Summer Sessions 2025
July 25-30, 2025
Friday to Wednesday
At Oakwood Friends School and Online
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!
Summer Sessions is the largest annual gathering of New York Yearly Meeting Friends and is the reason why our group is referred to as a “Yearly Meeting.” We gather to worship, play, learn, conduct business, and have fellowship. A Quaker community is created during our time together, and many find this to be a powerful and joyful experience. Summer Sessions is open to anyone who is Quaker or Quaker-curious in NY, CT, NJ, and beyond.
In-Person Location is Oakwood Friends School
NYYM will again meet at Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, NY, for Summer Sessions. Oakwood is part of New York Yearly Meeting — a Quaker boarding school for grades 5-12 with a green, compact, suburban campus with dorms, a dining hall, and many hotels within a five minute drive. This year Summer Sessions features a full day youth program and will begin with a weekend focused on intergenerational community activities. Check out the "Week-at-a-glance" schedule. NOTE: The schedule is not yet final and may change to better suit the programming needs.
Attending Online
Many Summer Sessions events will be hybrid—available on campus and online via Zoom—such as the plenaries, worship sharing, bible study, meetings for worship and for business, and meetings for discernment. Online participants will be able to see and hear and speak at these events. Closed captioning will be available for all meetings held on Zoom.
Online Events in July
Three online-only Summer Sessions events will precede the hybrid Sessions.
Online Interest Groups will be offered July 3 through July 17.
Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business: on the evening of Wednesday, July 23, the first business meeting of Summer Sessions 2025 will be held online. Meeting for business before the start of in-person Sessions allows us more time to offer multigenerational community-enriching activities at Oakwood.
Meeting for Discernment Newcomers and Elders: a gathering of those new to or interested in serving as an elder for meetings for discernment will take place on Thursday, July 24, 7:00-8:30 pm.
Worship at Sessions
NYYM Summer Sessions provides many opportunities to worship and share with our Peaceable Community. Everyone is invited to attend opening worship on Friday evening, meeting for worship Sunday morning, meetings for discernment on Monday, meetings for worship with a concern for business, and closing worship on Wednesday, all of which will be hybrid events. Evening prayers will be offered at the end of each evening’s activities. Worship sharing groups will meet every morning Saturday-Wednesday.
Business Meetings
At Sessions you are asked to lend your attention to meetings for worship with a concern for business. These meetings will begin with a period of worship to help spiritually center ourselves. The clerk leads us through an agenda of items, including reports of Friends’ works and issues that require discernment or action on the behalf of the gathered body of Friends.
Meeting for Remembrance
On Sunday afternoon, a hybrid Meeting for Remembrance will be held to recognize and hold in the Light Friends we have recently lost. At the meeting, names and their meeting affiliation will be read. For those who were active in the yearly meeting we will read brief excerpts from their memorial minute (if it has been transmitted to the NYYM office and clerk; email them to [email protected] and [email protected]).There will be time for Friends to speak in remembrance as they are led.
Special Events
Plenary
Dwight Dunston, aka Sterling Duns, will be our plenary speaker on Saturday, July 26th from 3:30-5:30 pm. All are welcome. Dwight will provide us with an interactive challenge about how we approach change; and what are the obstacles for change. This will be a great intergenerational experience for everyone. Join us!
“I am a West Philly-based facilitator, hip-hop artist, educator, and activist who has brought my creativity, care, and compassion to homes, schools, community centers, retirement homes, festivals, and stadiums all over the country and internationally.”
From a place of unapologetic hopefulness combined with 10+ years of training, schooling, and facilitation, I support individuals and groups to learn, grow, + connect, feeling and healing through.”
I am a Level 2 Certified Kingian Nonviolence Trainer, a certified SEED Mediation Trainer, extensively trained in Dr. Howard Stevenson’s practices on Racial Literacy, and have additional training in a number of other modalities that support me to think about healing and wholeness in individuals and ecosystems.”
Bible Study
Worship at Sessions Committee is happy to announce that Jerry Reisig of Morningside Monthly Meeting will be facilitating Summer Sessions Bible Study. Our Bible Study will be held in the Theater at Oakwood and will be a hybrid event Bible Study will be held starting from Saturday evening, July 26th at 6:15-7:00 pm through Tuesday evening, July 29th.
Jerry will be using the Sessions theme of “Dare to Hope! Dare to Heal! Dare to Witness!” and share his insights and scripture verses that speak to that theme. Plan to join Jerry who is described as “knowing all things Bible.”
