on connections made last summer when the Children & Young People’s Team visited each of the events and were struck by the power of these gatherings.

A base group at Friends Southern Senior Conference 2012. Photo: Tom Duggan

The team are committed to supporting regional and area events for Quaker young people by offering resources to use with participants, policies and procedures that can be adapted, training opportunities for volunteers and advice to those coordinating events. If you are involved with a regional or area activity for Quaker young people and want to access the support that is available then contact me on 020 7663 1160 or email ruthc@quaker.org.uk. If you know of young people who would be interested in attending one of these events in summer 2013 then please pass on to them the information for the event most suited to them (see below). If you or someone you know might be interested in helping out with one of these events, please be in touch with the organisers directly. Information about regional events and other activities for Quaker young people can be found at www.quaker.org.uk/regionalarea. Ruth Charles is Children & Young People’s Officer for Quakers in Britain.

Quaker regional summer events for young people in 2013 ●

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Northern Friends Summer Shindig: for ages 11 to 16 from Scotland, Northumbria and Cumbria. 27 July–3 August, Ackworth School, Pontefract. Contact Roz or Bronwen Currie on 01496 850 006 or at summershindig@gmail.com Friends Summer School – formerly Lancashire and Cheshire: for ages 11 to 17 from North West and Central England, Mid Wales and Borders, North Wales and Derbyshire. 4–10 August, Dunbar, East Lothian. Contact Sue Dixon at nic.dixon@ntlworld.com Friends Southern Summer School: for ages 11 to 14 from the south of England and Wales.

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17–24 August, Friends’ School Saffron Walden. Contact Ali Tyabji on 07758 458 817 or at summerschool@fsse.org.uk Friends Southern Senior Conference: for ages 15 to 18 from the south of England and Wales. 17–24 August, Sibford School, Banbury. Contact Suzie Paskins on 07752 921 875 or at seniorconference@fsse.org.uk Yorkshire Friends Holiday School: for ages 13 to 18 from Yorkshire. 18–25 August, Bootham School, York. Contact Pete or Hil Clayton on 01457 865 661 or at sec@yfhs.org.uk

Quaker News – Spring 2013

Quakers promote peace as government pushes for military ethos in schools 8

As the government advances its agenda to instil a military ethos in British schools, Quakers are finding new ways to help children to explore peace. Izzy Cartwright reports on the challenge of militarism and a recent success in Quaker peace education. Last autumn I wrote an article for Quaker News (‘Children need peace education now more than ever’, issue 84) about how the government and other bodies are promoting increased military involvement with schools. I had a fantastic response from Quakers interested in finding out more and taking action. Since then there have been yet more developments in the institutional acceptance of an increased role for the military in education. Education Secretary Michael Gove has said that “Every child can benefit from the values of a military ethos. Self-discipline and teamwork are at the heart of what makes our armed forces the best in the world – and are exactly what all young people need to succeed”. The Department for Education and the Ministry of Defence are now working in much closer partnership, having created a ‘military skills and ethos programme’. The programme funds a wide range of projects that actively

encourage schools, especially newer academies and free schools, to foster a ‘military ethos’. Projects include ‘alternative provision’ for children excluded from mainstream education – some of our most vulnerable young people. Militarystyled organisations such as Commando Joes’ and Challenger Troop – a uniformed programme for disengaged children as young as eight – have received £3.2 million in funding from the Department for Education, whilst other programmes working with excluded children in a range of creative ways have had their budgets cut. These new projects are in addition to the hundreds of thousands of careers talks and presentations in schools by the armed forces, the free resources, displays and visits to bases, and are part of an ideological commitment to the idea of a ‘military ethos’. This has become a key part of this government’s education policy – and yet it has attracted almost no attention.

