EMEYF Communications Committee (CC)

Muswell Hill Friends Meeting House, London, England

9-11 March 2007

Present: Ali Ghanem, Marie-Hélène Drouin, Karl Seume, John Fitzgerald, Vivian Barty-Taylor, Liz Sugden.

CC08/01 Opening Minute

We are happy and grateful to meet again in Muswell Hill Meeting House on a lovely sunny spring day.

CC08/02 Task List from AM 2007

We reviewed the CC task list resulting from AM 2007. We are disappointed many tasks were not done and some have been done sub-optimally. We identified several issues that require action to ensure efficiency and accountability of the work of office-bearers in EMEYF are optimum. We specifically looked at ways to make communication and accountability of CC task list better such as the usage of web-based task list. We will also discuss the way the handover of jobs takes place as this was identified as an important reason why communication within CC might break down and we will address this issue later in this meeting.

CC08/02 Consolidating treasurer report

Our consolidating treasurer, Karl, gave us a report which is attached to these minutes. We are more or less on budget for 2007. The relevant tasks resulting form AM 2007 will be done, specifically paying EMEYF contribution to EMES for the gathering in Vienna. Karl’s call for more communication with our funders is supported by all CC members. Karl will forward another report to our secretary for EMEYF 2007 annual report.

CC08/03 Trees for Africa Project

Following the formula of minute AM07/14, 28 Euros will be paid to Trees for Africa Project for CC meeting travel.

CC08/04 Fund raising plan

The principle idea for fund raising will be to encourage YMs and worship groups within our section to give more and regularly so that we are not entirely dependent on one main source of funding JRCT. We also will look at other sources of funding. We encourage John (our treasurer of Charitable Committee accounts in the UK) to formulate these plans and report back in AM 2008.

CC08/05 Other financial issues

Financing summer camp in Norway in 2008 was discussed. EMEYF will handle it from the financial point of view in the same way as spring gatherings. We authorise the planning group to use 800 euros for their expenses for the time being.

We ask our consolidating treasurer to send a copy of the accounts to our clerk to be included as a document in advance along with the agenda ahead of our business meetings.

CC08/06 EMEYF/EMES Gathering – Vienna 2008

The Vienna gathering had many facets. It was a great gathering for EMEYF as it introduced EMES and its work to an impressive EMEYF presence. We also felt very welcome and appreciated by EMES. We would welcome the opportunity to be part of future similar gatherings across the section. Anneke Spreij (our EMES EC representative) and Sophie Buxton (one of EMEYF planning group to the Vienna gathering) are preparing a formal EMEYF feedback report. However, it is obvious that the two gatherings serve different purposes. The emphasis on business at the gathering made many younger friends miss the richer spiritual sharing usually experienced at EMEYF spring gatherings. We hope that planning for similar events happens further in advance and involves more input from EMEYF.

CC08/07 Summer Camp – Norway 2008 progress report

Liz Sugden who is a member of the planning group informed us of overall good progress for the summer camp. 3 Young Friends from Africa enquired about the camp and requested financial support to attend it. We welcome interest from Young Friends outside the section but funding was declined in this case as our resources and constitution have geographical limitations. This experience has happened before and therefore John Fitzgerald will write to Young Quaker Christian Association in Africa to communicate our position in relation to such events. 2 Young Friends from Georgia also applied for funding and CC will consider requests for support beyond the planned overall subsidy to the camp fee once information is forwarded from the organisation group. The planning group continues to spread the word and publicise the summer camp within the section.

CC08/08 Spring Gathering 2009 progress update and deciding the dates

Ali Ghanem gave a report on the progress. Liz Sugden, Kirsten Harris and Miranda Hirst were appointed in Vienna to serve on the planning group. Matt Loffman and Julian Weinberg are on route to Damascus to start their studies there. Liz Sugden agreed to convene the group which will start communication and planning. We hope to hold a planning meeting around the time for 2008 annual meeting in Germany. We look forward to hold the gathering between the 10 – 17^th of April 2009.

CC08/09 Communications with YMs and National Contact Persons role activation

Further to exploration of NCP role in AM 2007 we felt we should abandon the NCP system as it is currently set up. EMEYF Clerk will be reporting annually to clerks of YMs and recognised worship groups across the section. This year, the communication will include a request to financially support EMEYF on a regular basis. We ask our clerks to request annually that YMs and worship groups appoint at each of their yearly gatherings a Friend (YF preferably) who will send a report on the presence and activities of YFs in their locality to the subsequent EMEYF AM. This Friend will also be invited to that AM to give their reports in person. We will ask that the travel costs be covered locally but EMEYF will consider covering the costs if the finances of the YM or worship group can not meet such a cost. If there are no Friends who could do that we will invite the clerks of that meeting to report on YFs in that area and attend EMEYF AMs.

CC08/10 Appointments Commencement at CC meetings instead of AM

Currently, appointments at EMEYF start and finish at AM when the new office bearers also start service. This does not allow for an optimal hand over, especially when the people leaving office and their successors do not meet in person. As a result, tasks have been put on hold between AM and CC meetings. Hand over will be much better if a period of overlap was created when both the new office bearer nominated at AM and their predecessors will work jointly until the following CC meeting when they will both be present. The financial consequences resulting will be minimal compared with the gain achieved.

