Share & Tell Sessions

   
In Share & Tell sessions, a Friend has an opportunity to share an interest, a passion, an idea of theirs, with others attending Yearly Meeting. 

The sessions are listed at first in calendar order. 

Zoom links for sessions are in the YM23 timetable here on Tuesday 4th - Thursday 6th July.

Scroll down, to find more information on each session, organised alphabetically. 

Schedule of Share and Tell sessions

Tuesday 4th July, 11:15 am AEST,  10:45 am SA & NT,  9:15 am WA:
*  Peace Session  ---  hosted by QPLC  (Information Session)
*  Friends' Girls School in Sohagpur, India  ---  David Evans and Sanjeev Shukla

Tuesday 4th July, 1 pm AEST,  12:30 pm SA & NT,  11 am WA:
*  Sacred Listening  ---  Catherine Heywood
*  The Voice Referendum and beyond: Makarrata and Treaties.  Are Quakers prepared? 
    Harald Ehmann and others

Tuesday 4th July, 3 pm AEST,  2:30 pm SA & NT,  1 pm WA:
*  Ecumenical and Interfaith  ---  Ann Zubrick  (Information Session)
*  Singing Quaker Stories  ---  Helen Gould
*  Counselling Men Project:  ending homelessness, violence and suicide -- Felipe Oliveira

Wednesday 5th July, all beginning at different times:
*  Friends in Stitches  ---  Sally O'Wheel, Tessa Spratt, Margaret Bywater  (11:15 am AEST,  10:45 am SA & NT,  9:15 am WA)
*  Exploring AUKUS  ---  Quaker Peace and Legislation Committee (11:45am AEST, 11:15 am SA & NT,  9:45 am WA, finishing at 1:00 pm)
*  Rainbow Friends & Allies social lunch  (12:30pm AEST,  12pm SA&NT,  10:30am WA)
*  Teaching and Learning amongst Friends  ---  Sheila Keane  (1pm AEST,  12:30pm SA&NT,  11am WA

Wednesday 5th July, 3 pm AEST,  2:30 pm SA & NT,  1 pm WA:
*  Meet the new Quakers Australia office staff and volunteers  ---    
    Transitions Implementation Working Group

Wednesday 5th July, 6:30 pm AEST,  6 pm SA & NT,  4:30 pm WA:
*  Easter Family Gathering at Silver Wattle  ---  Liz Shield
*  Contemplation, Creativity and Community  --- Justin Simpson
*  Quakers and Animals  ---  Jenny Turton

Thursday 6th July, 11:15 am AEST,  10:45 am SA & NT,  9:15 am WA:
*  Just what is it that Elders do?  --  Silver Wattle Elders 
*  Friends Peace Teams Global Peace Initiatives  --  Valerie Joy, Pia Reierson, Rosie Remmerswaal
*  Salter Lecture 2023: How the love we are will guide us through ecological collapse  ---  David Shorthouse

Thursday 6th July, 1 pm AEST,  12:30 pm SA & NT,  11 am WA:
*  Annual elections for peace and stability  ---  David Tehr
*  Experiment with Light  -- Helen Gould 
*  IT Committee Status Update

Thursday 6th July, 3 pm AEST,  2:30 pm SA & NT,  1 pm WA:
*  Yearly Meeting 2024 in Adelaide, a hybrid Yearly Meeting  ---  Jo Jordan, Harald Ehmann, Topsy Evans  (Information Session)

For more information scroll down.  The sessions appear in alphabetical order.
  

Annual elections for peace and stability -- David Tehr
Since 1986 David Tehr has been strongly convinced that annual elections for all elected legislatures (in Australia that would be the three tiers of government) would foster better accountability, transparency, stability, legitimacy and long-term planning. And yet, he continues to find himself swimming against the tide. David asks "What am I not seeing?" and asks Friends to join him and tell him why they think annual elections would not (could not?) work. David enters this 90 minute online space with the knowledge that he "may be mistaken", and simply asks Friends to enter this space likewise. We pray for an interesting and enlightening exploration of this concept of annual elections.

Counselling Men Project:  ending homelessness, violence and suicide -- Felipe Oliveira
Learn about the Counselling Men Project. This will include discussions and reflections on charity, homelessness, suicidality, and the value of life.

Contemplation, Creativity and Community -- Justin Simpson
Through his contemplative journey and participation in Friends Online Recognised Meeting (NSWRM), Justin wrote a collection of poetry, now published as Journey Companions.  Through this, he and a number of Friends facilitated a 'contemplative poetry group'. In the session, explore how to foster creativity to aid community and contemplative spirituality, creative expression, and explorations of Friends' creativity and spiritual journey. 

Easter Family Gathering at Silver Wattle -- Liz Shield
The Easter Family Gathering was run at Siver Wattle over the Easter long weekend 2023. Come discover what went on!

Ecumenical and Interfaith  ---  Ann Zubrick
This session offers an opportunity for Ffriends to share reflections on ecumenical and interfaith activities, services and experiences in the past year. Quakers’ involvement in interfaith and ecumenical groups and activities takes many forms—online and in person worship, vigils, protests, committees, advocacy, refugee support, education, community service, pastoral care… Sometimes our presence is welcome--even transformative. Sometimes it is questioned and unwelcome. Come to listen, learn and share stories.