Year One enjoying cooperative games during Peace Week at Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School. Photo: © Jane Hobson

Quaker News – Spring 2013

To address this Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) is working with other organisations, such as Northern Friends Peace Board and ForcesWatch, to encourage greater awareness, debate and action. We are working on a briefing pack explaining the government strategy that has paved the way for increased militarisation. We are also developing peace education resources and supporting Friends to promote and deliver peace education in their local schools. One way of delivering peace education is via enrichment programmes – peace-themed study days and projects that give children an opportunity to really explore peace. I was recently involved in organising a ‘Peace Week’ that took place at St Eugene de Mazenod and Our Lady’s Catholic primary schools in the London Borough of Camden. Executive Head Teacher Juliet Jackson was inspired by the Peaceful Primary Schools conference hosted by Quaker Life last year, and asked for help from QPSW to put on the Peace Week. The week involved over 400 peace lessons, beginning by exploring inner peace before moving on to interpersonal peace and peacemaking in the wider world. The book The sand tray by Quaker Don Rowe helped the children to explore fairness and to recognise that different people will have different views. The children examined anger and conflict, played cooperative games and practised mediating a playground dispute. Year Ones made peace books, drawing and describing peace: “Peace is watching the stars at night and watching my granddad

shine”, “Peace is looking after each other and being caring”, “Peace is making sure everyone has shoes”. Later the children considered the qualities and skills of a peacemaker and took on the role of journalists interviewing QPSW peaceworker Owen Everett, asking questions such as “What’s the point of protesting at a nuclear base?” and “Are cadets bad?” Jean Harrison, an ecumenical accompanier with the Quaker-run Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, used the picture book A child’s garden: A story of hope by Michael Foreman to explore the impact of the separation barrier on Israelis and Palestinians. Dan Jones from Amnesty International got the children working as human rights detectives and Pat Gaffney from Pax Christi inspired them to take their own steps for peace. “Peace Week was an opportunity for our children to do some deep learning about critical issues that affect us all,” said Juliet Jackson. “It was time well spent and the conversations we had as a community during the week will impact on our behaviour and attitudes for years to come.” Both schools were already regularly using meditation and working on aspects of inner peace. Peace Week offered them the opportunity to deepen this work, and shows that enrichment programmes are possible, despite the pressure on schools regarding attainment in the core subjects.

The staff really valued support around the less familiar areas of interpersonal peace and international peacemaking. “It is not often children get the chance to stop and think about the impact of their actions on the wider world,” said Chloe Mitchell, a Year Two teacher. “Peace Week has allowed the children to think about the type of world that they want to live in. It has given them practical advice on how to achieve the peaceful world that they deserve.’’ This echoes the experience of organisations such as the West Midlands Quaker Peace Education Project and Newham Conflict and Change, whose work is in real demand amongst local schools. So whilst military involvement with schools is increasing, there is also a demand for peace education. Quakers are already involved with all sorts of interesting and creative projects for peace across Britain, but this work needs to be more widely shared and celebrated. More people need to be inspired both to challenge the increasing role of the military in education, and also to support, or initiate, projects that grow the seeds of peace. Izzy Cartwright is Mediation and Peace Education Project Manager for Quakers in Britain. Contact: Izzy Cartwright isabelc@quaker.org.uk 020 7663 1087 www.quaker.org.uk/education

Year Three learning about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights during Peace Week at St Eugene de Mazenod Catholic Primary School. Photo: © Jane Hobson

Get involved Ten things you can do to promote peace education and challenge the militarisation of our schools: ● Contact local head teachers, chairs of governors and councils to raise your concerns and to request peace education. ● Challenge the militarisation of schools by writing to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, with your concerns. ● Support the children and parents in your meeting affected by this issue. ● Attend the ‘Peaceful Primary Schools’ conference in Birmingham on 7 June – contact Sara Hagal on 0121 454 9069 for more information. ● Promote amongst secondary school teachers the ‘Meaningful SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) Education in your School’ workshop at Friends House – contact Izzy for information. ● Participate in a Peace Education Network professional development seminar – contact Izzy for information. ● Join the Quaker Life Network’s new Peace Education Cluster – visit www.quaker.org.uk/ qlnetwork. ● Subscribe to Journeys in the Spirit and get your free youth edition of ‘Exploring Peace’ – visit www.quaker.org.uk/ subscribing-journeysspirit-children. ● Check www.quaker.org.uk/ education for peace education resources and training opportunities. ● Get in touch with Izzy to share news of your peace education projects, or for more information on promoting peace-themed enrichment programmes in your local schools.

