Summer Sessions 2011

Summer Sessions

July 27–23, 2013  •  Silver Bay, New York

Peace with the Earth

• Registration information and forms
• Documents to read before Summer Sessions, along with the Advance Reports
  • Letter from clerk
  • Proposal from Meetings for Discernment Steering Committee
  • Revised Handbook page for Nominating Committee
  • Proposed Handbook page for Ministry Coordinating Committee
  • Consent Agenda
  • Proposed order of worship for Summer Sessions (agenda items)
  • Committee meetings at Silver Bay and clerk contacts
• Our Theme This Year: Peace with Earth
• Anne Mitchell of QEW Is Our Speaker
• Bible Study at Summer Sessions
• Schedule at a Glance (opens in new window)
• NYYM Registration Fees
• Room Descriptions and Rates (opens in new window)
• ALERT to Guests Needing a Roommate
• Agenda Items
• Participant Expectations
• Beach and Waterfront Guidelines
• Financial Assistance Available for Silver Bay
• An Invitation to Facilitate Worship Sharing
• Interest Group Proposals
• 12-Step Meetings
• Food Service at Silver Bay
• Golf Cart Drivers
• Disability Concerns at Silver Bay
• Staying on Campus
• Camping at Silver Bay
• Off-Campus and Day Registrants
• Nearby Motels
• Public Transportation
• Driving Directions
• On Your Way to Silver Bay
• Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM)
• JYM Frequently Asked Questions
• JYM Volunteers Needed
• Helpful People for Yearly Meeting Sessions
• Council of All Beings at Silver Bay
• Awakening the Dreamer Symposium
• Summer Sessions Program (opens in new window)
• Advance Reports for 2010 (opens in new window)

Back to top of page

---

 

QEW General Secretary Is Plenary Speaker

Patricia Chernoff, coclerk, NYYM Earthcare Working Group

Our plenary speaker this year at NYYM Summer Sessions will be Anne Mitchell, the new general secretary of Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW). Anne is presiding clerk of Canadian Yearly Meeting.

Anne’s love of nature developed when she was a child in Scotland, where she liked to go into the countryside and woods to pick berries. “I got into environmentalism when I realized that we were polluting nature and knew the answer was more than a matter of coming up with technological fixes. The question is how do we listen to nature and how do we respond and acknowledge that it is a complex system with its own intelligence that we don’t have all the answers to?

“These are challenging times—for the earth, for the species on the earth, and for Quaker Earthcare Witness. I see a great opportunity for QEW to work toward building a strong, united Quaker voice to speak—along with other voices—about ecological, economic, and spiritual crises, and their interconnections. I want that voice to be as strong today as the Quaker voice on slavery was in its time. And I want that voice to join with other voices, be they Muslim, Hindu, First Nations people, or secular.

“I also want to bring together other Quaker organizations that share these concerns, and see how we can work better together. Some of these organizations are: Quaker Institute for the Future, Quaker International Affairs Program, and Quaker Ecological Action Network. And there is the work of Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Friends General Conference, Friends United Meeting, and Canadian and American Friends Service Committees.

“After all, the earth is the Lord’s. We do not own nature. How can we be faithful caretakers and trustees? We only work here. How can we keep moving toward being in right relationship with humanity and the environment?”

We look forward to having Anne’s presence among us at Silver Bay.

Anne’s words above were taken from an article in November–December Befriending Creation.

Back to top of page

---

 

Bible Study at Summer Sessions

Kristina and Callid Keefe-Perry, Rochester Monthly Meeting, hope Friends will join in a time of rich unfolding as we consider Scripture together in light of Peace with Earth and Transformation, at this year’s Summer Sessions.

Kristina travels under a minute endorsed by Rochester Meeting, Farmington-Scipio Regional Meeting, and New York Yearly Meeting. She serves as an elder and also coleader of retreats on prayer, earthcare as a spiritual practice, faithful service in peace and justice, deepening spiritual ministry, spiritual discipline, and discernment and gifts. She has taught Quakerism at Pendle Hill and is a founding member of the Quaker Voluntary Service Network. Kristina coordinates Food Justice for Northeast Organic Farming Assn.-NY, leading programs that bring healthy organic food to low-income communities, enhance domestic fair trade, and support ecological agriculture in New York State.

