Back to Education & Religious Education
Education Standing Committee
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The Education Standing Committee provides renewal, guidance and support to the services and projects which directly concern the religious and academic education of young people and adults and those who serve them within the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends. Such activities include support for religious education programs, nonviolence and children, parent education, teacher support, curriculum and publications, tuition aid programs, support for Friends schools, financial stewardship, and Quaker pilgrimage. |  |
| Clerk: Kim Diliberto· education@pym.org | Current Member List | Education Standing Committee Working Groups links |
Education & Religious Education Offices
1515 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. Toll free
number: 1-800-220-0796
www.pym.org/education
| Associate Secretary for Program and Religious Life | Christie Duncan-Tessmer, (215) 241-7008 or e-mail: christiedt@pym.org 1-800-220-0796, extension 7008 |
| Young Adult Friends | Sadie Forsythe, (215) 241-7075 or e-mail: sadief@pym.org
1-800-220-0796, extension 7075 |
| Young Friends | Cookie Caldwell, (215) 241-7222 or e-mail: cookiec@pym.org
1-800-220-0796, extension 7222 |
| Middle School Friends | Stephen Dotson(215) 241-7171 or e-mail: Stephen Dotson or 1-800-220-0796, extension 7171 |
| Children’s Religious Life Resource Coordinator | Greta Rech, (215) 241-7526 or email: gretar@pym.org 1-800-220-0796, extension 7526 |
| Director of Education | Jennifer Karsten, (215) 241-7224 or e-mail: jenniferk@pym.org; 1-800-220-0796, extension 7224 |
| Assistant to the Director of Education |
Elke Muller (215) 241-7223 or e-mail: elkem@pym.org , 1-800-220-0796, extension 7223 |
| Administrative Assistant and staff support for Nonviolence & Children | Pam Anderson 215-241-7230, e-mail: pama@pym.org , 1-800-220-0796, extension 7230 |
| PYM Library | Rita Varley at 215-241-7219 or e-mail: ritav@pym.org, 1-800-220-0796, extension 7219 |
| List of Working Groups &
Projects: Under the care of the Education Standing Committee |
Affiliated
Organizations
Atlantic
City Friends School Records
Children's Religious Education Programs
Children's Sessions Planning Group
Children's Spiritual Life Committee
Committee on Friends Education
Friends in Public Education
Middle School Friends Working Group
Nonviolence and Children Working Group
Quaker College Fair
Quaker Parenting
Quaker Pilgrimage to England
Young Friends Working Group
| The mission of the Committee
on Friends Education is to advance the cause of
Friends education within Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. The committee's
work will fall within the following areas: 1) Supporting Friends schools
and their Quaker character; 2) Supporting Friends children in Friends
schools; 3) Educational grant making; 4) Collaborating with Friends
Council on Education; 5) Being a champion for Friends education. Staff: Elke Muller (215) 241-7223 or e-mail: elkem@pym.org , 1-800-220-0796, extension 7223 Staff: Jennifer Karsten, (215) 241-7224 or e-mail: jenniferk@pym.org; 1-800-220-0796, extension 7224 |
Middle
School Friends Working Group Middle School Friends
welcomes young people ages 11-14 and parent and high school volunteers
to gather as a spiritual community, to deepen in the understanding
of the faith and practice of Quakerism, to grow in the Light, and
to have plenty of fun together. We have weekend gatherings 6 times
during the school year at Monthly Meetings all over the Yearly Meeting.
For an inspirational visit about Yearly Meeting gatherings, ideas
for attracting and supporting Middle School-aged Friends in your
meeting, learning games which adolescents will love, and the opportunity
to be a Friendly Presence or to serve on the Middle School Working
Group, contact Stephen Dotson. |
| Young Friends Working Group has 6-8 meetings
a year. Attendance varies between 6 and 20 members attending. Members
discuss gathering planning and evaluation. We also recruit Friendly
Adult Presences (chaperones) for the gatherings. For an inspirational
visit about Young Friends gatherings; ideas for setting up a high
school Young Friends group or facilitating a conversation about how
to bring teens together with adults, please call Cookie Caldwell.
If you have ideas for the Young Friends Working Group or would like
to be a Friendly Presence at a Young Friends Gathering check out this
information for
Adult Volunteers YF Clerk: Everett Defieux, .....Adult Clerk:: Zan Lombardo,..... YF Recording Clerk: Eric Frysinger. Staff: Cookie Caldwell, (215) 241-7222 or e-mail: cookiec@pym.org 1-800-220-0796, extension 7222 |
| Young Adult Friends Working Group meets every other month on First Days, visiting monthly meetings together & holding their meetings following the fellowship hour after the rise of worship. The working group strives to work collaboratively with the YAF Coordinator, providing vision and direction for the PYM YAF program; season ideas & leadings; create opportunities for fellowship & spiritual nourishment among YAFs; and be a resource for meetings and other PYM groups in relation to YAFs. The group has a core group of members, but invites other young adults to attend their meetings at anytime.