Quaker News – Spring 2013

Reaching out, reaching in 10

The Outreach Team is helping Quaker meetings learn from each other’s experiences of reaching out to share their faith. Alistair Fuller reports on this year’s Outreach Conference and explains how you can get involved with developing Quaker outreach work. Over three snowy days in January more than 100 Quakers came together to share insights and experiences of outreach, taking a look at how it is developing across our yearly meeting. We gathered as a community of outreach activists, clerks, elders, long-established members and those new to the Society to explore together how we might see outreach not just as a thing that some of us do but as a way of being Quakers and Quaker communities; recognising outreach as being rooted in and springing from the life of a healthy and wellnourished meeting. During the conference Friends explored what practices can help meetings to thrive. Are there things that meetings can do to encourage new life? Are there things that this might enable meetings to do? Some very interesting themes began to emerge that included the importance of being deeply rooted in worship; creating opportunities to share our stories and learn more about our faith; sharing food and hospitality; offering warmth and welcome to newcomers; having a shared commitment to living out our testimonies in the world;

dealing openly and constructively with conflict; being flexible and adaptable to change, and being outward-facing.

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Outreach isn’t about theory or ideas but about practice and experience. Meetings that have actively engaged with these ideas were felt to be more able to affect change, to be more visible, to develop a wider variety of gifts and ministry, and to grow in faith, understanding, fellowship and witness. Running through the conference was a recognition that outreach isn’t about theory or ideas but about practice and experience. In order to develop resources and support for outreach, we need Friends and meetings to tell us their stories of what works (and sometimes of what doesn’t work), of the things they have tried and the lessons they have learnt. The conference was an excellent opportunity for us to begin to capture some of these stories – we’d love to hear more from you. See the ‘Get involved’ box on this page to find out how you can be part of this work.

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Get in touch to share your experiences of reaching in to deepen the life of the meeting and reaching out to share your faith with others – email outreach@ quaker.org.uk or phone 020 7663 1017. Explore and develop some of the themes and ideas from the 2013 Outreach Conference at the ‘Reaching in, reaching out, building outreaching communities’ weekend at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre from 2–4 August. Visit www.woodbrooke.org.uk or call 0121 472 5171 for details. Invite Alistair to your area or local meeting to talk about developments in outreach and to hear about your experiences – email alistairf@quaker.org. uk or phone 020 7663 1016. Join the Quaker Life Network ‘Outreach Cluster’ – visit www.quaker.org. uk/qlnetwork or contact Oliver Waterhouse on 020 7663 1007 or at qlnetwork@quaker.org.uk.

Alistair Fuller is Head of Outreach Development for Quakers in Britain.

Participants shared their insights and experiences of outreach at High Leigh Conference Centre. Photo: © Mike Pinches

Quaker News – Spring 2013

Contact: Alistair Fuller alistairf@quaker.org.uk 020 7663 1016 www.quaker.org.uk/outreach

Securing a future for our past Could working in partnership with the National Trust help to make the most of Swarthmoor Hall? A working group is exploring the future of this historic Quaker building and they want to hear from you. There are many strands to the rich weave of work currently being carried out at Swarthmoor Hall in Cumbria. The hall helps to tell our Quaker story, welcoming visitors to the home of Margaret Fell, which was so important during the turbulent early years of Quakerism. Swarthmoor runs courses for Quakers and enquirers on all aspects of Quakerism past and present and provides a unique space for reflection and renewal. In 2010 one of the suggestions that came out of a review of the work of Swarthmoor Hall was the possibility of a partnership between Britain Yearly Meeting and the National Trust to run the hall. After an initial informal approach to the National Trust, Britain Yearly

Meeting Trustees appointed a project group to explore the possibilities. The Swarthmoor Hall Project Group was asked to consult widely, with the National Trust and with individuals and meetings throughout the yearly meeting. The group will report back to Trustees later this year on the possibilities, opportunities and visions for the partnership, setting out both the potential benefits and the areas of concern regarding a possible joint venture with the National Trust. The vision gradually emerging for the project group is that all the good work currently done by the hall would continue and develop. However, its effectiveness could be enhanced – particularly in the presentation of the hall itself – if we