Callid travels in the ministry under a minute endorsed by Rochester Meeting, Farmington-Scipio Regional Meeting, and New York Yearly Meeting. He consults on the use of the arts in classrooms, acts with an improv comedy theater group he cofounded, is the national coordinator of the Transformative Language Arts Network, and is an occasional publisher and speaker on theology and theopoetics. He travels in the gospel ministry within, and beyond, the Religious Society of Friends, often with his wife, Kristina, serving as elder, and has served as a teacher of Quakerism at the Pendle Hill. He believes in the possibility of a just world while he still lives.

Back to top of page

---

 

Registration

Everyone Must Register

To register by mail, determine your total registration fee from the table below, fill out the appropriate registration form (adult or Junior Yearly Meeting), print it, and send it in with your registration check via postal mail to NYYM, 15 Rutherford Pl., New York NY 10003. Do not include any of your Silver Bay charges as part of our registration fees.

To register online, determine your total registration fee from the table below, then click on the “Buy Now” button below. If you choose to make a voluntary donation to the Equalization Fund (tax deductible), include the amount in your total. Enter the amount of your payment in the space provided. Please add $3.00 to your total registration amount to cover NYYM’s PayPal expense. Do not include any of your Silver Bay charges as part of our registration fees.

Fill out Adult or JYM registration form(s), save them, and e-mail as attachments to office [at] nyym.org.

Note: The registration forms open in a new window. They are in PDF format, which requires Adobe reader. If you don’t have Adobe reader, you may download it free here.

Clustering (staying in rooms that are close together) is required of all parents/guardians/sponsors and the children they are supervising. Mail or e-mail your registrations in at the same time.

Junior Yearly Meeting information can be found here.

Back to top of page

---

 

2011 NYYM Registration Fees

NYYM registration fees (not to be confused with the room deposit for Silver Bay YMCA) must be included with the completed registration form for everyone (age three and older). Everyone (all ages) must be registered, even the under-threes.

Registration Fee Chart	Until July 10	July 11–17	After July 17
Adults	$40	$70	$80
Young adults 18–35 yrs.	$32	$62	$72
JYM Youth (3 yrs to 17 yrs)	$20	$35	$40
Family Group—2 adults & all children under 18 in room with parents	$77	$107	$117
Family Cluster—2 adults & all children under 18 in 2 rooms with adult in each room	$100	$130	$140
Per day fee—applicable only to all those attending less than half session	$19	$24	$30

If you have questions, please call Helen Garay Toppins at the NYYM office, 212-673-5750.

 

Register

 

Back to top of page

---

 

ALERT to Guests Needing a Roommate

Silver Bay YMCA will make every effort to find a roommate but cannot guarantee to find one. Guests will be less likely to incur a single-room rate if they make their own contact for rooming together. Silver Bay will inform registrants one week prior to arrival if they are unable to find a roommate. All guests are responsible to make full payment for the period for which they register regardless of their actual length of stay; thus a remaining roommate would not be financially responsible for the early, unplanned departure of another roommate (since there is no refund for early departure). A guest who has no roommate registered will be charged for the single rate. To be sure there are no misunderstandings it is best for roommates to check in together at Silver Bay when they arrive.

For a map of the Silver Bay campus, please click here or request one from the NYYM office.

Back to top of page

---

 

Agenda Items

If you have items for the business agenda, please contact Jeffrey Aaron, General Services; Regina Baird Haag & Amy Willauer-Obermayer, Ministry; Cheshire Frager, Nurture; Fred Dettmer, Witness; Heather Cook, clerk of NYYM, clerk [at] nyym.org; or the NYYM office, office [at] nyym.org. Contact information for the coordinating committee clerks is in the Yearbook, which should be available at your meeting.

2011 NYYM Summer Sessions Participant Expectations

As we come together to build a spiritual community during Summer Sessions, we join together in agreeing to a set of expectations to ensure a safe and pleasant experience for all. These expectations will apply to all NYYM registrants for Summer Sessions boarding at the Silver Bay YMCA, as well as all day guests, and will be posted at www.nyym.org.

