Summer Sessions 2016 — JYM
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Welcome young Friends and parents/guardians to Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM) 2016!
Here are some basic things for everyone to remember:
JYM FORMS ONLINE:
When you arrive at Silver Bay YMCA, you must check in with Silver Bay to get room assignments, and then proceed to the JYM registration area in Gullen Lounge in the Inn. JYM registration will be open from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday. Those registering Monday morning or later should go to the JYM office in Gullen Lounge. Please bring your child’s relevant medical history, parental consent forms, and a record of any allergies. If you are sponsoring a JYM youth, you will need a medical form signed BY THE YOUTH’S PARENT in order to register. (See the list below of JYM forms found online.)
Where does my child go? Each JYM group is based on the grade the young Friend will be entering in the fall, from 1st to 12th. Each group meets in the same space every day. These spaces will be posted at JYM Registration.
For children from infancy through those entering kindergarten, Silver Bay offers childcare Monday through Friday mornings from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m., which is supplemented by a JYM volunteer. See the Silver Bay Camp Booklet for more information on the SB program. We usually ask parents to sign up to help cover the time between 11:45 and 12:15 so parents can take turns attending Meeting for Business. This will be coordinated by the JYM volunteer. The Yearly Meeting will cover the fee to Silver Bay for this service, but in order for NYYM to do so, parents MUST submit the Silver Bay Enrollment Form watermarked with NYYM (se link below) in order for Silver Bay to bill NYYM. If you do not use this form, you will be expected to pay Silver Bay directly for childcare. Donations to offset this cost are appreciated from any Friend, parent or not, who wishes to contribute. You must also complete a JYM medical form for JYM registration. This will enable your child to participate in PM childcare and other JYM sponsored events.
When does JYM meet? Every morning, the entire Yearly Meeting community will meet in the auditorium for Community Worship from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. The young Friends will then leave the auditorium with their JYM group and be in their program until 12:15 p.m. Please make sure that your child gets enough rest every night to be able to participate effectively in his/her JYM group each morning. If your child will not be attending group on a given day, please notify the group leaders or the JYM Coordinators. Children under 9 cannot be dismissed from JYM until a designated adult picks them up. Parents and guardians please let the group leaders know in advance if you wish them to release your child to someone other than yourself.
Morning worship sharing for teens. Young Friends entering 10th to 12th grade are invited to attend adult worship sharing groups from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., and should indicate their choice on their registration forms. They are expected to join the Senior High JYM group right after worship sharing.
High School Gatherings. The teens will also meet in evening JYM Sessions from 9:30 - 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
Afternoon and evening childcare. JYM provides cooperative childcare for children up through the age of 10, with JYM volunteers and JYM parents, every day during committee meeting times and most evening session times. These times will be posted at JYM Registration and in the weekly Program. Evening childcare ends at 9 p.m. Please note: If childcare is required after 9 PM or outside of PM childcare hours, please contact Silver Bay to arrange for childcare services at an hourly rate that will be charged to the parents/guardians. All the PM Childcare sessions rely on volunteer help and all parents who bring children to PM Childcare are expected to give an hour to the program. There must be one adult for every four children. Two volunteers from JYM will supervise each session. You can sign up to help during JYM registration, at the JYM table in Gullen Lounge, or at any time with the JYM PM Childcare volunteers in Morse Hall. We thank you in advance for helping to provide care for all of the children in our community.
How do I know where my child is during the day? During official JYM sessions, they should be with their JYM groups. If your child’s group will leave their regular space on a given day for a special event, you will be informed, and/or a notice will be posted on the door of the regular meeting place. Any child not attending an age-appropriate JYM group must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or parentally designated adult companion during JYM session times. Parents/guardians/sponsors are responsible for JYMers whenever they are not with their JYM group or JYM childcare. We suggest that you have a regular check-in time and location for the young Friend(s) and the parent/guardian/sponsor to connect with each other each day.
Which group will my child be assigned to? The JYM groups are organized by standard public school grades in an effort to build on the strengths and needs of our children. Experience has shown us that placing children in groups with attenders years older or younger than they are does not work well for community building. Although it is tempting to ask that siblings who are assigned to different groups be placed together, we have found that this is usually a hindrance to both the children and the JYM group.