About Swarthmoor Hall Swarthmoor Hall is a 16th-century house in Cumbria that was the home of Margaret Fell and George Fox, early leaders of the Quaker movement. It is a significant place in the story of the early development of the Religious Society of Friends. Now owned by Britain Yearly Meeting, the hall is open as a historic visitor attraction as well as offering courses, holiday accommodation and conference facilities – see www.swarthmoorhall.co.uk. could draw on the expertise and experience of the National Trust. A partnership with the National Trust could enable the Quaker story to be experienced by many more people than we alone can currently reach, showing Quakers to be historically important as well as active and relevant today. A crucial aspect of any such partnership would be the opportunity to develop a Quaker exhibition, alongside the historic hall, that gives examples of Quaker life, work and testimonies in action today. A joint venture may also ensure the viability of the hall in the long term. The Swarthmoor Hall Project Group would love to hear your responses to this vision. They are looking for feedback from individuals, Quaker meetings and special interest groups. If you have comments you’d like to share, please send them by the beginning of June to Ingrid Greenhow, clerk of the project group, at swarthmoorproject@quaker.org.uk. Quaker News – Spring 2013

Project paves way for improving life for children of prisoners 12

For three years Quakers at the United Nations have been working on a major piece of research into the mental health and resilience of children of prisoners. Oliver Robertson reports on the findings and next steps. The Quaker conviction that everyone is a child of God has often led us to work for those who are rejected, shunned or ignored by many others in society. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has been working since 2004 on the rights and needs of children with a parent in prison. This issue originally emerged through Quaker discernment. When QUNO asked Quakers worldwide whether the British Quaker concern about women in prison resonated with others, African Quakers highlighted the close connection between women prisoners and their children. Over the years since, QUNO has drawn on existing and specially commissioned research about children of prisoners to look at the impact parental imprisonment has on children. This includes children separated from an imprisoned parent, babies and children living in prison, the situation of children with a father in prison, and legal issues. But there was a lack of larger, longer, multinational studies. Enter the COPING Project.

Funded by the European Union, this three-year study looked at the mental health of children of prisoners in four European countries: Romania, Germany, Sweden and the UK. QUNO Geneva has been involved throughout the project, which took a ‘positive psychology’ approach, examining the strengths and resilience children had to deal with the imprisonment of a parent as well as the negative implications. The results reinforced many existing findings: children generally find parental imprisonment a strongly negative experience; it can affect their emotions, behaviour, relationships, health and schoolwork; and they are often stigmatised by other children and adults for being a ‘criminal’s child’. But the project also made new discoveries. Schools are a major force for stability and support in the children’s lives. Children are as affected by the imprisonment of a father as they are of a mother (previously it was presumed that maternal imprisonment was worse). And grandparents were seen to play such an important role that

About QUNO The Quaker United Nations Office works at the UN in Geneva and New York to address Quaker concerns at an international level. Staffing of QUNO Geneva is largely funded by Quakers in Britain. a new project is being devised specifically about them. These findings were launched at the end of 2012 in a conference in Brussels attended by senior staff from the European Commission, UN officials, academics, judges and practitioners. Children of prisoners from Sweden and the UK shared their views and recommendations were made on issues including the conduct of prison visits, allowing children to use text messages and skype to contact their imprisoned parents, supporting the children’s carers and having judges consider how any potential sentences will affect the children. QUNO is now disseminating these findings to our colleagues in governments, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations. We will be alerting them to the situation of prisoners’ children in Europe, considering how these findings can be used in other parts of the world and deciding what needs to be done to better support children with parents in prison. Oliver Robertson is an Associate Representative for QUNO Geneva.