NYYM Agreements

1. All attenders are expected to:
   • observe safety precautions such as: maintaining contact between children and parent(s), guardians, or sponsors at regular intervals;
2. Attenders under 18 years old are expected to:
   • register with Junior Yearly Meeting in the company of the parent, legal guardian, or sponsor
   • cluster with (sleep in a room near) the parent(s), guardian, or sponsor
   • have a valid medical consent form signed by a parent or guardian (medical forms will be mailed to JYM registrants)
   • attend the activities of the JYM group to which assigned.
3. Parent(s), guardian, or sponsor for a child under 18 years old assume responsibility for the safety and well-being of that person.
4. If responsible for a child or to an adult, agree and commit to a specific bedtime and daily check-ins.
5. If 18 years or older, register yourself and dependents with Yearly Meeting.

Back to top of page

---

 

NYYM Beach and Waterfront Safety Guidelines

• NYYM guests renting SBA watercraft should stay within binocular range of SBA personnel at the boathouse, including not going behind any islands.
• NYYM guests shall only dock rental watercraft at SBA docks unless specific arrangements are made in advance with SBA personnel.
• Any NYYM guest renting a watercraft, in addition to SBA rules, must remain in the *Safe Bay Area unless there is a person in the craft who is minimum age 18.
• Any NYYM guest who uses his/her own watercraft must obtain parental or guardian permission to take any NYYM guest under the age of 18 onto his/her watercraft, and is requested during such excursions to abide by the above rules.

Silver Bay Association rules also apply, and include the following:

Rules for Boat Rentals:

Sailboats (Sunfish, Lasers)

• Everyone must pass lifetime screening test – twice around three sailing buoys, capsize and right boat (record name and date into sailing records)
• Screening Tests—Daily 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Solo—Minimum age 12

Canoes

• Two per canoe (solo must prove proficiency)
• Age 10–15 must stay in Safe Bay Area

Kayaks

• Tandem—Age 10–15 must stay in Safe Bay Area
• Solo—Minimum age 10
• Age 10–12 may paddle next to one over 15 or must stay in Safe Bay Area

Rowboats

• Age 8–12 rowers must stay in Safe Bay Area

*Safe Bay Area is defined as the line from tip of Slim Point to the employee area raft.

 

Beach Rules:

The following rules are posted on Bay and Slim Point guard stands and must be enforced:

1. No “horseplay” on the docks, or in the water.
2. No running on the dock (as posted at ERC).
3. No diving from the sides of the ERC dock. Area marked “NO Diving.”
4. No flotation devices allowed in bathing area.
5. No balls or Frisbees in the bathing area.
6. No running dives into the water.
7. No diving from the dock or raft into water less than 8 feet.
8. Patrons are not allowed to use whistles near the beach area.
9. Children under 7 must be accompanied by an adult when in the water.
10. Boating, water-skiing, or surfboarding prohibited in the swimming area
11. No motorized vehicles permitted on the beach.
12. No clay digging on beach or in the water.
13. Masks and snorkels must be approved by lifeguard prior to use.

Back to top of page

---

 

Financial Assistance Available for 2011 Summer Sessions

June 24 is the deadline for financial assistance requests. The Equalization Fund uses contributions and Advancement Committee funds to help with the cost of attending NYYM sessions. The registration form in Spark and on the Web site provides an opportunity for Friends to contribute to the Equalization Fund. 

To apply for scholarship help, first, ask your monthly meeting and quarterly/regional meeting for support. Send confirmation from the meeting about the amount that has been asked for and granted—even if it is zero. This process can be as simple as an e-mail or note from your meeting’s clerk attached to the registration form, or a more formal letter. Second, fill out the Financial Assistance section of your registration form stating the amount you expect or hope to receive from your meeting. Then write in the amount you need from the Equalization Fund. Scholarships typically provide adults and children up to one-third the cost of the lowest-priced housing. If you have a physical condition that limits your mobility and your access to the lower-priced housing units, please give us that information on your registration form. We may be able to adjust your scholarship. 

Scholarship applications, which are part of your registration form, are due in the Yearly Meeting office by June 24. A confirmation slip will be e-mailed (or mailed) to you by July 7 indicating the level of aid you will receive. If you have questions please contact the NYYM office at office [at] nyym.org or call 212-673-5750.

Back to top of page

---

 

An Invitation to Facilitate Worship Sharing

Kate Lawson & Claire Simon, Worship Sharing coordinators

As is traditional, we are planning for worship sharing during Summer Sessions, and we would like you to consider facilitating a worship-sharing group.