Clerks: Alison Duncan & Andrew Esser-Haines, Recording Clerk: Elizabeth Piersol-Schmidt Staff: Sadie Forsythe, (215) 241-7075 or e-mail: sadief@pym.org 1-800-220-0796, extension 7050 |
| Children's
Spiritual Life and Religious Education
How to approach the Bible with children and youth; how to start or
organize a religious education program in your meeting ; Friendly
discipline in First-day classes, teaching techniques for fledgling
First-day teachers, ways to make meeting for worship meaningful for
children and youth, how parents can prepare their children for meeting
for worship, developing a plan to reduce the risk of child sexual
abuse in your meeting, the opportunity to lead RE workshops, help
organize RE events. Please call for help with First-day School and
Curricula for your First-day program. More
information, Religious Education Newsletter and Curriculum Capsules.
Staff: Ben Camp, Children’s Religious Life Program Coordinator, E-mail: benc@pym.org Phone: 215-241-7228 or 800-220-0796 x 7526 |
| The Children's
Spiritual Life Committee is the Yearly Meeting
committee with the intent to encourage and support a full range of
children’s religious education programming and spiritual life,
both formal and informal. Though Monthly Meeting religious education
is a first priority, the committee also supports the spiritual lives
of children through their communities such as the family, quarterly
and yearly meeting activities. The committee works closely with PYM’s
Coordinator of Children’s Religious Education, Christie Duncan-Tessmer,
supporting and extending her work. It is under the care of the PYM
Education Standing Committee. Contact: Melinda Wenner Bradley (610) 399-3519, or e-mail: mmwb@comcast.net |
| Nonviolence and Children
Working Group For ideas,
workshops, and training on community building, discernment, and conflict
resolution, intergenerational workshops on “Bullying,”
“Befriending Feelings” and “Self and Earth Esteem,”
resources for First-day teachers and parents on cooperative games
and helping children become peacemakers and the opportunity to please
call or e-mail: Staff: Elke Muller (215) 241-7223 or e-mail: elkem@pym.org , 1-800-220-0796, extension 7223 |
| Quaker
Parenting The Quaker Parenting
Project aims to support parents in their efforts to integrate their
Quaker beliefs, testimonies and practices into their family life.
Please call Harriet Heath if you would like Harriet to come to your
meeting and lead a discussion or a series of discussions on Quaker
Parenting. Contact: Harriet Heath, 610-649-7037, e-mail: harriet_heath@hotmail.com Staff: Christie Duncan-Tessmer, (215) 241-7008 or e-mail: christiedt@pym.org 1-800-220-0796, extension 7008 |
| Pilgrimage
to England A bi-annual event sponsored by Philadelphia
Yearly Meeting which invites Friends to share their journey with other
PYM Friends in the Lake District and Cumbria where early Quakers explored
their own spiritual journeys. There is limited financial aid available
for Quaker teachers. Staff: Jennifer Karsten, (215) 241-7224 or e-mail: jenniferk@pym.org 1-800-220-0796, extension 7224 |
| Quaker College
Fair A bi-annual event
co-sponsored by PYM Education Programs, Friends Association for Higher
Education and the Friends Council on Education, which encourages students
at Friends high schools to attend. The next Quaker College Fair will
take place at Arch Street Meetinghouse on October 4th, 2003,
from 1:00-5:00 p.m. For information, please contact Elke Muller (215) 241-7223 or e-mail: elkem@pym.org
, 1-800-220-0796, extension 7223
More information. Staff: Jennifer Karsten, (215) 241-7224 or e-mail: jenniferk@pym.org; 1-800-220-0796, extension 7224 |
| Friends
in Public Education provides
support to projects and activities of the several hundred Friends
in PYM whom teach and work in non-Friends schools. This support takes
the form of: administering a small grants program for projects in
the public schools that support Friends testimonies (in an advisory
role to the Granting Group); providing curriculum resources and other
information of interest to Quaker educators; and connecting these
educators with one another and the broader PYM community. See also
PYM Covenant on Education, July 24, 1999. Staff: Jennifer Karsten, (215) 241-7224 or e-mail: jenniferk@pym.org; 1-800-220-0796, extension 7224 |
| Children's
Sessions Planning Group meets
3-4 times a year to plan the agenda and program and to support the
volunteer staff of the Children's Sessions at PYM Residential Yearly
Meeting. contact Children's Sessions Planning Group if you would like
to help plan children's Sessions or are interested in volunteering
to staff the Children's Sessions. Clerk: Michelle Worrall (610) 406-0434 or e-mail: worralliv@aol.com Staff: Ben Camp, Children’s Religious Life Program Coordinator, E-mail: benc@pym.org Phone: 215-241-7228 or 800-220-0796 x 7526 |
Affiliated Organizations:
Schools in a direct care relationship with PYM:- George School (Newtown, PA)
- Westtown School (Westtown, PA)
- Friends Council on Education
- Friends Association for Higher Education
- Friends General Conference
- American Friends Service Committee
Last modified: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 at 12:04 PM
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