Participants talking at the Brussels conference to launch the findings of the COPING Project. Photo: Rebecca Cheung, POPS

Quaker News – Spring 2013

Contact: Oliver Robertson orobertson@quno.ch www.quno.org

Warm welcomes and fond farewells Juliet Prager took up the new post of Deputy Recording Clerk for Quakers in Britain at the start of the year, bringing to the job a wealth of experience from a career in the voluntary and community sector, most recently as Deputy Trust Secretary at the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Juliet’s role is focused on enabling Quakers to put their faith into action, and she is keen to visit meetings and other Quaker groups to speak about Quaker work and listen to their views, concerns and questions. “It is a huge privilege, and fun, to link up with Quaker communities who are doing so much important work,” she says. Juliet is serving as secretary to Meeting for Sufferings, the national representative body for Quakers in Britain, and will also take the lead on monitoring and reporting on the quality of centrally managed work. Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, said: “Juliet has a great vision for what Quakers in Britain can achieve together. Her experience of Quaker process and work will be invaluable as we strive to act out our faith through social and political change.”

Her appointment was made in good time to allow a handover with Michael Hutchinson, who retired from the post of Assistant Recording Clerk in February after 21 years. “Michael has given many years of faithful service to Quakers in Britain,” said Paul Parker. “His dedication, wisdom and long memory will be much missed.” There have also been changes within Britain Yearly Meeting

Trustees, the governing body responsible for overseeing the centrally managed work of Quakers in Britain and the stewardship of centrally held resources. Jonathan Fox completed his term of service as a trustee at the end of 2012, having served on the body since it was formed in 2006, acting as clerk since 2010. The new clerk of Trustees is Jennifer Barraclough of Oxford & Swindon Area Meeting.

Juliet Prager and Michael Hutchinson. Photo: Michael Preston

New service makes maintaining membership lists easy A new online service called QList is now available to every Quaker meeting in Britain and can make managing local membership lists much easier. The service is free for meetings to use and has been specifically designed to assist with local and area meeting work. Different Quaker meetings have different ways of holding and using their lists of members and attenders. These differences can cause headaches when lists need to be shared between meetings, and many area meetings struggle

to find someone to compile a contact list for the whole area. Meetings have asked central staff for help with these problems and in response we have developed a secure online system to support the individuals in each meeting who look after lists of contacts. The new QList service can record information in a way that allows it to be completely confidential to the local meeting. At Yearly Meeting this year there will be several opportunities to attend presentations and demonstrations explaining more

about what the system can do. To find out more, visit www. quaker.org.uk/qlist or contact Peter Sender at peters@quaker.org.uk or on 020 7663 1114.

Quaker News – Spring 2013

News in brief 14

Quaker Life Network keeps on growing

The Quaker Life Network now has over 850 members and continues to expand. The network brings together Quakers from across the country to help strengthen and sustain the life of our community. Members of the network exchange ideas and good practice, provide support for each other and share their skills and time to help nourish Quaker meetings in Britain. The network hosted a facilitation training day earlier this year. The day offered an introduction to facilitation with some learning and practical activities. It was a chance for network members to learn some basic skills for working with groups so that they would leave with the confidence to take up opportunities that are shared through the network, or to develop their skills in their own local or area meetings. The popularity of the day meant that not all who wanted to take part were able to, but it is likely that a similar event will be run before the end of 2013. Do you have something to bring to the Quaker Life Network? Visit www.quaker.org.uk/qlnetwork to get involved. Joining the network is as easy as signing up for an email newsletter, and you can unsubscribe at any time. To find out more visit the webpage or contact Oliver Waterhouse on 020 7663 1007 or at qlnetwork@quaker.org.uk.

Supporting area meeting clerks

Quaker area meeting clerks will benefit from a new ‘cluster’ that has been created within the Quaker Life Network. The cluster was set up in response to suggestions made by participants at the national conference for area meeting clerks held at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in November 2012. The cluster will give clerks the opportunity to contact each other Quaker News – Spring 2013

and hold online discussions, developing communication links and creating a forum for sharing ideas between clerks and the parts of the wider organisation that support them. It will also be a channel for sharing key information. To find out more contact Rosie Carnall on 020 7663 1066 or at rosiec@quaker.org.uk.