Worship-sharing groups meet Monday through Friday, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. There is also an afternoon worship-sharing group meeting on Tuesday and Thursday during rest-and-renewal time.

General worship sharing will be offered as in the past. In addition, special groups are: Men; Women; Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender; Adults with young children; 12-Step; Racial Healing; Earthcare; and Caregivers.

Worship sharing provides an opportunity to worship together near the beginning of the day, setting the tone for other activities as the day unfolds. Sharing insights, experiences, and prayer together refreshes the spirit. Your contribution, opening participants to be a channel for the Holy Spirit, would be invaluable.

We would like to have two leaders for some worship groups. If you are an experienced leader, you may be willing to mentor someone who is less seasoned. If you have not had the opportunity to lead in this way, working with someone may help you feel more comfortable.

All leaders are scheduled to meet on Sunday afternoon, July 17, at 5:00 p.m. to receive group lists and locations, ask any questions, and share concerns. We are working to make locations appropriate for special needs, such as a place for children where noise will not bother others, accessibility concerns, etc.

Please reply as soon as possible via e-mail to Claire Simon, quakerartist [at] verizon.net, and to Kate Lawson, quakerkate [at] aol.com.

We hope you will feel led to contribute to Yearly Meeting in this way. If you let us know that you would like to be a leader, we will send suggestions about the format and topics in advance.

Back to top of page

---

 

Interest Group Proposals

Interest groups at Silver Bay will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday from 7:45–9:15 p.m. An interest group is an educational opportunity to inform attenders about a topic or activity of importance to Friends.

Those interested in facilitating an interest group should send their proposals to the appropriate coordinating committee clerk by June 24. For details, please see June InfoShare. Any questions, contact Martha Gurvich, margurvl [at] aol.com.

Back to top of page

---

 

12-Step Meetings

This year meetings will be 6:30–7:45 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 10:00–11:00 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

Nurture Coordinating Committee has oversight of this but needs to hear from people who would be willing to take responsibility for one or more of these meetings. To volunteer, please contact Boyce Benge. His contact information is in the Yearbook.

Back to top of page

---

 

Food Service at Silver Bay

Meals begin with dinner on Sunday evening and conclude with lunch on Saturday. If you plan to arrive at Silver Bay early enough to have lunch on Sunday, you must make arrangements with Silver Bay YMCA in advance to purchase this meal, which is not part of the conference package.

Silver Bay will provide standard and vegetarian menu choices for each meal. Vegetarian meals will include eggs, milk, and cheese but no meat or fish. Silver Bay cannot accommodate “specialty” diets. A full salad bar will be provided at both lunch and dinner. If you are a vegetarian, please indicate this on your registration form, so that Silver Bay can be prepared.

For those who have other special dietary needs, it is recommended that you bring your own food. Silver Bay will provide refrigeration. A refrigerator will be made available in the dining hall for baby food, etc., for use during meal times. It will not be available after 7:00 p.m. Cooking facilities for those with special dietary needs (though not for campers) will be available in Paine Hall—1st floor off rotunda.

The Silver Bay cooks will not add salt to either the regular food or the vegetarian food. Salt shakers will be available on the tables.

The dining hall will open at 5:00 p.m. each day for dinner. This is to help ease the way for families with small children, and Friends who are physically challenged, along with their helpers, in the hope these Friends will have the time and space to get their meals and settle in before the larger group steps into the line. In light of this, we ask that you please allow these Friends the courtesy of going to the front of the line at all meal times and remind them to feel comfortable stepping up. We also encourage all of the community to lend a hand to anyone who might seem overwhelmed and in need of help carrying plates/bowls, etc., getting drinks, or navigating the busy dining hall. Mealtimes can be stressful for the youngest among us, our physically challenged friends, and their families and helpers. Your kindness will be deeply appreciated.

The food service coordinator is Martha Gurvich.

Back to top of page

---

 

Golf Cart Drivers Needed

Are you 21 or older with a valid, clean driver’s license? Those are the requirements to volunteer as a part-time golf cart driver. Driving the cart is easy, fun, a great way to serve the community, and a wonderful way to get to know Friends of all ages you might not otherwise meet. If 40 NYYM Friends each volunteer to drive for two hours during the week, we will be able to maintain the level of golf-cart service we want to offer. To commit to driving for two hours or more, please contact Don Kissil at Kissil [at] usa.net.