Meetings for Discernment
Meetings for Discernment are periods of extended, waiting worship and deep listening to discern leadings and strengthen connections in our yearly meeting. The Summer 2025 Meeting for Discernment will be held in three sessions in-person at Oakwood Friends School and online via Zoom on Monday, July 28. There will be a Zoom meeting on the evening of Thursday, July 24, at 7:00 p.m. for anyone new to the Meeting for Discernment or interested in holding space as an elder.
Find details on each Meeting for Discernment session, including the queries, in this document.
Community Events
Hybrid: On Monday evening, the senior high school group will emcee Café Night, an all-ages talent show during which hats are passed to collect donations. Café Night will be streamed on Zoom and online performers are invited to participate. Bring your instruments and props and join the fun!
On Campus: The afternoons of the opening weekend, Saturday and Sunday, will largely be devoted to intergenerational activities, possibly including games, field trips, volunteer work projects, and more. On Tuesday afternoon, Junior Yearly Meeting presents the Fun(d) Fair, a fundraising fair that includes games, crafts, and refreshments. At the same time, there is a “Tagless” Tag Sale, at which you can pay what you wish for items donated by Friends. Please consider bringing used items in good condition to Oakwood so they may be sold at the tag sale. Money raised will be donated to the NYYM Sharing Fund and Powell House. In addition, there will be a contra dance for all ages on Sunday evening.
NEW THIS YEAR: Friends of all ages are invited to the beloved, formerly Junior Yearly Meeting-centered campfire. Expect singalongs and s’mores for everybody.
NEW THIS YEAR: An ice cream social for EVERYONE after dinner on Saturday, followed by games or a movie.
Interest Groups
New York Yearly Meeting will hold interest groups online from July 3 through July 17, the weeks leading up to Summer Sessions.
Interest Groups are opportunities to share, to teach, to learn, to worship, to laugh, cry and grow together. An Interest Group can be a place for like-minded Friends to come together, for differences to be explored, for finding common ground, for deepening knowledge and understanding, for play or drama or comedy, for movement or stillness. It can be short or long, presented in a single session or spread over multiple sessions, limited only by your imagination (and a few physical and technical constraints).
Attending In Person at Oakwood
Oakwood School is in Poughkeepsie, NY, at the end of the Metro North Rail Line and just off Rt. 9 on the east side of the Hudson River. View a campus map. We will meet in person from Friday afternoon, July 25, through Wednesday lunch, July 30.
The areas on campus that we will use are largely accessible. If you have mobility concerns, please contact [email protected] or call the NYYM office at 212-673-5750.
Meals
Meals are served in the Oakwood Dining Hall. Please sign up for meals on your Summer Sessions registration form and specify your dietary preferences and restrictions.
Meal costs:
For all participants over 12:
- Breakfast: $10
- Lunch: $14
- Dinner: $17
Note that if you're staying in a hotel, your stay may include breakfast.
For participants under age 12
- Breakfast: $6
- Lunch: $10
- Dinner: $10
Overnight Accommodations
On campus—Each dorm room has two twin beds. The charge will be $70 a night per room for one bed, $80 a night per room for two beds. Linens (sheets, pillow, blanket, towel, hand towel, washcloth) for each bed are included in the room price. Note that on-campus housing is “first come, first served,” and will probably fill up; please register early if you want to stay on campus.
With Friends—There is a limited number of home hospitality offers from Friends in the area. You can indicate your interest in either of these options — staying on campus or with local Friends — on the registration form.
Off Campus—NYYM has reserved a block of rooms at a reduced rate ($129+tax/night) at the nearby Residence Inn Poughkeepsie, 2525 South Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. To reserve a room at the NYYM rate, call the hotel at (845) 463-4343, select option #1, and ask for the NYYM room block. You can also book a room in the block online using this direct link. Note that rooms will be released to the public on June 27 and are subject to availability after that, though the reduced rate will be honored if rooms are available. There are many other hotels in the area. There are also campgrounds nearby—see a list of recommended sites.
Remember, if you’re staying at a hotel or campground you must make your own reservation separate from your NYYM Sessions registration.
Community Health Concerns
Masks will be optional. Friends are encouraged to take a COVID test at home before coming to Oakwood. If you feel unwell, please stay home, regardless of COVID test results. If you feel ill at Oakwood you will be asked to take a test.