‘BeFriend a book’ and help to preserve Quaker heritage

The written and printed word has always been important to Quakers. The beginnings of the Library of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain date back to 1673 when early Quakers decided to collect copies of every book or pamphlet written by or about them. Today the Library at Friends House is one of the most extensive collections in the world about Quakers and their activities. However, age and years of use are taking their toll, and many items are in need of repair and conservation. You can help to preserve Quaker history and ensure that this unique collection can be used by future generations by contributing to the ‘BeFriend a Book’ appeal. See www.quaker.org.uk/befriend-book or contact the Library on 020 7663 1135 or at library@quaker.org.uk. You can find out more about the Library’s collections on the Quaker Strongrooms blog at http://librarysocietyfriendsblog. wordpress.com.

Swarthmore Lecture 2013

This year’s Swarthmore Lecture, entitled ‘A journey into life – Inheriting the story of early Friends’, will be given by Gerald Hewitson of North Wales Area Meeting. The lecture will take place in Friends House, London, at 7pm on 25 May, during Yearly Meeting. Gerald will be setting his experience of convincement in the light of his discovery of the writings of early Quakers, describing how

the founding story of Quakers offers strength and power for us today. Originally from South Yorkshire, Gerald has been living in Wales for the past 23 years. A retired teacher, he has worked in various parts of Britain and abroad, and has been a Quaker for half his life.

Friends House is London’s top sustainable restaurant

Friends House has been given the title of ‘London sustainable restaurant of the year’ by the Sustainable Restaurant Association. It was awarded the prize in February for offering food that reflects its Quaker values, using fairly traded, local, organic, free-range and sustainable products wherever possible. Friends House Restaurant is accredited by the Vegetarian Society, offers a daily vegan option and the hot food menu is meatfree on Mondays and Fridays. The restaurant sources its meat and fish responsibly and holds a Good Egg Award for its commitment to only using eggs and egg products from cage-free hens. As well as the restaurant and the popular Quaker Centre Café, Friends House provides a public worship space and houses offices for the central staff of Quakers in Britain. It also operates as a conference centre to generate money for Quaker work. In 2011 Quakers in Britain made a corporate commitment to become a low-carbon, sustainable community. Our Sustainability & Peace Programme helps Quakers and others to live more sustainable lives and to explore the connections between sustainability, economics and peace. To find out what other Quakers and meetings are doing in support of sustainability visit www.quaker. org.uk/sustainability or contact Sunniva Taylor on 020 7663 1047 or at sunnivat@quaker.org.uk.

Stamp club raises £4,700 for Quaker work Contribute towards Quaker work

Serve on a Quaker committee: phone 020 7663 1121, email nominations@quaker.org.uk or visit www.quaker.org.uk/ quaker-service. Make a donation or leave a gift in your will: phone Rosie Carnall on 020 7663 1066, email rosiec@quaker.org.uk or visit www.quaker.org.uk/donate.

Subscribe to Quaker News The recent sale at auction of a collection of Chinese stamps has raised £4,700 for Quaker work. These had been gathered over a number of years by the QPSW (Quaker Peace & Social Witness) stamp club from stamps donated by Quakers in Britain and abroad. The stamp club have sorted and sold stamps for fifty years or more. The sorting team meet together at Friends House on an ad hoc basis when a large enough volume of stamps has been donated. “We see thousands and thousands of stamps which individuals and meetings send to us,” said Allan Whitaker, the current stamp club organiser, who has been a stamp collector for nearly seventy years and involved with the group since the 1990s. “It’s not only Friends in Britain who send in stamps but we also receive donations from the Isle of Man, France, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.” The stamp club are always keen to receive more stamps, with British commemorative issues and those from other countries being the most valuable. They make a special plea for people to leave stamps on paper rather than to

try to soak them off, and not to send in ordinary first- and secondclass stamps, which do not raise any money. Stamps that may be of interest to collectors are sold for approval books as well as the most valuable going to auction. All the rest are sold in bulk by the kilogram. In the last ten years nearly £20,000 has been raised. Occasionally complete collections are received, often as a legacy bequest, such as the six cardboard boxes full of stamps donated a few years ago. Allan says from time to time they find a stamp worth a hundred pounds but mostly their financial success lies in making up collections such as the recent sale of the Chinese stamps. His message is clear: “If you’ve got a stamp collection that you don’t know what to do with then just send it in. We know what to do with it. And don’t throw your foreign stamps away, we can make good use of them.” You can send your stamps to QPSW stamp club care of Helen Bradford, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ.