Disability Concerns at Silver Bay

Friends who indicate special needs on their registration form will receive a form from Ron Inskeep, the NYYM special-needs coordinator at Silver Bay. The form requests specific information on your disability, which will be kept confidential. This information will help the special-needs coordinator be better prepared to meet Friends’ needs.

There will also be opportunities for Friends to be special-needs volunteers. A checkbox for volunteers is on the registration form.

Housing

There are five mobility-accessible sleeping rooms, with bathrooms, in the Inn that are reserved for those using wheelchairs (and their roommates). One-tenth of the rooms in the Inn will be reserved for people who, for any reason, find it physically difficult to room elsewhere. These rooms will be held only until July 1 and then will be released for general availability.

If you have a disability or illness that makes it hard for you to climb hills or steps, please make sure that you sign up early and request one of the reserved rooms. Financial assistance is available from the Advancement Committee and the Equalization Fund.

Friends who are unable to transfer themselves to and from wheelchair/bed, etc., and require special assistance with dressing, bathing, or other personal needs must arrange this assistance on their own and must have the person assisting stay in their room. The caregiver must be in attendance for the length of the stay of the person they are helping. Silver Bay will offer a special reduced rate for the person assisting.

Worship and Meetings

The people who set up the worship-sharing groups need to know if you have hearing or physical problems so that note takers can be provided or accessible locations allocated. Please indicate on your registration form if you require such assistance.

Back to top of page

---

 

Staying on Campus

Room Reservations

NYYM will send your reservation forms to Silver Bay YMCA, which will acknowledge your room reservation and request a nonrefundable room deposit of 25% per person, to be applied to your final bill. Do not send room deposits to the NYYM office. The balance of the Silver Bay charges must be paid at the SB desk before you leave. Silver Bay cannot guarantee housing or food for those who don’t preregister.

Preference for rooms is given to those who stay for the entire week. Rooms are assigned in the order in which requests are received. It is advisable to register early. All rooms have double occupancy. Beds for children may be added to some of the larger rooms. If you require a single room you may want to consider off-campus accommodations.

If no rooms are available at your price, you may be assigned to a room at a higher price. You will receive prior notice if this is necessary. A few double beds are available in the Inn, Bayview, and Trinity. If you would like one, please indicate that on your registration form. Room reservations will not be held after 6:00 p.m. on the day of your expected arrival unless the room is completely prepaid or you call Silver Bay to notify them of your late arrival. If you need to cancel, call Silver Bay (518-543-8833, ext. 350), so your room can be reassigned.

Silver Bay room check-in begins at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 17. Checkout time is 11:00 a.m. daily. Luggage can be left in designated areas after checking out. Those not out of their rooms by 11:00 a.m. will be charged for an extra day. No refunds are issued for early departures, unless arrangements are made prior to check-in.

All rates are per person and include a 5% gratuity.

Suites in Bayview and the Inn have a surcharge of $25 per day, in addition to all other charges, if occupied by fewer than three persons.

The half-conference rate is for those attending from Sunday, July 17, to Wednesday, July 20, or Wednesday, July 20, to Saturday, July 23. The extra day rates are for those who wish to arrive on Saturday, July 16. Silver Bay does not guarantee that you will be assigned to the same room on the extra day.

Clustering (staying in rooms that are close together) is required of all parents/guardians/sponsors and the children they are supervising. Send in your registrations together.

No one should go to the Silver Bay YMCA without an advance registration with New York Yearly Meeting and assurance from Silver Bay that there is room for you.

Back to top of page

---

 

Camping at Silver Bay

Are you a camper or camping family? Camping at Summer Sessions may be right for you this year. Friends who are experienced in woodland camping may wish to consider the Silver Bay YMCA Adirondack-style lean-tos on Ryan’s Ridge, a 15-minute hike up Woodside Trail on the west side of Route 9. There are two sturdy lean-tos, picnic tables, and a privy. There is no water supply at the site, but campers may use the bathrooms and showers in the gym basement. Each lean-to can accommodate four or five people, and rental is $24 per day for each lean-to (not per person). Off-campus rates ($240 per family for the week) also apply for use of all the other facilities at Silver Bay.