In-person Nurture and Support
Accessibility Concerns—All the areas on campus that we will use during Summer Sessions are accessible, including the first floors of the dormitories. You will be able to request an accessible room and other accommodations on the registration form. Golf carts will be available to assist movement around campus. One way to help our community is to offer assistance to Friends who may need help getting around or carrying trays in the dining hall.
Live closed captioning—will be available during Zoom meetings. Those attending Sessions in person may find closed captioning to be helpful when sound is quiet or garbled. Closed captions will be visible on the screen to the right of the stage.
12-Step Meetings—will be held every day at 8:15 a.m. for 30 minutes for those on campus during Summer Sessions. Meetings will be coordinated by Cathy Ramey. Please contact Cathy at [email protected] if you are able and willing to facilitate a meeting or two.
The Healing Center—As in years past, the Healing Center will be a sacred space for Friends during Summer Sessions. The Healing Center operates on a temple model, not on a spa model. Seekers cannot expect to come for an appointment as if they were paying for services. Rather, seekers enter a sacred space where everyone present contributes prayerfully to the spiritual energy. Seekers can hold space, receive work, or join a meeting for healing—whatever is offered at the time. The Healing Center will be open from 1:30-5:30, Saturday-Tuesday.
Whisper Buddies—is a joyful way to meet and connect with Friends who have a different amount of Quaker decision-making experience than you do. Through this program, Friends who are new to Quaker business meetings (or new to how New York Yearly Meeting holds them) can pair up with Friends who are more experienced and are willing to answer questions as they arise— by whispering, passing notes, or talking informally together after a committee meeting or Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business. The introductory meeting for Whisper Buddies will take place at 8:00 am on Saturday, July 26.
Need help at Summer Sessions? Have a question about the schedule, or who to contact about a problem? Call the NYYM event phone at 212-673-2285 to reach NYYM staff or a registration team member. If no one answers, leave a message and someone will respond ASAP.
Intergenerational Community Building
Our times of joyful, intergenerational community building are still being planned. Options include field trips to nearby sites, big group games (last year we played kickball), volunteer work projects, and more. There may be birding, bugging, moth-ing, and other nature walks; environmentally friendly crafts, peace rocks, and Quaker living activities.
Children and Youth Programs
Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM) staff and volunteers are working hard to create a fun Summer Sessions experience for all JYM participants! We have some new things happening this year, including afternoon and evening activities, and we look forward to everyone joining us. Please read on for more details.
Junior Yearly Meeting is the program for children ages 5-18 attending Summer Sessions in person. Groups are arranged according to age or grade, and meet every day, Saturday through Tuesday, from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This year there are also intergenerational and JYM activities in the afternoon and evening, listed at the end of this announcement.
JYM volunteers plan a community-building program of activities for the children, including games, discussions, art projects, and more. JYM is also a chance for young people to experience being part of a community based on friends’ testimonies and practices. Age-appropriate, experiential Quaker content is integral to the program, and groups will spend some time in quiet worship or worship-sharing during their time at Sessions. On Wednesday morning, at the conclusion of Summer Sessions, JYM groups will present their epistles to the rest of the NYYM community.
High schoolers who attend Summer Sessions will be housed together in a designated dorm, and will have access to a lounge, a kitchen, and a full program of special activities to be confirmed when they gather with their leaders at the beginning of Sessions.
Family Center is a new option for children under age 5. Children will be cared for by experienced, paid childcare providers and supervised by JYM coordinators every day from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. In addition, on Monday and Tuesday, Family Center childcare will be available between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. The children in Family Center will engage in play and music activities and take naps, if needed. It is hoped that the new Family Center hours will free up parents to attend Sessions programming.
The Hub, a new lounge area with access to games, musical instruments, puzzles, toys, a group banner project, peace library, and other activities will be open and available to children and adults throughout Summer Sessions.
In addition to JYM morning programming that will be finalized by the children and teens after they arrive, here are some of the intergenerational events to look forward to:
- Birding and bugs at the Vassar Farm
- Kickball and badminton tournament
- “Oh Freedom” tour of antislavery sites and related history in the Hudson Valley
- Game night
- Water games and activities
- Blacklight moth hunting after the bonfire
- Service activities in the greenhouse and garden
- YSOP (Youth Service Opportunities Project) blanket making
- Recycled/upcycled crafts + peace rock painting
- Other arts and crafts
- Fun(d) Fair
- And more that we are still working on!
We can't wait to see everyone, and we welcome activity suggestions to help us build a program that serves our whole community!
