Europe and Middle East Young Friends exists to bring Young Friends together from all corners of Europe, many of whom would otherwise be isolated. To this end, we provide opportunities to meet as Friends by means of the annual Spring Gathering and the Annual Meeting for business. The opportunity also exists for Young Friends to bring concerns to quaker organisations such as the Quaker Council for European Affairs, with which EMEYF has full representative status. A twice-yearly magazine, Willy and Penn, provides for the for the expression of Young Friends' views, publicises our and other's activities and reports back on these. We also receive financial support, especially from EMES, to make these activities possible.
EMEYF continues to attract the serious commitment of a number of Young Friends from a variety of countries and we try to attract and involve new people on a continuous basis. Outreach and ongoing renewal is especially important in a Young Friends' organisation, where there are always some members moving on. We would welcome interest from the Middle East, but Friends seem to be few there, and we have no Middle-Eastern Young Friends on our mailing list at present.
In 1998, the Spring Gathering was held in Yorkshire, England, on the theme of ``Travellers' Tales: A journey through legends, myths and our personal stories''. The week was a peaceful one with much time for worshipful silence, and included participatory drama and story-telling workshops. In April 1999, our Spring Gathering will take place near Moscow, Russia, with the theme ``Caring for ourselves and others''.
Annual Meeting for Business was held in Brussels over a weekend in November, for which Quaker Business Method was maintained throughout a full agenda. Representatives attended from around Europe, including a representative from Russia who was able to report on the three very active groups of Young Friends there. The Meeting was introduced to the Dina van Dalfsen legacy, some of whose funds have been offered for the good use of Young Friends, and to an opportunity to become involved with the Hague Appeal for Peace in May. EMEYF offered to provide support for Programme Assistants in Brussels and Geneva and the meeting discussed ways in which EMEYF and the Programme Assistants could broaden cooperation.
We now have around 140 Young Friends on the database following a review in which those no longer wishing to receive information about our activities were deleted from the files. Many of theses are active in their own countries in various ways and the link EMEYF can provide reinforces solidarity and cooperation among Young Friends across borders.
March 1999