Closer to campus are two raised wooden tent platforms on a knoll behind the Fisher Gymnasium (near the Council Ring). Each platform is 20 by 20 feet, large enough for a family tent or two smaller ones. The rental rate is the same (per platform) as for lean-tos. Bathrooms with showers are in the nearby gym basement; a cooking space for campers will be located near the cafeteria.

Rogers Rock State Park, near Ticonderoga, is familiar to many campers from past years. Campsites rent for $22 per night for up to six persons. Use reserveamerica.com or call 800-456-2267. Kaki Sjorgren suggests that people claim the sites 226 through 236, and reserve early. Shuttle arrangements to Silver Bay may be available.

If one of these options is attractive to you—family, cluster, or several individuals who could share—please contact John Cooley, clerk of Sessions Committee, for more details and to find other campers for sharing space. E-mail jhcooley [at] aol.com.

Back to top of page

---

 

Off-Campus and Day Registrants

Friends camping, commuting, or taking rooms off-campus are asked to give their addresses for the week on the registration form. Otherwise, please supply this information when registering at Silver Bay. Badges are required for all attenders. Replacement charge for lost badges is $2.00.

People staying on campus pay for the use of facilities through their lodging costs; those living off-campus and daily commuters pay for the use of the facilities through a day use fee, paid when checking in at Silver Bay YMCA.

Day use fees for use of facilities for off-campus and day guests are as follows:

Per Day	$21 per adult
	$10.50 per youth 6–17
	$40 per family
Per Week	$126 per adult
	$63 per youth 6–17
	$240 per family

(Family is defined as members who share a household and live together as a family unit.)

Children 5 and under pay no day use fee when accompanied by a paying adult guest.

Meal tickets for the Silver Bay dining room can be purchased at the Inn front desk in advance of desired meals. The cost per meal is:

Breakfast	$12.00
Lunch	$12.00
Dinner	$18.00

Youth ages 6–17 are half the adult rate. Children 5 and under eat for no charge when accompanied by a paying adult.

If you intend to buy meal tickets when you arrive at Silver Bay, please indicate this on your registration form.

A name badge must be worn and a meal ticket purchased by anyone staying off-campus who wants to eat in the dining room.

All campers (platforms or lean-tos) and off-campus and day registrants must pay a day use fee to Silver Bay YMCA (see above), which allows use of the facilities, including the swimming areas, gym, art center, and boathouse.

Back to top of page

---

 

Nearby Motels

Silver Bay vicinity (address: Hague, NY 12836):
Northern Lake George Resort	518-543-6528
Trout House Resort	518-543-6088
Hague Motel	518-543-6631, toll free 866-543-6631
Ruah Bed & Breakfast	518-543-8816, toll free 800-224-7549
The Locust Inn	518-543-6934, toll free 888-593-7712
Ticonderoga vicinity (14 mi. north) (address: Ticonderoga, NY 12883):
Lord Howe Valley Motel	518-585-7454
Green Acres Motel	518-668-2240
Latchstring Motel	518-585-2875
Circle Court Motel	518-585-7660
Belfred Court Motel	518-585-7000
Super 8 Motel	518-585-2617

Back to top of page

---

 

Public Transportation

By train: Take Amtrak’s Adirondack to Ticonderoga (800-523-8720 or 800-872-7245).

Bus service: Adirondack Trailways (800-225-6815) from New York or Albany to Lake George Village. See below for transportation from Lake George Village to Silver Bay.

PLEASE NOTE: Silver Bay does not provide shuttle service to and from Silver Bay. Below is a listing of vendors who can provide this service.

Transportation Information

From: Nearby Locations (cost per car)
Adirondack Cab Co.	518-585-2222
Ticonderoga Train Station	$ 30
Lake George Village	50
Ticonderoga	30
Glens Falls	60
Plattsburgh	100
Burlington, Vermont	100

From: Albany Airport or Albany Bus Terminal
Number of passengers	1 to 3	up to 6
Adirondack Cab Co. 518-585-2222	135
Todays Limousine 518-452-4242	160+tax	175+tax

Ask for Silver Bay rates. If you are traveling with others the rate can be divided by the number of passengers being transported.

Back to top of page

---

 

Driving Directions

Silver Bay is on the west side of Lake George about 90 miles north of Albany. Leave the Northway (Highway I-87) at exit 22, 23 or 24.

