Quaker Voluntary Action :: QVA in action

QVA - QUAKER VOLUNTARY ACTION

Clerk / Adminstrator: Martin Smith: 1 Holt Lane, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD9 3BW
00 44 (0)1484 687139 mail@qva.org.uk

Working Retreats Co-ordinator: Jasmine Piercy: 00 44 (0)7910 434941 jasmine@qva.org.uk

Working Retreats

QVA organises weekend, mid-week and week long retreats in Britain and abroad.
Venues include Quaker Meeting Houses and Swarthmoor Hall (the home of George Fox
and the cradle of Quakerism).

Retreats offer a balance of practical work in the grounds with time for spiritual reflection.
Accommodation is either at the venue itself or staying with local Friends. Participants
cook and eat together, sharing relaxation time and informal evening activities.

Practical tasks are not arduous and can include gardening, decorating and light maintenance. Guided retreat sessions, group worship and personal quiet time are woven into the rhythm of the day which ends with an evening epilogue.

Costs are kept low and are usually in the region of £10 per night full-board.

For further details and an application form please contact the Working Retreats
Co-ordinator Jasmine Piercy on 00 44 (0)7910 434941 or email: jasmine@qva.org.uk.

New approaches to service

New mechanisms are needed to enable Friends and others to put faith into action for our time. QVA is looking at/developing new initiatives including:

- Ministry to people in forensic psychiatric care.

- Head hunting for important Quaker work.

QVA welcomes new ideas for development.

Support for Quaker Meetings and Groups

QVA offers support to Meetings or groups within Meetings who wish to act on their concerns and put their faith into action.
The kind of support that QVA can offer is

- individual consultation in person or by phone to “talk through the idea”

- facilitation of a workshop with a group to develop their ideas

- signposting to other sources of support, information and advice

- support with specific areas of work such as

        a) fundraising

        b) finding your way through the maze of statutory agencies

        c) supporting volunteers

        d) links with other groups (see below Directory)

        e) specialist areas of work e.g. work in prisons,

The support will be offered by the most appropriate person from QVA. This will depend on area of expertise, geographical location and availability.
Please contact the QVA office.

Directory of Quaker Work as carried out by local meetings in Britain 2006

QVA worked with Quaker Peace and Social Witness to produce this Directory. The aim of this publication is to disseminate information about local work so that other Meetings and groups can see what is being done, share ideas and experiences, avoid reinvention of the wheel and link with Friends in other parts of the country.

The Directory is available from the Quaker Bookshop price £3.00. To purchase a copy please email bookshop@quaker.org.uk or phone 020 7663 1030

Click here to view the Quaker Directory Flyer.