Our Youth Program is now custom-made for the specific children who attend. 

In today’s world kids often have more scheduled activities than their parents. They are involved in many activities and often have sports events seven days a week. We hear from young families who would like to attend Quaker meeting more often but have other commitments on Sundays. 

So we got creative and now offer “First Day School On-Demand.” It’s somewhat informal but allows us to offer youth activities. We keep supplies handy that one of our First Day School volunteers can use whenever children attend. Here’s how it works: Youth sit in silence with their parent(s) in Meeting for Worship for the first 10 minutes and then leave to participate in their own activities downstairs with an FDS volunteer. They rejoin the Meeting for the last 10 minutes of sharing.

Formal First Day School

In the past we had FDS classes that met the third Sunday of each month at 10:00 am. Classes were held in the First Day School room downstairs during the school year from September to June. 

The Passages Program:

The PASSAGES program was designed to work with children at a time of passage from childhood to adulthood (ages 12 and older). It was based on each student working with an adult mentor and participating in three areas of study: Education, Service, and Presentation. Meetings were held every two weeks at one of the leaders’ homes, with additional time for study during regular First Day Meetings. During FDS classes, these students use this time to work on their projects.

New England Yearly Meeting Friends Camp:

Friends Camp is a residential summer camp for boys and girls ages 7 – 17. It is a diverse and caring community that nurtures the unique personalities of all of their campers. Friends Camp is an exceptional place where ample time for childhood and reflection is combined with creative arts, non-competitive games, waterfront activities, drama, group games, and many interesting and creative activities. Go to NEYM Friends Camp.