Yearly Meeting is organised and run by Quakers. Please consider offering your time to help the delivery of Yearly Meeting and including Children and Young People's Programmes.
If you are interested in the wider world of Quaker service, please visit our Give time area for year-round opportunities.
We are committed to safer recruitment process, if this is relevant to a role you'll find more information in the description as the roles are publicised.
Offer to serve as a doorkeeper or microphone steward
For all Yearly Meeting sessions (including the one day ones) we have the following volunteering opportunities
Doorkeepers and microphone stewards
- Microphone stewards: during open worship, you will wait for the elders to call Friends who rise to minister. During session, you will listen for the clerk to call you to pass the microphone to a specific Friend.
- Doorkeepers: you will facilitate the entry of people into the meeting room. This includes welcoming them and holding back latecomers until suitable breaks in the proceedings.
- Offer service as a doorkeeper or microphone steward
Onsite hosts
- Warm welcomers: We will need volunteers to welcome Friends to the building in the morning and direct them to the lift and meeting room. We will also need volunteers to act as “human signposts" from the main road to the main entrance. Up to 12 volunteers are required in total, and all should be able to arrive at the venue by 9:00 a.m.
- Coffee-break chatters: We will need volunteers who are specifically tasked with spending time in the coffee area during session breaks, chatting with Friends, helping people feel welcome and facilitating conversation and connections.
- Table hosts: We will need volunteers to host lunch tables for Friends who would like to meet new people. Volunteers will help facilitate conversation and create a welcoming environment where people can sit, eat and get to know one another.
- Offer service as an onsite host
Online social group facilitators
- We will need volunteers to facilitate lightly structured social groups, taking place online during the final 20 minutes of the lunch break and after the afternoon session. Volunteers will help welcome participants, encourage conversation, and ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part.
Reviewers for Children & Young People's programmes
- Do you enjoy hearing about people's experiences? Are you good at highlighting what's gone well and identifying areas for development? Children & Young people are an integral part of Yearly Meeting, and each year we offer an opportunity for someone independent to summarise the experience of participants and team members. You would play a part in ensuring that these events continue to make a difference to the lives of young Quakers. After Yearly Meeting you will be sent copies of the feedback forms which you will review against the aims of the event. The report is then sent to the committee that oversees the programme. Previous reviewers have commented that reading about the experiences of participants is a rewarding opportunity. You would need to be available to complete this task within a few weeks of the Yearly Meeting session.
Volunteer on Children's and Young People's Programmes
- For more information about volunteering at future national events for children and young people, see volunteer at children's events.
For longer (multi-day) Yearly Meeting sessions we will also need the following volunteers. These will next be needed in July 2027.
Welcome and pastoral support
- The next opportunity to serve as a welcome and pastoral support volunteer will be at Yearly Meeting Gathering in July 2027.
- Are you someone other people say is good at listening? Can you respect and maintain confidentiality and healthy boundaries? Are you friendly, welcoming, a team player? If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you! Volunteering can be a wonderful way to meet new people and nurture your community.
- We are committed to safer recruitment process, and this means you will need references and a Basic DBS, through the Due Diligence Checking service.
- For more information, please see the YM pastoral support role outline and Expectations and support for role holders.
Community hub
- The next opportunity to serve as a community hub volunteer will be at Yearly Meeting Gathering in July 2027.
- Are you someone who is good at helping people to feel included, supported, and at ease? Then the community hub is the perfect opportunity to put your skills into action. The hub is a space for Friends attending Yearly Meeting for the first time and those who want to meet with others and chat. You will need to be attending at Friends House to help with this.
- For more information, please see the Community host volunteer role outline (PDF)