CC08/11 QCEA representative for the meeting in April

Julian Weinberg (our QCEA representative) requested that he will be allowed to skip the following QCEA meeting taking place between 18 – 20^th April 2008 in Brussels due to his soon arrival in the Middle East. Our secretary circulated an email inviting friends within EMEYF to cover for Julian on this occasion. Liz Sugden (whose current job is to network between North West Yearly Meeting of Friends in the USA and European Quaker organisations) has kindly offered to do so should there be a need. We agree that Liz represents EMEYF at this QCEA meeting in case no other Friend has already expressed such interest. Our Clerk will liaise with our secretary and Liz in this regard.

CC08/12 Nominations required for AM 2008

We need to appoint the following officers at AM 2009: Clerk, consolidating account treasurer, 4 Charitable Committee members, a 2^nd representative to QCEA and possibly a gatherings and communications coordinator. We ask our secretary to advertise these positions by means of attachment of job descriptions within the invitation email to AM along with the documents in advance.

CC08/13 Annual Meeting 2007 feedback

We feel that AM 2007 was a good meeting. We missed the workshop and the spiritual sharing opportunity accompanying it. For AM 2008 our elders will organise a 2 hour workshop and liaise with our secretary to advertise it before AM.

CC08/14 EMEYF Annual Report 2007

Our secretary communicated by email that the report is almost finished. A report form our QCEA representative and consolidating treasurer are yet to be filed. We look forward to our 2007 report and consequent feedback from its distribution within the section.

CC08/15 Outreach

Liz Sugden suggested that EMEYF should begin to produce a bi-yearly newsletter, which would be sent to every monthly meeting and worship group. This newsletter would help EMEYF be more available and well known to young friends we may not be in contact with. It could include dates of upcoming EMEYF events, contact information for NCP, information about what EMEYF offers, and other relevant information. We feel this tool is very valuable for outreach and it can be incorporated within the communication and gatherings coordinator role. Liz has kindly offered to produce a format of the first issue as well as the first issue itself. CC will support Liz in any way necessary.

We also discussed other outreach resources such as the web-based network facility Facebook and our email list. We ask our secretary to write to EMEYF community inviting them to contribute to and utilize these resources.

We look forward to the production of our annual report 2007 and the communication which will accompany it to YMs, worship groups and our sponsors regarding EMEYF and the new NCP role.

Our Clerk received two communications from outside the section in relation to a Young Adult Friends summer gathering in the USA and a YAF group in Kenya. We are happy to communicate and interact with Young Friends outside the section and we ask our Clerk to disseminate these communications via our office in Brussels to the whole EMEYF community.

CC08/16 Outreach to under 18 year old young friends

Our clerk was asked to communicate to EMEYF CC about a need – especially in countries where YFs are not active – to reach out for young friends who are below 18 years old to tell them about EMEYF and invite them to its AM and other gatherings once they reach 18. EMEYF has an under 18 policy and our clerk will look at the ethical and legal issues surrounding that EMEYF keeps a database of details of young friends under 18 within the section so that we can include them in our communication and invite them to EMEYF gatherings once they are 18. Another potential is to raise this issue with our communication to YMs and outreach to the Quaker Youth Pilgrimage. We ask our Clerk to initiate this important step which will fill a needed gap in Young Friends lives across the section. Our Clerk will report back to AM regarding this process.

CC08/17 Communication within CC

Our new gatherings and communications coordinator, Johanna Buchmann, who was not able to be present in this meeting expressed a need for support within her new role at least until AM 2008. Liz Sugden, who is involved in organising both this summer’s camp in Norway and EMEYF SG Damascus 2009 kindly offered to support Johanna. We all feel there is a need to optimise task management within CC work. John Fitzgerald suggested to try a web-based utility to synchronise our task management and we will try to use this utility along our usual communication routes.

The presence of a new headed paper for EMEYF was raised and we feel that we should keep our old headed paper for the time being.

CC08/18 Any other business

Our previous secretary Matt Loffman, requested financial support to go the Middle East to learn about the culture and languages there in the hope he will be able to participate in a timely need for better intercultural understandings. He is also a member of EMEYF SG Damascus 2009 planning group and his presence in Damascus will help facilitation of the SG as well as outreach for EMEYF. Our treasurer informed us that our finances at present will allow us to give up to £750. Our constitution clearly states that EMEYF is created to support education for YFs within the section and this request is compatible with our charitable aims. We approve Matt’s request. Also, our elder; Vivian Barty-Taylor, enquired about EMEYF support for him to attend an eldering course at Woodbrook. CC confirms that EMEYF will support our elder or any other officer pursuing such useful training.

CC08/19 Closing minute

We are very grateful we had this productive meeting. The heat of CC enthusiasm and the warmth of the vision of a more active EMEYF was contrasted with the cool weather of a beautiful snowy April day. We wish all safe journeys home and we look forward to be in the company of each other again at Bad Pyrmont this autumn.