Photo by Sidney Bridges

Since 1999 the Quaker Youth Leadership Conference has invited six upper school students and two faculty members from Friends Schools worldwide to a three-day gathering of learning, service, worship and fun.  Although the name of the conference is a bit of a misnomer because the vast majority of attendees are not of the Quaker faith, I consider the QYLC to be the penultimate gathering in Friends education.

Each school selects their students in their own way. While the students may come from very diverse places, there is an undeniable atmosphere created by this conference of respect and celebration of the individual and of our shared values.

Hosted by Tandem Friends School and Virginia Beach Friends School and held at Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville Virginia, the theme of the conference was: