julie's posts

Dear friends,

When we started YES! in the spring of 1990, we didn’t know that we would reach hundreds of thousands of people with a call to action for a better world, or play a part in mobilizing our generation for positive change.  What we knew was that that people and our planet were in a crisis, that many youth were losing hope, and that we had to do what we could to turn things around.

YES! was born out of a prayer.  A prayer to be of service in a world enshrouded in pain.  A prayer to help young people see their power and believe in themselves.  A prayer that somehow, in some way, we might be part of the great work that is so needed in these troubled yet fertile times.

In our first 20 years, YES! spoke in person to more than 675,000 students in schools nationwide.  We facilitated hundreds of day-long youth empowerment workshops.  And we organized and facilitated 100+ week-long gatherings in seven countries, reaching young leaders from 65+ nations.

by Shilpa Jain, YES! Program Partner and LPSC Facilitator

The Leveraging Privilege for Social Change (LPSC) Jam 2010 continues to move full steam ahead!  The Jam is slated for July 25, 2010, to August 1, 2010, in the beautiful mountains of Santa Cruz, CA.  We aim to bring together 30 dedicated and passionate young people (roughly ages 18-35) for a transformational week of personal reflection, community-building, systemic visioning and more.  We are currently taking applications for the Jam.  If you or someone you know would like to spend time reflecting on your gifts, privileges, and resources, and what you can do to make a difference in this world, then the Jam is for you!  Learn more here.??

by Ocean Robbins, Founder / Co-Director

From March 20-24, twenty-one diverse social leaders converged for the second annual Tipping Point Network Intergenerational Mini-Jam in Nevada City, CA.  Participants ranged from ages 21-72, and were inter-faith, cross-class, inter-partisan, multi-ethnic, and of varied gender expressions.  Born out of the Tipping Point Network (TPN), which was founded in 2006 and is now a community of 60+ servant-leaders working in diverse sectors to help “tip” the balance towards a sustainable future, this mini-Jam combined the insights and distinctions that have emerged from our years of TPN gatherings and conversations, with the YES! Jam methodology and skill set.  The response was fantastic.

by Shilpa Jain, GYLC Coordinator

The Global Youth Leadership Collaborative is hard at work finishing two publications. "No Way Out, Many Ways Forward" is a collection of 20 World Jam alumni stories; it is currently being printed. We hope to have copies for our wider community soon!  Our second publication, "Connect. Inspire. Collaborate" contains 130 activities for facilitating conversation and connection among young change-makers. It is in the final stages of design and editing; we hope to print it later this month.   We are also excited about upcoming projects: a series of children's books from Bolivia, Mali and Egypt; a publication about African diasporic collaborations; several short videos of a diverse array of youth activists; and a series of interviews/graphic recordings of youth-led alternatives from around the world.  We are looking forward to reconnecting in our annual meeting in November 2010, in Cairo, Egypt (hosted by GYLC member Motaz Atalla).

by Nga Trinh-Halperin, Development Manager

You are invited to our Open House on Saturday, May 1, from 12-3 p.m.  It will be a time for us to share food, build on friendships (and make new ones) and envision together a stronger Santa Cruz community.

The event will feature a potluck BBQ lunch, with YES! providing vegetarian burgers and hot dogs, and beverages.  We ask that you bring a vegetarian appetizer, side dish or dessert if you can.  You can also bring your own item to barbeque; we just request that it is meat-free.

This party at our “home office” will be casual and fun with a focus on mixing and socializing. Friends, family and children are welcome!  If we decide to do a program (depending on the mood), it will be at 1:30 p.m.

You can rsvp by easily registering online by clicking here.  YES! is located at 240 Harkleroad Avenue, Santa Cruz, 95062 in a residential area of the Live Oak neighborhood.
 

by Nga Trihn-Halperin, Development Manager

It has been a long road traveled together, with many memories and friends made along the way.  We now pause to reflect on all that we have accomplished and honor 20 Years of Transformation.  We hope you can join us on Saturday, June 5th, 4 p.m. til late, in San Francisco to celebrate this milestone, reunite alumni, deepen this community, share food and dance!

We will be doing this community/potluck style, providing some delicious food and invite you to bring additional vegetarian-friendly salads or desserts, as well as wine or beer or other beverage, if you like. The party will be open house style, but if you are interested, the dinner and toast will be at 7 p.m. Bring your dancin' shoes, by night this will be an all-out dance party with DJs!

The festivities will be hosted at Co-Director Tiffany Brown’s new home at 1300 Mariposa Street (@ Missouri) in the Potrero Hill neighborhood with plenty of free parking and public transit options.  Please RSVP online here.
 

By Kiritapu Allan, Co-Founder of Conscious Collaboration, YES! Alumni, and Co-Organizer of N’n’N

Ka rere taku manu ki tai ki uta kei raro te maru o
nga tihi hukapapa o Tararua

My bird flies seaward then inland under the snow peaks of Tararua 

Our wananga (gathering) was held on the traditional grounds of the Ngati Hinemata, Ngati Ngarongo and Ngati Takihiku peoples in early July 2009. After the powhiri (welcome), the Kereru wananga began with the placing of a Rahui* on the English language so that the wananga itself would be conducted only in the indigenous Maori language.

By Maryam Roberts

The Oakland Green Youth Arts & Media Center (OGYAMC) began with pilot programming in Fall 2009, and continues to be a creative empowerment hub in Oakland that supports personal, professional, economic, and community development. We serve youth impacted by violence and poverty through innovative programs in the arts, media production, and environmental sustainability.

On January 14th, the OGYAMC had its official launch party event. Over 300 people attended the event as we unveiled our beautiful mural and permaculture garden with special guests including musicians Casual of Hieroglyphics, Dwayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Toné and legendary hip-hop journalist Davey D.  The OGYAMC was on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, featured on local television news coverage, multiple blog sites online, and local newspapers.

I attended my first week-long YES! event in the Summer of 2002.  It was a facilitation training held in a Jam-like setting.  What a gift that experience was in my life at that time, as the young co-founder of Changemakers, a national foundation working to change the culture and practice of philanthropy.  It was there that Ocean Robbins, YES!’s Founder/Director, and I began a conversation about collaborating to host a “philanthropy jam” for young people involved in the field. This idea later evolved into the first Leveraging Privilege for Social Change Jam (LPSC) in the spring of 2003. I had the great privilege of co-facilitating or being on the leadership team for the first four of the LPSC Jams. After my Jam involvement, I served on YES!’s board and also worked closely with the staff on developing and growing the organization.