Schools Journeys - Outreach with children, young people and schools - Sheet A Getting ready

Aug 26, 2026

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Schools Journeys outreach guidance for supporting children, young people and schools. Sheet A focuses on planning an outreach event: selecting the event type and format, setting duration and target ages, involving others, and arranging publicity and refreshments. It also provides advice from young Quakers on delivering the session positively and interactively, preparing “hearts and minds,” supporting leaders, and ensuring health and safety. Further content outlines how to build links with schools and what meetings can offer within religious education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Outreach planning for children and young people

Planning the outreach event (Sheet A)

Publicity and invitations

Advice from young Quakers

Preparing hearts and minds

Hearts and minds readiness questions

Making links with schools (Sheet B)

Using National Quaker Week

What Quaker meetings can offer schools

Questions to ask the school

Things to remember

Schools Journeys Outreach with children, young people and schools Sheet A Getting ready Planning your Outreach event for children and young people Questions for planning include: • What type of event do we want to run – what is it we want to do? • Have we been invited to visit a school or asked to host a visit? • How long will it last (how long do the school want it to last)? • What format will it take? • What ages is it aimed at (what ages are the pupils coming)? Also see Sheet B • If it is our own outreach event have we planned it for a time when children and young people can come? • How can we involve others in the meeting? • Do the people we’ve asked to speak reflect the diversity of Friends in our meeting; have we asked young people from our meeting to talk about their Quaker experience? • What publicity will we do? • What about refreshments? Publicity for a public event: • Ask everyone in the meeting to let others know about the event, ask the children and young people in your meeting to invite two or three (or more) friends to come, invite people in your meeting to bring their children if they haven’t been to meeting before. Personal invitations are most effective. • Invite the regular users of your meeting house (particularly if this includes a playgroup or young people’s group) . • Display posters around the community. Good places include local shops, libraries, surgeries, playgroups, schools, student unions and members’own front windows. • Advertise – perhaps in local media. • If your meeting has a website advertise the event there. Advice from young Quakers on running an outreach event for children or young people: • Involve young Quakers in talking about their Quaker beliefs – it’s important to include people from across the age spectrum but concentrate on the younger end. • Try to make Quaker beliefs and ideas relevant to their lives – show how people put these ideas into practice rather that just giving information. • Make it interactive. • Be positive and open – don’t tell them that Quakerism is right or the only way. • Do things, don’t just make them sit and listen to people (but don’t play parachute games) . • Be friendly and include introductions. • Start from what people might know or don’t about Quakers; most people will know very little or might be wildly inaccurate. See Starting points section of Engage on page 1 of the main Schools Journeys for some helpful hints to give people about what Quakers they have actually heard of. Questions for preparing hearts and minds include: • Is the room prepared? • Do I and the other people leading the session feel supported and comfortable with our plans and ourselves? Have we been able to find a moment of quiet to hold the coming session in the light? • Are there particular needs and situations I may need to be aware of in this session? • Am I confident of the health and safety arrangements? Schools Journeys Outreach with children, young people and schools Sheet B Getting ready Making links with schools You can use National Quaker Week as an opportunity to make links with the schools near to your meeting. You might want to write to them and offer to host a visit to the meeting house or offer for one or more members of your meeting to visit the school and talk about Quaker faith and beliefs, the Quaker testimonies and Quaker work in the world. It may help to focus your offer on a particular aspect of Quakerism, such as worship or the peace testimony or an example of Quaker work in the world. What can Quaker meetings offer schools: • As part of the RE syllabus pupils will visit local places of worship-a visit to the Quaker meeting can provide a different perspective which will enrich learning. • A common topic on the RE syllabus asks pupils to consider how the design of a place of worship influences the worship that takes place there. • Schools are required to provide a daily act of coll

FAQs

What questions should be answered when planning an outreach event for children and young people?

Define the event type and purpose, whether you have been invited or will host, the planned length, format, and target ages. Confirm timing for children to attend and plan how others can be involved, including ensuring speakers reflect the diversity of Friends.

How should young Quakers present their beliefs during an outreach session?

Make Quaker ideas relevant to the participants’ lives, keep the session interactive, and be positive and open rather than arguing that Quakerism is the only way. Include introductions, start from what people already know, and avoid relying on passive listening.

What should Quaker meetings clarify when linking with schools for a visit?

Confirm the purpose (RE lesson, assembly, or citizenship), group size and ages, any prior knowledge about Quakers, and the lesson or assembly structure teachers have planned. Also avoid jargon, be ready for questions, and keep to the allotted time while clearly sharing faith through experience rather than aiming to convert.

Aug 26, 2026

Upload by Cipher