Experiment with Light -- Helen Gould
A practical session exploring George Fox's practice of worship in clear steps, based on Rex Ambler's research.

Friends' Girls School in Sohagpur, India  ---  David Evans and Sanjeev Shukla
The historic journey of more than 140 years of Friends (Quaker) Girls School and Hostel Sohagpur has been remarkable and continues to feature Quaker testimonies (SPICES). Restricted education opportunities for women in the wider world will be discussed including what opportunities the internet brings for personal involvement in friendship and offering tutoring skills.    

Friends in Stitches -- Sally O'Wheel, Tessa Spratt, Margaret Bywater
Be introduced (or reintroduced!) to the Australian Quaker Narrative Embroidery Project and get an update on its progress.

Friends Peace Teams Global Peace Initiatives -- Valerie Joy, Pia Reierson, Rosie Remmerswaal
Pia, the Clerk of Friends Peace Teams - Asia West Pacific and Rosie a Young Friend from Aotearoa will show the highlights of the global face-to-ace Meeting held in the USA during May, 2023.

IT Committee Status Update
The IT Committee will report on progress and challenges with two major current projects: updating the members' website Australia Yearly Meeting | (quakersaustralia.info) (or www.quakersaustralia.info) and improving the membership database. They will also look at opportunities and future work.

Just what is it that Elders do? -- Silver Wattle Quaker Centre Elders' Committee
Meetings have them, you may be one, and many Friends wonder: just what is it that Elders do?  The Silver Wattle Elders are offering an opportunity to share experiences and facilitate discussion, drawing from both old and new Quaker writing and experiences to demystify the roles of the elder in supporting the Spiritual life of Friends.

Meet the new Quakers Australia office staff and volunteers  --- 
hosted by the Transitions Implementation Working Group
The incoming paid staff and key volunteers are: 

• Davd Tehr, QA Coordinator
• Holly Dhynes, QA Communications & Publicity Manager
• the Transition Implementation Working Group:
  Jennifer Burrell, Kerstin Reimers, Jonathan Benyei

Gain an insight into the new Quakers Australia Office structure. 

Peace Session  --  hosted by QPLC
There will be reports from:

• Quaker Peace and Legislation Committee (QPLC) 
• Alternatives to Violence Program (AVP)
• Friends' Peace Teams (FPT) Asia West Pacific Section (AWPS)
• Regional Meeting reports on peace activities
• update on the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN)

• update on the Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network (APAN)

   
Quakers and Animals  ---  Jenny Turton
Quakers have a history of concern for the welfare of animals. Jenny is a veterinarian who has worked with livestock in Australia, Africa and Asia, as well as in small animal and shelter medicine. In this Share and Tell session she will share her evolving thoughts on the relationship between humans and animals. We will explore how we might see the light of God within animals and how that may impact on our relationship with them.

QPLC on AUKUS  --  hosted by the Quaker Peace and Legislation Committee
Alan Behm, Director of the International & Security Affairs Program at The Australia Institute will be speaking, followed by Q&A and discussion about what Australian Friends may wish to do.  The AUKUS trilateral security pact is highlighting geopolitical tensions in our region.  QPLC has written several relevant "Watching Briefs" and "Flutters" which you can find on their website. In particular, the recent Watching Brief on The Militarisation of Foreign Policy:
https://www.quakersaustralia.info/organisation/aym/quaker-peace-and-legislation-committee  

Rainbow Friends and Allies social lunch 
Every year Rainbow Friends and our allies gather to meet new friends, catch up with long time friends, and find out how we have been travelling over the last year. Sometimes we talk about issues of concern.  As our time together progresses, there may be groups of friends who would like to gather in a breakout room together.

Salter Lecture 2023: How the love we are will guide us through ecological collapse -- David Shorthouse
The British Quaker Socialist Society’s annual lecture in 2023 was presented by Rupert Read, a prominent climate emergency and extinction rebellion activist. Come and watch the recorded lecture, with time for discussion afterwards.

Sacred Listening  ---  Catherine Heywood
An opportunity to experience an hour of faithful listening and sharing, in a format developed for Zoom by American Friends. Would Australian Friends like to take this up?

Singing Quaker Stories -- Helen Gould
We will sing some wonderful Quaker songs, explore some stories behind them, and learn how to set to music our own words or an Advice or Query.

Teaching and Learning amongst Friends -- Sheila Keane
If you have ever led a workshop or course for Friends, or if you think you might like to try, this Share & Tell is for you. We will have a chance to share what we have been doing, how we’ve been doing it, and how we support one another in it. You might get some good ideas and make some good connections.

The Voice Referendum and beyond: Makarrata and Treaties.  Are Quakers prepared?  --  Harald Ehmann and others
This will be an opportunity for Friends to obtain background information about the upcoming national Voice Referendum and how we as Quakers might respond and move forward beyond the Referendum outcome. Concepts covered will include the key elements of the Statement from the Heart namely Makaratta and Treaties.

Yearly Meeting 2024 in Adelaide, a hybrid Yearly Meeting  --  Jo Jordan, Harald Ehmann, Topsy Evans  (Infomation Session)
A place to explore how a hybrid Yearly Meeting might work in Adelaide in 2024.