The NYQ posse (a name that has yet to catch on) headed to Nottingham’s fantastic independent cinema Broadway on Wednesday 8th March to commemorate International Women’s Day. Several of us had gone so far as to celebrate by actually being a woman, but this was not a requirement. Starting in Broadway’s cafe, we took advantage of their 2 for 1 pizzas offer with gusto.
Screening of Hidden Figures, an Oscar-nominated film which told the true story of the African-American women who did the mathematical calculations and programming for the first US space flights
Feeling thoroughly fortified, we were then treated to a screening of Hidden Figures, an Oscar-nominated film which told the true story of the African-American women who did the mathematical calculations and programming for the first US space flights. Their contribution has been almost erased from common knowledge, so it was brilliant to see their achievements given such a high profile with this beautifully-made film. We laughed, cried and cheered as Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae and Taraji P. Henson brought these women to life in a world of mediocre white men and hostile white women. I can’t remember the last time I saw a film with a majority black cast, and having more diverse representation was hugely rewarding.
After the film, there was a panel discussion with four women of colour in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). I really appreciated hearing from these high-achieving women about their work in a field that is dominated by white men both in perception and reality. There was some interesting discussion about how the lack of women and people of colour working in these areas can be addressed (capped by the astonishing information that engineers are 92% men and 94% white), and I loved hearing about panel and audience members’ ‘science journeys’. I was struck by one panel member’s comment that her enthusiasm for her research into Alzheimer’s disease came from her sense of contributing in an indirect way to the larger effort – how very Quaker of her!
All in all, a great evening appreciating the contributions of women of colour, and considering how we can help their achievements can become a matter of public knowledge and celebration. Is there a better way to spend a Wednesday?
We decided that our next NYQ event should be one of our spiritual suppers after most of us agreed that we sorely missed them – it had been several weeks since we’d last been in the Meeting House all together. Usually, our spiritual suppers start with us prepping and cooking a meal together, and then participating in a spiritual activity that someone has prepared, usually Abi!
We cooked as a community and made a delicious daal with rice and vegan naans
As usual, this spiritual supper started off with prepping for our meal. We cooked as a community and made a delicious daal with rice and vegan naans, all of the ingredients being provided very helpfully by Tori. Whilst prepping the food, Emily and others created a card for NYQ member Laurie’s 30th birthday, since we wanted to surprise him with something hand-made and personal (we’re delighted to hear that he liked it!). Whilst eating, as our usual custom, we each took turns to share a highlight from our past weeks.
Creating a card for for a NYQ member’s birthday
After Emily, Abi and I had been to YFGM the weekend before and had numerous spiritual sessions, we decided as a group that we should try our own epilogue. At YFGM, the epilogues were held in the main Meeting Room and an ambience was created through fake tea-lights and dimmed lights; this really helped me in particular to relax and settle into a calming stillness, something that I wish to practise with others in NYQ.
An epilogue is similar to a Meeting for Worship, except that they tend to have a focal point/start at the beginning of the session to direct thoughts towards. Abi decided on the song Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart. We all followed each other into the semi-lit Meeting Room and listened to the song; followed was roughly fifteen minutes of reflective silence. My favourite lyrics from the song were these:
There tearing down
So we can rebuild
And all this time
Is just circles in my mind
So just for a moment,
Just one moment,
Just for a moment let’s be still
Spiritual suppers are one of my favourite regular events for NYQ; as someone new to Quakers, reading through Becoming Friends and exploring Quaker Faith and Practise, as well as other resources such as songs, is incredibly helpful in shaping my own views as well as understanding Quakerism. It’s also a lovely way to get to know the other people that attend NYQ in a relaxed but engaging way, as well as knowing each other spiritually.
Emily: On Friday 24th February 2017, three of us (Abi, Jaz and me) made the journey up to Edinburgh for Young Friends General Meeting (YFGM). The agenda was full of different activities including Quaker business meetings, spiritual sessions and a discussion about Quaker values in education. It was Jaz’s and my first time to the event, after being recommended the event by Abi, and we were both very excited to get involved and meet a whole new group of young Quakers from across Great Britain.
The Friends Meeting House in Edinburgh for YFGM
Jaz: Emily and I were both put into different groups during the newcomers session put on for anyone new to YFGM. This meant that we had introductions by Abi and the rest of the outreach committee about different topics; these included learning about the Quaker business method, which is our distinct form of decision making where there is no popular vote. In the newcomer sessions, we also got to know other newcomers by playing silly games and having discussions such as ‘what is your favourite place?’ and ‘what is something you believe?’. This lead to us getting to know other newcomers’ religious and spiritual views, as well as plenty of bonding time!
