Welcome to YouthQuakeNow (YQN) – a place of radical faith and activism.
Here’s a definition of YouthQuake:
“A significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.”
YouthQuake was Oxford Dictionaries 2017 word of the year.
YQN is seeking friendship, faith and action. This is in order to promote the Quaker values of peace, equality, simplicity and truth in campaigning for young people’s issues.
The Quaker values are guided by the principles of Quakerism, a strange and curious but illuminating faith that began in 17th century England. It doesn’t matter who believes this or that. You believe what you want to believe. What matters in Quakerism is working together for the practical common good to achieve change.
Based in Lincoln, England, YQN uses the colours of the Lincolnshire flag.
We campaign on worldwide concerns for young people but always remember to focus our efforts at a local level. We go by the motto:
Think Globally, Act Locally
Therefore you might see the odd post or two referring to our activism in some small Lincolnshire village that not even most people in the UK have heard of, let alone worldwide. The point is to show how local communities, with young people being the driving force can lead to a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.
YQN achieves this by putting faith in action and asking the question is Quakerism the radical faith that the millennial generation is looking for?
We are:
“Resolved to work and eat together, making the Earth a Common Treasury.”
Gerrard Winstanley, 1649
Quakers have over 350 years of being campaigners for change and social reform. A criticism of the Quakers is that they should not mix faith with politics. Thomas Paine, a founding father of the United States said that in political affairs the Quakers, “Ought not to be meddlers.”
However, Quakers do get involved.
YQN does not speak for any Quaker body, we are independent and speak for ourselves.
You are welcome to agree or disagree with anything we say.
We like to listen and welcome the exchange of opinions. How do we learn otherwise?
If you do choose to engage in discussion with the YQN community of friends and followers then please be respectful and curtious.
That is the Quakerly way.
YQN is designed and created by me Mark Smith to explore Quakerism and is designed for both existing Quakers and newcomers alike.
I’m a Quaker living in Lincolnshire who has a background in both information technology and teaching adult education.
I most definitely don’t want to preach Quakerism, rather I want my website to engage curious minds and foster a place for learning more about this radical faith for the 21st century.
Yours in Friendship,
Mark