1 John 3:18
For the vast majority of contemporary Quakers social action takes place at a local level. Quakers work quietly – sometimes singly, sometimes in groups – to give assistance to the frail, the elderly, the unemployed, refugees, prisoners and homeless people.
They help out at food banks, they work with children, they teach English to people who are living in the UK for the first time. They offer themselves and their skills wherever they may be needed. Not all these activities happen in every location, of course, but if you’re interested, you’ll soon find out what’s happening in South West London when you visit one of our Quaker meetings.
None of this social action is compulsory or even expected of you. But you may find, as hundreds of Quakers have before you, that you experience an inner compulsion to do it, a sense that you have little choice.
The national body Quaker Peace and Social Witness provides resources and training for local Quakers in areas like peace education, climate justice, and social justice, with a special emphasis on housing conditions, migrant and refugee rights, and trying to ensure a more compassionate criminal justice system.
You can find out more about the variety of work Quakers have done and are doing on the Quakers in the World website.