At exit 22: Take a left onto Rt. 9. Go thru village of Lake George. At the north end of village take a right onto Rt. 9N. Go through Bolton Landing, then go approximately 13 miles. At Silver Bay Road, go ½ mile to the Inn.

At exit 23: Take a right off exit onto Bolton Road all the way to the end of road. Turn left onto Rt. 9N, through Bolton Landing and 13 miles towards Hague. At Silver Bay Road, go ½ mile to the Inn.

At exit 24: Take a right off exit. Go 4 miles east to Rt. 9N, then left (north) on 9N for 13 miles. At the Silver Bay Road, go ½ mile to the Inn.

If pulling a trailer, take exit 25 and go toward Hague through Brant Lake. Turn south on 9N in Hague Village. There are steep hills when using exits 22, 23 and 24 and going north on 9N.

Driving time is 1½ to 2 hours from Albany; 4–5 hours from New York City; 6–7 hours from Buffalo. Those needing more explicit or alternate directions may contact Silver Bay.

Back to top of page

---

 

Back to top of page

---

 

Junior Yearly Meeting

JYM Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome young Friends and parents/guardians to Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM).

Here are some basic things for everyone to remember:

When you arrive at Silver Bay YMCA you must check in with Silver Bay and get room assignments, then proceed to the JYM Office in the Falcon’s Nest on the top floor of the Boathouse to register with JYM. Please bring your child’s relevant medical history and a record of any allergies.

Where does my child go? Each JYM group is based on the grade the young Friend will be entering in the fall, from 1st–12th. Each group meets in the same space every day. These spaces will be posted at JYM Registration. For the 0–5 years age group, Silver Bay offers childcare, which is supplemented by a JYM volunteer. Parents/guardians/sponsors of children age 8 and under are expected to drop off and pick up their children (promptly) or to have given the group leaders the name of a designated adult to do this for them.

When does JYM meet? The JYM program meets Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

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 evening session times. These times will be posted at JYM Registration and in the weekly Program. Note: All evening childcare ends at 9:30 p.m. All the PM childcare sessions rely on volunteer help. 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 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.

How do I know where my child is during the day? During official JYM sessions they should be with their JYM groups. Any child not attending their 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 during non-JYM hours. We suggest that you have a regular check-in time and location for the young Friend(s) and the parent/guardian/sponsor to connect 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. Please make sure that your child gets enough rest every night to be able to participate effectively in his/her JYM group each morning.

Can the JYM volunteers provide for my child with special needs? If your child wishes to attend JYM and needs a very high level of individual attention because of a physical or developmental handicap, 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-need situations. 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 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.

What do I need to bring? If you register early, 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 or blanket, bathing suit, sunscreen, and rain gear. Please bring a can of juice and a healthy snack for our JYM groups to share during snack time.

Who do I talk to if I have any questions? The JYM coordinators, Miriam McGiver and Ginny Haines, are available to answer questions about JYM during our week at Silver Bay Monday through Friday, from 8:30 to 12:00 noon, in the JYM office in the Falcon’s Nest of the Boathouse. You can also go to the clerk of the JYM committee, Peter Close, 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.

Worship Sharing for Teens. This year, Friends in grade 10, as well as grades 11 and 12, will be attending the “adult” worship-sharing groups from 9–10 a.m. every day. Afterward, they will convene with their own group, as usual, for the rest of the morning. Please be sure that these Friends select their choice of worship-sharing group on the JYM registration form.

Back to top of page

---

 

JYM Volunteers Needed

JYM volunteers work for Junior Yearly Meeting at Summer Sessions at Silver Bay with the youth of NYYM (grades K–12). Volunteers plan and carry out a program, prepared at the JYM Planning Weekend, June 17–19 at Powell House, which is mandatory. The JYM program runs from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Monday through Friday. JYM volunteers also provide afternoon and evening childcare (referred to as “PM Childcare”) for children through age 10, during Committee and Session times Monday–Friday. The commitment includes attending the JYM planning weekend in June, a 7:00 a.m. meeting each day at Silver Bay, and the morning JYM program each day (or PM Childcare). Financial assistance will be discussed at the JYM planning weekend.

If interested, please contact Miriam McGiver ASAP at mmcgiver [at] nycap.rr.com.

