Representative to QEW

POSITION: Representative to Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW)

New position July 2011; approved by Coordinating Committee, November 2012

APPOINTED BY: NPYM Annual Session

APPOINTED AT: NPYM Annual Session

NOMINATED BY: NPYM Nominating Committee

TERM BEGINS: October 1

TERM LENGTH: 3 year terms with one possible reappointment

MEMBERS: Two, with staggered terms

REPORTS TO: Associate Clerk of Coordinating Committee and Peace and Social Concerns Committee.

WORKS PRIMARILY WITH: Meetings and worship groups within NPYM; Quarterly Meetings; Associate Clerk of Coordinating Committee; Peace and Social Concerns Committee; and QEW.

DEFINITION: NPYM representatives to QEW are Friends appointed by NPYM to serve on the QEW Steering Committee. Ideally, NPYM representatives to QEW have a sense of leading to work with Friends, especially those in NPYM and QEW, in finding ways to integrate concern for ecological integrity with Friends’ long-standing testimonies for simplicity, peace, truth, and equality.

TASKS:

• Attend at least one, preferably both, QEW meetings each year. The QEW annual gathering is in October. The QEW Steering Committee meets in July just ahead of the FGC gathering.

• Serve as liaison between QEW and NPYM Peace and Social Concerns Committee.

• Encourage a line item in the Yearly Meeting budget for a contribution to QEW.

• Provide a written report to NPYM Coordinating Committee and Annual Session about QEW’s work and activities.

• In collaboration with the NPYM Peace and Social Concerns Committee and others in NPYM:

• Identify contacts in Monthly Meetings, forward contact information for these contacts to the QEW office, and stay in touch with them on a regular basis.

• Seek out opportunities to visit with Monthly Meetings for workshops, discussions, etc.

• Listen to and record the Earthcare-related concerns of Friends.

• Identify Friends that QEW should seek to engage with its work.

• Compile information regarding NPYM using the QEW YM Earthcare Information Form; collect any Earthcare-related minutes passed by NPYM or its Monthly Meetings or Worship Groups; attach these to the completed form; and send to the QEW offices. Send information updates to the QEW offices as needed.

• Attend NPYM Annual Session, and Quarterly Meetings when possible, and promote the organization by setting up a display and conducting an interest group. When it is QEW’s turn to be the featured agency at NPYM’s Annual Session, representatives from NPYM need to take the lead in coordinating with QEW for planning this presentation.

• At Annual Session, collaborate with the Peace and Social Concerns Committee and/or other interested Friends to:

• Set up a QEW display (The QEW office can provide a QEW display “in a box” to mount on a display board; one panel can be devoted to NPYM Earthcare issues and work).

• Present and/or arrange for interest groups, workshops, or programs and/or plenary sessions.

• In consultation with the presiding clerk present an oral report about QEW’s work during a business session.

• Provide a written report for the fall QEW meeting, highlighting activities and challenges within NPYM for the past year. Be prepared, if asked, to report on some aspect of this work at a QEW Steering Committee meeting.

QEW also asks Yearly Meeting Representatives, as time permits, to:

• Write articles and notes for BeFriending Creation and/or encourage others in their YM who have interesting projects and/or leadings to do so.

• Be willing, as able, to visit other Yearly Meetings that do not have a QEW representative. (These requests are coordinated by the QEW Outreach Committee.)

• Share collected minutes with Monthly Meeting contacts to consider for approval at their Monthly and Quarterly Meetings.

• Collect other examples of materials that might be suitable for inclusion in QEW’s “Resource Library,” such as articles, workshop formats, project descriptions, leadings of individual Friends, etc.

EVALUATION: The representatives work together to prepare an annual report on the organization to NPYM and send a copy to the Associate Clerk of Coordinating Committee and the Clerk of Peace and Social Concerns by June 1. This report should focus on the activities of the representatives and matters related to the interests of Friends within NPYM, and may include information useful to next year's QEW representative (what worked, what didn't) and any changes that should be made in the job, or the job description.

If files or a notebook was received with material from previous QEW representative, update information with current reports/evaluations and other materials that may be helpful. At the end of your term pass this information on to the new representative.

EXPENSES & TRAVEL: NPYM encourages Friends possessing a variety of economic means, and particularly young adults, to serve as representatives to affiliated organizations. Based on aggregate historical data and anticipated need, NPYM allocates a pool of funds in the annual budget to cover expenses of representatives, with any overruns covered from reserves. NPYM will reimburse all reasonable costs for all of the appointed representatives who attend the annual governance meeting(s) of an affiliated organization. Submit expenses to the NPYM Treasurer using the reimbursement form (available online).

Reimbursement is not available for expenses related to participation on a program or administrative committee; it is assumed that the affiliated organization will assist with those extra costs. It is assumed that all representatives will be thrifty in their arrangements, and limit reimbursement requests to essential expenses. Representatives who are financially able to do so are encouraged to cover a portion of their own costs, and to report those expenses as an in-kind contribution to the YM.

For travel to Coordinating Committee meetings, travel expense is reimbursed according to the NPYM travel reimbursement policy. For attendance and travel to Annual Session, Friends may request assistance per the NPYM financial aid policy.

OTHER INFORMATION: It is NPYM policy (1996) not to send substitutes to annual meetings if the NPYM appointed representative cannot attend.

CONVENER: One of the representatives (typically the longest serving) is appointed through the regular NPYM nominating process as a Convener to help the representatives coordinate their activities.

The Convener has the following responsibilities (which may be delegated to another representative):

• Coordinate production of an annual report on the organization by June 1.

• Coordinate an extended oral report or other program presentation from the organization (on a rotating basis with other affiliated organizations) OR make a brief (five minutes or less) pitch during a plenary at Annual Session on the activities of the organization.

• Coordinate a display table for the organization at Annual Session.

• Coordinate an interest group related to the area of focus or activities of the organization at Annual Session.

• Work with the Nominating Committee to identify potential candidates to serve as future representatives for the organization.

Nominated By:

Nominating Committee