Subscribe to Quaker News by email, access electronic back issues or read online at www.quaker.org.uk/qn. Subscribe to Quaker News by post, make changes to your subscription or request paper back issues by contacting Andrew McVicar on 020 7663 1119 or at qn@quaker.org.uk.

Connect with Quakers in Britain

Phone us on 020 7663 1000, email enquiries@quaker.org.uk or write to Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ. Enter your postcode at www.quaker.org.uk/fam to search for a Quaker meeting near to you. Find us on Facebook and Twitter: follow the links at www.quaker.org.uk/sm or search for ‘Quakers in Britain’.

Quaker News – Spring 2013

Quakers: committed to caring for peace and planet 16

Meet Arthur Pritchard

Quakers share a way of life, not a set of beliefs. Their unity is based on shared understanding and a shared practice of silent worship, where they seek a communal stillness. Quakers seek to experience God directly, within themselves and in their relationships with others and the world around them. They meet together for worship in local meetings, which are open to all who wish to attend. Quakers try to live with honesty and integrity. This means speaking truth to all, including people in positions of power. The Quaker commitment to peace arises from the conviction that love is at the heart of existence and that all human beings are unique and equal. This leads Quakers to put their faith into action by working locally and globally to change the systems that cause injustice and violent conflict. Quakers try to live simply. They are concerned about the excesses and unfairness of our consumer society and the unsustainable use of natural resources. To find out more about the Quaker way visit www.quaker.org. uk or request a free information pack using the form below.

Request a free information pack: Name Address

Postcode Email Please send completed form to: Quaker Outreach (QN) Friends House FREEPOST NW2259 London NW1 2BR FREEPHONE: 0808 109 1651 E: outreach@quaker.org.uk Quaker News – Spring 2013

Arthur Pritchard is a member of Central Yorkshire Area Meeting. He is clerk to Quaker World Relations Committee, which helps maintain contacts between Quakers in Britain and the global Quaker community, making sure British Quaker concerns are communicated effectively. “Are you coming to meeting?” my father used to ask. It was a question expecting the answer “yes”. I occasionally declined, but it was usually easier to go than to argue. Besides, South Belfast Friends usually engaged my interest: fragments of their ministry remain with me from the ’50s: “there is that of God in everyone”; “judge not that ye be not judged”. Back home mother described the morning’s events at St Thomas’s; father explained why Quakers would affirm in court, refused to pay tithes and preferred numerical dates. I attended the United Nations Summer School in Geneva and became aware of Quakers’ international witness for peace. Making contact with student Young Friends in Dublin and becoming part of a family community confirmed my sympathy with Quaker work and thought. I applied for membership not long after I attended an Easter midnight mass in a French village: an event trivialised by incense, candles and dreary music. If religious experience is important should it not be different from this:

simple, genuine and in the heart? After graduation I went to New Delhi as a Quaker Overseas Volunteer, teaching English in the delightful Springdales School, where the head teacher had Quaker family connections. On retirement I helped form Plain Quakers, a touring storytheatre project, devising and presenting plays for outreach on themes of interest to Friends: anti-slavery, sustainability and economic justice. Our plays about John Woolman and George Cadbury have received almost 100 performances. In 2009 I spent three months as Friend in Residence at Congénies, welcoming visitors and supporting the small meeting that gathers there. The old meeting house offers simple hospitality in a delightful spot. It was a privilege to go back to support a group of Afghan asylum seekers, driven from home under threat of death and unwelcome in Europe. Quaker World Relations Committee work is stimulating: how do we keep Friends at home aware of the worldwide family of Friends, their varied forms of worship and challenging ideas?