Can the JYM volunteers provide for my child with special needs? We welcome and are enriched by the participation of all children in our community. If your child will attend JYM and needs a very high level of individual attention because of a physical or developmental need, please plan to participate with them in the program. The JYM program does not have enough volunteer staff with special training to provide for all special needs. Please contact the JYM Coordinators if you have questions about your child’s participation.
Can my child go to Silver Bay without me? If your child is under 18, he/she may attend Silver Bay with an adult sponsor. The sponsor should be designated by the parent or legal guardian and must be at least 10 years older than the young Friend they are sponsoring. The sponsor and the child should know each other reasonably well. When you register your child to attend Yearly Meeting you will need to indicate who their sponsor is, send your child’s registration in with that person’s, and indicate that they will be clustering (rooming near each other). You will need to send a SIGNED, completed medical information form with your child, to be turned in at JYM registration.
What is clustering? People in a “cluster” are assigned rooms in the same building, on the same floor, in close proximity to one another. Clustering allows children and their parents, guardians, or sponsors to check in with one another and communicate responsibly. You must request clustering when you register for Summer Sessions at Silver Bay, and if feasible, send in the clustering registration forms together.
What do I need to bring? If you register with enough lead time, JYM volunteers working with your group will send you a letter explaining what you will be doing in your group and listing certain things they think you may want to bring with you. We suggest that everybody bring along a beach towel, bathing suit, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, and rain gear. The weather at Silver Bay is unpredictable and can be quite cool. Be prepared for this by packing some warmer clothing (for example, long pants, sweatshirts, windbreaker).
Snacks. All families are asked to bring a can of juice and healthy non-sugary cracker snacks for our JYM groups to share during snack time. These contributions can be brought to the JYM registration area or JYM office in the Boathouse.
About cell phones and electronic devices. We come to Yearly Meeting to create a Blessed Community. This requires that we be present to each other. With this in mind, the JYM Committee has agreed that cell phones and other electronic devices will not be used during JYM program. JYMers are advised to leave their devices safely in their rooms. If you bring one to group, you will be asked to put it in a basket during group time. JYM adult volunteers have walkie-talkies to use in case of an emergency.
Whom do I talk to if I have any questions? The JYM Coordinators, Ellie Rosenberg and Rebecca Wolf, are available to answer questions about JYM during our week at Silver Bay. Except during Community Worship times, one of the Coordinators will be available Monday through Friday, from 9:15 to 12:15, at the JYM table in Gullen Lounge. You can also go to the clerk of JYM Committee, Dawn Pozzi, or the NYYM conference office in the Inn. If you cannot find us and want to leave a note, there is a message board in the Inn for that purpose.
JYM volunteers needed! JYM volunteers give their time to the Yearly Meeting at Summer Sessions at Silver Bay working with the youth in grades K–12. Volunteer group leaders plan and carry out a program prepared at the June JYM Planning Weekend at Powell House. JYM group leaders also provide afternoon and evening childcare (referred to as “PM Childcare”) for children through age 10 during Committee and Session times Monday–Friday. Financial assistance is made available to JYM volunteers.
Adult presences needed! Afternoon and evening childcare programs offered by Junior Yearly Meeting are always happy to have additional Friendly adults. You can sign up to help during JYM registration, the JYM table in Gullen Lounge, or at any time with the JYM PM Childcare volunteers. We thank you in advance for helping to provide care for all of the children in our community.
If you are interested in serving the Yearly Meeting as a JYM volunteer in future years, please speak with Ellie Rosenberg or Rebecca Wolf, Coordinators of JYM 2016.
Parent Meeting on Sunday, July 24th, 8 p.m.
JYM will be hosting a discussion for parents of Junior and Senior High students on Sunday night at Silver Bay to discuss what type of behavior we as a parent community would like to encourage and uphold during our week together. Topics will include: Whisper Buddies, the panel discussion on Wednesday morning, JYM evening meetings for Senior High, Silver Bay's new policy regarding alcohol, and our response as parents to community agreements. Parents of Junior High students are asked to meet in Munn; parents of Senior High students are asked to meet in Field Memorial.
(Paragraph in Spark with the JYM text, and also in the first Sunday Daily Minute at Silver Bay)