Back to top of page

---

 

Back to top of page

---

 

Council of All Beings at Silver Bay

Tom Goodridge, Morningside Meeting

In the summer of 1999, about 15 children, mostly 6th and 7th graders, some with masks, took the path to the Scout Council Ring behind the old Silver Bay gym. On the path they met Nessie, the Lake George Monster and another creature with a pink head and lavender torso playing the recorder. Two human boys sounded a dirge on didgeridoos they had made from PC piping. By the time they gathered on the Council Ring’s benches to conduct a Council of All Beings (CAB), they had become chipmunk, deer, Canada goose, Bongo (a monkey from the Congo), African elephant, daddy longlegs, Ananzi the spider, and Cosmos (wearing a black circular mask). Three years later, the 2nd and 3rd grade JYM group held a Council beneath the large pine by Field Memorial. Both times it took very little prompting to get Quaker children to give voice to their ally—the creature they represented at the Council.

Since the 1980s, CABs have been held all over the world in widely variant formats. The CAB offers a framework (not bound to a script) for concerned humans to relate with some degree of intimacy or a sense of oneness, with stars, trees, and animals.

The Council of All Beings was developed in 1985 when Earth activists were confronted with the logging of Australia’s last remaining rainforest. The CAB is introduced in the book Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings, by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming, and Arne Naess. The phrase thinking like a mountain comes from a chapter in Aldo Leopold’s seminal ecological text The Sand County Almanac.

These authors were founders of “deep ecology,” a term coined by the Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess. In response to the ecological crisis, deep ecology attempts to reintegrate (or nest) human activity within the larger ecological community. The CAB is meant to help us reimagine the place of the human within the natural world. John Seed said, “The CAB is intended to heal our sense of separation from the living Earth. It is practiced in a circle, in community, that helps us move away from that sort of ‘skin-encapsulated ego’ sense of self, to a wide sense of self where we realize that we can hear the trees, the animals, where we know what the water is saying to us.”

 The CAB could provide a setting where adults and children together share their concerns for the Earth. After all, the children will inherit this planet in whatever condition we leave it to them. Shouldn’t children be present at the circle when Friends consider the spiritual basis for our relations with the natural world?

An intergenerational Council on All-Beings is scheduled for Friday evening at Slim Point. You and your children might prepare for a Council before coming to Silver Bay. You could ask yourselves: “If you were to give a voice to any creature, plant, or natural element what would it be and what might you say?”

Back to top of page

---

 

Awakening the Dreamer Symposium

Fred Doneit, Poughkeepsie Meeting; Judy Meikle, Wilton Meeting; Keith Voos, New Brunswick Meeting

One special offering at Summer Sessions this year, on Wednesday evening from 7:45 to 10:45, will be the Awakening the Dreamer—Changing the Dream Symposium. Created in collaboration with a remarkable array of scientists, leaders of indigenous peoples, spiritual and political leaders, environmental advocates, and others, the Symposium explores the current state of our world from a new perspective and connects participants emotionally with a powerful global movement to reclaim our future. Through inspiring multimedia presentations, personal reflection, and group interactions, the Symposium empowers participants to take a stand and become agents of change, to create a world that is environmentally sustainable, socially just, and spiritually fulfilling.

The Symposium arose in the mid-1990s when elders of an indigenous people, the Achuar, deep in the Amazon region of Ecuador, became concerned over the threat to their rainforest home by large corporations, and sought the partnership of committed individuals living in the modern world. Out of this request came first the Pachamama Alliance, and then its message: the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, so called because the Achuar understood the need to “change the dream of the north”—the dream of material affluence. This dream is now causing environmental havoc, social and economic injustice, and spiritual malaise around the world. Pachamama is a Quechua word referring to the sacred presence of Earth, the sky, the universe, and all time.

The Symposium uses four questions to invite participants to discern how they could make a difference. Where Are We? looks at the state of the world today. How Did We Get Here? traces the root causes that have led to our current imbalance. What’s Possible for the Future? helps participants discover a new way of relating to others and the natural world, and looks at the powerful movement for change emerging around the world. Where Do We Go from Here? asks participants to consider their role in bringing about change, individually and by working with others in their communities.

Friends’ testimonies are implicit in every aspect of the Symposium. This is what drew us to facilitate this program. The Symposium is suitable for high school youth through adults and has a lively and attractive multicultural flavor. If you are ready to be deeply inspired, or called to action with a community of committed Friends, please join us in exploring the most critical concerns of our times.

Back to top of page

---