Saturday 5 May 2007

sausage factory: part 3

Katy: Money on Young Quaker magazine could be spent on something different, like working on the blog.

Chris: Young Quaker is quite good, its a valid publication representing Quakers it is aimed at and for.

Jez: I will edit this blog post so that everyone only says good stuff about Young Quaker. Where
Katy says the words ‘brilliant’ and ‘Young Quaker’, she’ll say that Young Quaker is brilliant!

Chris: Young Quaker is published too often, maybe bi-monthly with bigger editions. I flick through while on the bog. Put that in, I read YQ on the bog! Two months into one. After an event, would be a good time to publish the magazine.

Sally: what is it?

Chris: YFGM publication.

Wess: Were you all brought up as Quakers?

Chris: I was, but I was given the opportunity to choose whether I wanted to. I had to make my own application for membership.

Kate: At Westminster Monthly Meeting, specifically Ealing, we have 4 teenagers.

Jez: Are you all the only Quakers in your peer groups?

Almost all: we're the only young people in our meetings. There’s lots you can do. JYM, link groups. We connect by MSN and facebook.

Wess: Do you blog together?

Chris: The Leaveners started a message board, friendlink but now it is for everyone, it is a good place. I think that the new young friends website is going to be good, yqspace.org

Wess: In the States, we have a website quakerquaker.org and on it are aggregation of all blogs, it catches posts and puts them all on one site.

Sally: How do you know that people are Quakers?

Wess: We run it. There’s the occasion that someone does not want to be there, but it is awesome to get younger people. Most of the people are aged 25-40 on there, but typically not much younger. Thats one way that we are in touch, we're also on facebook, and then meet in the US.

I've been to Rhode Island and San Francisco to meet for dinner and hang out, using web to connect. We bring the virtual community to hang out in pubs, or in our living rooms. Another Quaker, Robin, and I, have done some ministry about the future of Quakers. We've done googledocuments, letters of introduction, interesting things happening, video chats, - some of it is really funny. We do stuff online, so bringing our faith online. It seems natural and important, so not living separate lives.

Tavi: pubs?

Wess: We've got a couple. You know, i haven't been to an English pub, this is my first trip abroad. I'm at Woodbrooke. The cool pubs in LA are the places which are dives, really amazing musicians who come in and play.

Any other questions?

Katy: Can I come and stay?

Wess: I can feed you but I can’t pay for your travel!

Jez: don't forget to look out for the blog!

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