Summer Sessions 2026

All Friends are invited to attend Summer Sessions. At Summer Sessions Friends gather together and create a community where we can worship, play, and work with each other. It will again be hybrid, with many in-person events available for participation via Zoom. Please note that the date, July 12-18, is earlier in the month than in the past, and is right after Friends General Conference’s Gathering in Burlington, VT.

Our in-person host will be Silver Bay YMCA conference center on Lake George in the Adirondacks. Silver Bay is where New York Yearly Meeting had held its Summer Sessions for decades, before the COVID pandemic, and is beloved by many Friends. Check it out if it’s new to you! https://silverbay.org/ Silver Bay has a campus of buildings with different levels of accommodations at a range of prices. Overnight guests receive a full meal plan at the cafeteria and access to Silver Bay amenities including swimming areas, boat house, craft shop, gymnasium, archery, etc. Please note that Summer Sessions is PAY AS LED.

What is Pay as Led?

After registering you will receive a follow-up email or letter with your suggested Pay as Led rate options. The three options are: the standard rate, which covers the cost of room and board; the full rate, which helps others attend; and the minimum rate, which is the lowest suggested amount. The Pay as Led plan relies on generosity from those who can afford to pay more. 

Activities and Events

Worship Sharing Groups. Participants are given a query and a chance to explore the query in a sacred, worshipful space with a small group of Friends. Friends attend the same worship group throughout the week. 

Intergenerational Activities. The youth in Junior Yearly Meeting host Cafe Night, an all-ages talent show that anyone, in person or online, can perform in; and produce the on-campus Fun(d) Fair, where kids offer fun activities and treats in exchange for tickets. Both are fundraisers for the Sharing Fund and Powell House. There's also a contra dance with live accompaniment from NYYM Friends.

Business Meetings. At business meetings our Quaker practice is put into action. Everyone present is part of the decision-making body, and goes through discernment and the finding of the way forward together. Reports on the recent activities of committees and individuals are also heard. Business meeting is a great way to find out how Spirit is moving around the New York Yearly Meeting area.

Plenary presentation. A plenary — a session attended by all participants at a conference — will be offered on a topic important to Friends.

Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM)

Children and youth at Silver Bay attend a fun, Spirit-led program each morning, grouped by age and led by Quaker volunteers. JYM gives children the opportunity to experience being in a community with other Quaker kids, living in Quaker values and making lasting friendships. Consider volunteering as a JYM group leader.

REGISTRATION

Early Registration is Critical

Registration will open in early January 2026. It is essential that you register as soon as possible once we open registration. There are somewhat fewer beds available in 2026 than in previous years, so register quickly. NYYM needs to receive a certain number of registrations, financial commitments, and promises of volunteer help by the end of January. If it looks like NYYM may not receive enough money or assistance to make Summer Sessions at Silver Bay successful, we may have to pull out of our contract with Silver Bay. 

Your early registration and volunteer commitment are necessary to make Summer Sessions at Silver Bay possible. For now, please save July 12-18, 2026 on your calendar and consider ways you can contribute to help create a Light-filled community at Summer Sessions for everyone. 

More  information will appear in the November issue of Spark, on this web page, and sent via email to the NYYM list. Join the email announcement list at nyym.org/subscribe.