E : Having been introduced to the Quaker business method, we then participated in discernment on YFGM’s Trident Concern. We sat in contemplation about what would be the best course of action, following the government’s decision to continue with the Trident programme. The feeling of the meeting was that the concern should be put down at this time, but I found it was important that the Concern was assessed, although many of our attitudes to nuclear weapons programme haven’t changed.
St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh
J: We often had moments of free time, and not much of YFGM was compulsory, so Emily and I popped out for ten minutes to see the courtyard of Edinburgh Castle which was only five minutes away from the amazingly located Edinburgh Meeting House. We returned a bit windswept! Other outings included exploring Edinburgh in the evening w ith other newcomers to find (and demolish) a deep fried Mars Bar, a true Scottish delicacy, and we started our last day in Edinburgh with a two hour hike up Arthur’s Seat for some breath-taking views over Edinburgh city.
The view over Edinburgh from Arthur’s Seat
E: During the weekend there were a range of special interest groups (SIG) that were run during two slots on Saturday. These are sessions that run by members of the YFGM community and other Quakers on specific topics. Jaz and I took part in a storytelling workshop, led by another young Quaker. We considered how the framing of stories can influence social attitudes and then enjoyed a few stories in action. Abi also ran two SIG sessions about organising and running local young Quakers groups, but there were lots of different ones to choose from including participating in research about the meaning of Concerns. Jaz and I spent the second SIG doing door duty – sitting by the door to for security reasons as well as acting as a friendly face to YFGM members coming and going. It was great to have the opportunity to take a bit of time out of the weekend and get to know other YFGMers a bit better.
J: One of the most interesting parts of the weekend were the epilogues, which were evening sessions of spiritual time, where an atmosphere of calm was created through candles and sometimes soothing music. They ran each evening for half an hour, and were held in the main meeting room on the top floor of the Meeting House. I found them particularly calming and helpful to unwind after a day of busy-ness, and would definitely say that the epilogues were one of my highlights of the weekend!
E: One of my favourite parts of the weekend was Meeting for Worship on the Sunday morning. There was a lovely feeling in the room as YFGM was joined by local members and attenders of Edinburgh Local Meeting. It was the largest meeting I have ever been to, and as a result we were all sat a lot closer to each other than normal. One Friend ministered about the importance of the small acts of love which really spoke to me. Getting to know each other and living together over the weekend was full of small acts of love that brought us all closer. I also feel I have learnt more about what it means to be a Quaker, and the importance of food to gatherings of young Quakers! As Abi reflected about Nottingham Young Quakers on the train back “I don’t think we have ever met and not ate”! I really enjoyed YFGM, and I was inspired to include aspects of it to Nottingham Young Quakers. This includes more interfaith events and visiting different meetings in the Nottingham Area Meeting. As part of the spirituality session, we read sections of different religious texts. I read from the Qur’an and think it would be great to explore how other religions have similarities with Quaker values such as peace and simplicity.
J: I totally agree with Emily – I’d love to see more interfaith text exploration which could really enhance our other interfaith events. During the spiritual session, I read parts of a Sephardi Orthodox Siddur, a Jewish prayer book, and found a section titled ‘Rescue’, where the prayer expressed the joy at God taking away their struggles and replacing them with peace after Shabbat – the sense of peace and clarity I feel after Meeting for Worship mirrored this, and I found it striking that an orthodox prayer expressed a feeling that’s similar to something so un-orthodox. I too really enjoyed the Meeting for Worship with the Edinburgh Quakers; I’ve never felt so calm, and the Meeting felt like it went exceptionally quickly!
What really struck me about the weekend overall was how welcoming and accepting everyone was. I met so many different people of different spiritual preferences and beliefs – agnostics, atheists, Anglicans, just to name a few! – who, despite their differences, all held Quaker values at the centre, and I found this both inspirational and comforting. I also really enjoyed the attention paid to the newcomers; YFGM even has a Planning Weekend Newcomer’ role. These people attend the Planning Weekend which happens six weeks before the following YFGM and helps them plan the next YFGM with fresh eyes. I was nominated for this role and I look forward to exploring YFGM and getting to know members even further.
E: Overall it was an unforgettable weekend and we would recommend it to any young Quaker! More information about YFGM can be found here.
Nottingham Quakers 
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