Today, people all around the world are faced with global issues regarding race, gender, cultural differences, and the environment, among many more. Many of these issues are so controversial that we avoid them. How will these conflicts be solved if they cannot even be discussed? The Quaker Youth Leadership Conference, or QYLC, serves this purpose: to boldly face the reality of these global issues head on, and to freely discuss them among a diverse group of teens from around the world. The WFS participants this year were Sarah Gooderham ’17, Evelyn Wakeley ’17, Alyssa Nathan ’17, Cecilia Ergueta ’18, Mary Agne ’18, Maddie Malone ’18, and Evie Kortanek ’18. This conference and others like it allow for freedom of thought and speech without judgment. It also serves to bring many issues to light that the public spotlight may typically avoid. Lastly and most importantly, it empowers its participants to raise their voices and become leaders in their own communities.

    Throughout this three-day conference, some of the most significant and often avoided topics are addressed through student led workshops. An important topic is gender equality; for example, the importance of gender-neutral bathrooms for students and teachers that are gender-nonconforming, and the importance of having an open and accepting community for all gender identities. Another significant topic is women’s equality – not only the inequality of women around the world, but also the male perspective on the pressure to follow gender norms. The participants thoroughly talked about topics regarding racial inequalities and the environment as well. For participants, the QYLC is an opportunity for growth and leadership skills. Maddie Malone ’18 says, “I benefitted from this conference by learning about myself and what it takes to lead. The people there were very accepting and tended to not show any judgement, and that helped me become more open and extraverted as well.” Being able to speak one’s mind and voice one’s opinions confidently is a skill that all teens could benefit from.

The experience is also inspiring for faculty in attendance, like Asst. Head of School for Academics Michael Benner, “This year’s theme, ‘Equality: Past, Present, Future’, allowed students to engage in thoughtful discussions on gender identity, racism, privilege, mental health, terrorism, oppression and other relevant topics. Friends schools are committed to social justice, and it is critical that we educate ourselves with respect to the root causes of inequality and work towards dismantling systems that support it.” Benner went on to say that this is where all students come in as leaders, by raising their voices to raise awareness and becoming leaders in their communities.

     This conference was significant because it openly welcomed feelings regarding topics like race, gender, and sexuality. This conference inspired its participants to push through discomfort and societal barriers, and become global citizens on the quest for equality through social justice. Benner agreed with this, stating, “it was an opportunity to engage deeply in topics of concern to Friends schools around the world. Students benefit from an increased understanding of complex national and international issues, as well as from leadership training.” Topics like these are occasionally discussed in classes, but the fully immersive, all-encompassing, open environment gave the opportunity to really go deep into many topics.

As faculty sponsor, Biology teacher Ellen Johnson said, “it was a great lesson in pushing my comfort zone professionally, but even more a lesson in the power of looking at situations and ourselves through a different lens.”

     Amidst the small community of Wilmington, and the especially small community of Friends, it is easy to forget about some pressing worldwide issues, unless they are brought to attention. The Friends community could benefit greatly from hosting its own version of a conference, with workshops regarding global issues. As a school we are dedicated to creating global citizens, and this would be a great step in that direction. Along these lines, Benner shares that “students are challenged to apply their new knowledge and skills when they return home in ways that benefit the greater Friends School community.”

Malone also commented on its impact, “We were able to compare our school to others and see what else we might need. I think that we need to be more active with our community because a lot of things can be improved upon in the city of Wilmington.” This would help the WFS community by showing people what it takes to become a leader.

Mary Agne ’18 added, “I learned a lot about how a Quaker education really differentiates my world views and I think this knowledge and how other Quaker schools face difficult issues like diversity. It will help us learn and improve if we all have this knowledge.”

    As Johnson so eloquently put it, “The theme of diversity awareness is more than just a theme, it is on ongoing struggle that all of our schools have to face…we should think very hard about where we are in the world of humans around us, but what that means is as much about how we see ourselves as how others see us.” Most importantly, this conference has given its participants a new perspective, a global lens, and a push in the direction towards equality for all.