Thanks for a Productive Gathering!

QEW held its Steering Committee meeting, June 27 – 30 at Boulder, Colorado. We were warmly welcomed and hosted by Boulder Monthly Meeting. Boulder Friends provided housing, transport, and their beautiful Meeting House in a wonderful location with views of the mountains. Some of the highlights from the meeting include:

• Approval of a letter to be sent to President Obama, following his recent speech on climate change and encouraging him to go further;
• A statement to send to the United Nations Nongovernmental Liaison Service on sustainable development;
• The FCNL Working Group has agreed to prepare a draft response to the AFSC/FCNL report on Towards a New Foreign Policy;
• Discussion about exciting panels on climate change and its impacts at the QEW annual gathering in October 2013;
• And confirmation that QEW will meet face-to-face twice in 2014: at the Cenacle in Chicago in April and at Pendle Hill in October.

In addition, we had a session on visioning. The ad hoc Long Range Planning committee will continue its work during the summer and report back to us at the October gathering.

We also enjoyed a Saturday evening pot luck with Boulder Friends and an evening presentation on, “This Land Was Your Land,” in which we spread blankets on the floor and subsequently rolled them up simulate the way that native peoples were removed from their lands.

The Development Committee also discussed plans to find resources for QEW as it grows its outreach and voice. These plans include focusing on QEW projects (such as Mini-Grants), our work at the UN, our work in supporting Young Friends; using our electronic capabilities; and more effectively telling the stories about our work.

We also have news to report: QEW has appointed a new General Secretary to begin when my contract ends in December 2013. Shelley Tanenbaum, outgoing clerk, will take up this position at the beginning of 2014. Congratulations, Shelley!