Young Adult Friends
Young adult Friends (YAFs) form a community together at Summer Sessions. They can choose to join a YAF housing cluster if staying on campus—be sure to select that option on your registration form. Sessions will begin with a gathering to get to know each other and make plans for the rest of our time together. There will again be a nightly social time and epistle writing, and probably at least one workshop about how the yearly meeting functions and how young adults can participate. YAFs can also connect before, during, and after Sessions through a WhatsApp group. Please email Beth Kelly ([email protected]) with any questions.
DARE TO WITNESS FAIR
July 29 @ 3:30 - 5:30 pm
WHAT: An opportunity for participants to meet and talk with members of various NYYM Committees and Quaker organizations.
WHERE: NYYM Summer Sessions 2025 at Oakwood Friends School, Poughkeepsie, NY.
WHEN: Tuesday afternoon, July 29, 3:30 - 5:30 pm, in Collins Library, first and second floors, and around campus.
HOW: Representatives from NYYM Committees and Quaker Organizations will answer your questions and tell you about the work and witness that they do.
WHO: Anyone and everyone. NYYM members. Quaker organizational representatives.
WHY: To know about these opportunities for witness, service and care.
What are you interested in?
What are your gifts?
How will you serve?
What is your witness?
How will your gifts grow in service and witness?
Things to Consider Bringing
- clothes & shoes for walking in warm days and cool nights
- refillable water bottle
- sunblock, hat, sunglasses, bug spray
- umbrella and rain gear
- swimsuit & towel (there are swimming and water-play possibilities)
- musical instruments or other props for the Café Night talent show
- if staying on campus, consider bringing a fan for your room, an extra blanket, a small lamp, and a bathrobe and shower shoes for the showers
- a laptop or device to access documents during business meetings.
- money to donate at Café Night, Fun(d) Fair and Tag Sale
Transportation
The address for Oakwood School is 22 Spackenkill Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. The train station in Poughkeepsie is served by Metro-North (new.mta.info/schedules) and Amtrak (amtrak.com). Taxis are available at the train station to take you the 4 miles to Oakwood. The Sessions Committee plans to arrange for one van pick-up from the station on Friday and on Saturday; please indicate your interest on the registration form.
Carpools—Drivers who can offer rides and Friends who wish to find a ride can use the online Carpool Board at www.groupcarpool.com/t/nxztsd.
ARRIVAL—Check in will begin at 4:00 pm on Friday. Please check in at Collins Library in the center of campus when you arrive. You will receive a name tag, your dorm room key if staying on campus, and a detailed program schedule. For those staying on-site, check-in will continue until 8:00 pm. If arriving later, please make other arrangements for that evening or notify the Registrar before 5:00 pm on the arrival date by calling 212-673-2285.
Pay as Led
Pay as Led is designed to enable newcomers and Friends of differing financial situations to attend Sessions together. After registering you will receive a follow-up email or letter with your suggested Pay as Led rate options. The three options are: the standard rate, which covers the costs NYYM owes to Oakwood; the full rate, which helps others attend; and the supported rate, for those who would consider not attending due to cost. The Pay as Led plan relies on generosity from those who can afford to pay more.
If you need help paying for your transportation or off campus housing costs, please contact [email protected] or call the NYYM office at 212-257-5750.
Ways to Help
Work with children—If your gifts lead you to contribute to the work of the yearly meeting through guiding the children, consider this your opportunity. We need resource people and group leaders; art people, games people, experienced old hands and newcomers. What we will have in common is delight in sharing time with children while at Summer Sessions. We expect to share much joy together. Contact Polly Duke and Lauren Scott at [email protected].
Indicate on your registration form if you'd like to help in one of these ways:
- Drive a golf cart around campus. If you are at least 21 years old with a valid driver’s license.
- Staff the Healing Center. Modalities may include energy work, massage, craniosacral therapy, and spiritual counseling.
- Carry a microphone. Help Friends hear each other during meetings.
- Provide technical help. Friends experienced with Zoom meetings are needed to assist Friends at home and on site at Oakwood.
- Build community by facilitating an intergenerational activity.
- Help with the Tagless Tag Sale, childcare during the Plenary, or facilitate a worship sharing group
REGISTRATION IS OPEN
Registration is completely online. If you are unable to register online, please ask someone you know to assist you, or call the NYYM office at 212-673-5750. Volunteers are ready, willing, and able to provide online registration assistance.
Register now using the Online Registration Form.