Youth & Children Committee
The Youth & Children Program Committee nurtures the spiritual life of Lake Erie Yearly Meeting’s youngest Friends. It plans and staffs the program for children and teens at Annual Meeting, and it organizes the fall retreat for families. It is one of three committees, with Adult & Family Program and Arrangements & Site, that plan Annual Meeting together.
What We Do
The Annual Meeting program
The committee develops programs for children of every age, from infants and toddlers through high school. Each year it sets the age groupings based on who has registered, recruits teachers and helpers, hires childcare providers when needed, and evaluates the program before Annual Meeting ends. Each age group has a leader and an assistant leader. For a description of the program and what to expect, see Youth Programs, and for the dates and place of the current Annual Meeting, see Annual Meeting.
The fall retreat
Each autumn the committee organizes a retreat for children, teens and their families, led by a Fall Retreat clerk and assistant clerk who report to the committee afterward. Dates, place, cost and registration are on the K-12 Fall Retreat page.
Making it possible to attend
LEYM waives or reduces fees so that young Friends can attend Annual Meeting, and its Youth Activities Fund helps with retreats and other youth activities. Parents who need more help can ask the registrar. See Scholarships and Financial Aid for the details.
Teens and young adults
LEYM’s High School Teen Retreat Program is currently dormant. Friends in their late teens and twenties can find more on the Young Adult Friends page.
Keeping Children Safe
Lake Erie Yearly Meeting wants young Friends to grow up in a community of warmth, trust and joy, with clear boundaries that free both children and adults from worry. Our Policy on Child and Sexual Abuse Prevention, adopted in 2016, applies whenever children are in the organized youth program. It asks that volunteers who work with young Friends be known to and recommended by people who can speak to their suitability, that adults and children stay in sight of the group, and that safe, peaceful play be an expectation for everyone. The committee gathers references for volunteers, and the clerk tells parents and guardians which times the organized program covers. Parents and guardians remain responsible for their own children at all other times.
The full policy, and the policy for handling a report of abuse made at Yearly Meeting, are in Section V.B of the Policies & Procedures manual.
Getting Involved
The committee has twelve to sixteen members. They include a clerk and assistant clerk, a leader and assistant leader for each age group, and the Fall Retreat clerk and assistant clerk. People who clerk serve two years, the first as assistant. The committee’s meetings are open to any Friend. If you enjoy working with children and teens, planning programs, or helping a retreat run, we would be glad to hear from you.
- To find the current clerks and members: see the LEYM Nominations Slate and Contact Information.
- To learn about all committees: see Committee Descriptions.
- To serve on the committee: let a member of the Nominating Committee know.
Last reviewed September 2026.