There are bats moving into the Boston QVS house.

Photo: The QVS Boston house at National Orientation in August 2023.

Bayard Rustin, the gay Quaker civil rights activist, said that “We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers.” We’re creating a cohort for Boston Angelic Troublemakers (BATs) this year!

We want to support young adults who may feel burnt out after working as organizers or activists or otherwise are in need of nourishment and tools for dreaming up a better world. This cohort is designed to help participants develop a deep and sustaining spiritual connection. It involves connecting with the wisdom of the earth, living in intentional community, and working for social justice. Join us in envisioning our liberated present & future, and embarking on a journey of personal and spiritual growth.

Zenaida (they/them) has been the coordinator in Boston since August 2021; They were on staff as the Recruitment Coordinator before that, and they are an alum of the QVS program (Boston, 2016-2017). They are a Black queer poet who has studied nature connection with teachers on Penobscot land in Maine and has been an herbalist apprentice on Massachusett land in Roxbury, MA. They are a Quaker whose spirituality and justice work feels most in alignment when they are in ritual with friends on solstices, in the streets protesting for liberberation, and/or organizing actions out of their queer coop while also tending to their body through plant medicine and body connection. They are designing this pilot program with their teachers and alongside their supervisors at QVS.

This cohort integrates Quaker traditions with earth-based practices, including the use of plant medicine, offering a holistic approach to nurture their well-being.

The deepening of Fellows’ spiritual life has always been an integral part of QVS but in this cohort participants will make a stronger commitment to personal transformation through dedicated regular (daily) practice as individuals and in community. We know that a strong spiritual life (regardless of the religious or spiritual practice) keeps our justice work more sustainable.

This program is specifically crafted for changemakers, acknowledging the unique challenges and burnout that can come with dedicated movement work. There are many ways that people can find themselves depleted. We offer a supportive environment to rekindle and nourish your passion and energy. Because self care is empty if it is not rooted in community care, this cohort will work collectively to discover the ideal dance that keeps us as well as we can be with our people.

“QVS made me such a better teacher.”

Abby Brown served at Germantown Friends School (GFS) for her 2014-2015 QVS year in Philadelphia, and has continued working in education ever since. “QVS was asking us every week to be incredibly self-reflective, and in tune with our work and ourselves... [Topics] we...