Senior Conference 2025

Senior Conference is a spiritual gathering and a Quaker conference run by and for young people aged 15 to 18, a place of friendship, laughter, and reflection, which builds a strong and supportive community over the course of the week, and friendships which last for a lifetime.

Senior Conference is an LGBTQ+ positive event.

During the week we explore the theme with speakers and in small group discussions and activities. Senior Conference also offers a variety of workshops, daily worship, an outing, social events and ample spare time for rest, chat and making new friends.

At the end of the week an “epistle" from everyone at Senior Conference is drafted. The epistle is an informal report that aims to capture the spirit of the week and to describe what happened.

Senior Conference is organised and run by the arrangements committee, a group of ten young people appointed by last year's Conference. They are supported in the planning and organisation by a team of adult volunteers.

Our objective is to build a worshipful Quaker community, which provides a safe space in which young people can grow and learn more about themselves and the Quaker way of being.

We come together for a week of fun, community, worship, and shared explorations of issues and subjects connected to Quakerism. Each year we explore the theme through sessions with visiting speakers, discussion in Base Groups, worship and other activities. There are also a variety of creative and active workshops, swimming, a day trip to Oxford, and lively evening entertainments.

FSSE is committed to providing a safe and fun place for young people to explore Quakerism and their spirituality. Two adult coordinators are responsible for the daily safe running of Senior Conference, although the Conference itself is planned by a committee of young people appointed at last year's Conference. They are assisted by a team of adult volunteers all aged 22 or older, who support the young people in the running of their event.

Around ten of the more experienced young people take the roles of Clerks, Elders, Universal Friends, Entertainments and Base Group Facilitator Coordinators to organise and run the event. Each year, the newly nominated committee meets the previous year's committee, the two event coordinators and others in the 22+ support team for a handover meeting to agree the theme. Two subsequent planning meetings are held to plan the event.