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YES! Programs

Leveraging Privilege for Social Change
Global Leadership Jams
Supporting Aligned Movements

Leveraging Privilege for Social Change (LPSC)

LPSC programs create safe and growthful environments for diverse, transformative community dialogues exploring power, privilege, wealth, and philanthropy.

  • Leveraging Privilege for Social Change Jam: For thirty diverse young inheritors, entrepreneurs, program officers, athletes, entertainers, philanthropists, public figures and other privileged young leaders. Core partners: Shikshantar, Resource Generation, Grassroots Leadership, Changemakers, and Emerging Practitioners In Philanthropy.

    For more information on the 7th Annual LPSC Jam click here!

  • Power and Privilege for the People (P3): A collective of alumni focusing on young and influential people of color. P3 recently completed its research, planning and initial outreach phase and is now focusing on more formal outreach, collaboration and organizing in anticipation of a P3 Retreat and P3 Jam. Core partners: UrbanPeace and 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement.

Global Leadership Programs

Global Leadership Jams connect, inspire and empower young visionaries on a global level by bringing together groups of thirty diverse young leaders for week-long Jams to facilitate networking, skills sharing and community-building.

  • World Jam: Brings together visionary young leaders from 20+ nations for a week of deepening and building a more cohesive and transformative global community. Core partners: Native Movement (USA), Shikshantar (India), and Institute for Popular Education (Mali and Senegal)

    • For more information on the 9th Annual World Jam, click here!

  • Latin American Jam: Connects 25-30 young leaders from throughout the Americas. Core partners: Consulta Popular, Global Youth Action Network, and Center for Educational Health. Learn More

  • Rajasthan Jam, Udaipur, India: Unites young changemakers in India's most heavily tourism-filled state for a retreat that explores culture, history, community, localization, and sustainable food production. Core partner: Shikshantar (India)

  • Flagstaff Retreat, AZ: Brings together intergenerational leaders from Flagstaff's environmental, indigenous rights, social justice and community wellness movements to build partnerships and create space for transformational community-building on a local level. Core partner: Native Movement
  • Middle East Jam, Wadi Rum, Jordan: This Jam will convene 25 diverse, engaged and committed leaders from throughout the Middle East for a week of deep listening, sharing, self-discovery, systemic inquiry and community building. The Jam will be a place for young Middle Eastern leaders to share and reflect on their life journeys and their work in the world. It will be a time to replenish, recharge and renew, and to gain specific and practical tools for self-care and personal sustainability. It is also an opportunity to grow in self knowledge, to ask meaningful questions, to unlearn our fears and blocks, and to co-create new possibilities together. Download 2008 Middle East Jam Report Here.
  • Nice N' Native: A gathering focused on the significance and sharing of indigenous knowledges. Core partner: Conscious Collaborations

  • Philippines Jam, Baguio City, Philippines: Forty outstanding young leaders gathering from throughout the Philippines for a week of networking, skills sharing and community building. Participants represent diverse sectors of youth, including indigenous, Muslim, peasant, and women youth leaders. Core partner: Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network

Supporting Aligned Movements

YES! supports movements working towards a thriving, just and sustainable way of life for all through public speaking at conferences and on school campuses, workshop facilitation, distribution of donor-directed grant funds, the Art in Action Camp, our web site, and distribution of educational books, manuals, videos and other resources to help people make a positive difference with their lives.

  • Community Alliances Initiative (CAI): YES! continues to build and deepen CAI, an intentionally diverse and intergenerational community of leaders in and around Santa Cruz, CA. Each year, CAI members hold twelve one-day meetings and a weekend-long retreat facilitated by Be Present founder Lillie Allen to strengthen facilitation skills and leadership.
  • YES! to Life: Connecting People, Communities, and Movements: This workshop series is designed to connect, inspire and empower changemakers of all ages who are committed to working towards a thriving, just and sustainable future. The workshops share tools and build community to support wellness and transformation on the personal, interpersonal and systemic level. Each workshop represents an opportunity to connect with peers on a level of uncommon depth, to gain tools and skills for a healthy life and expanded social impact, and to build partnerships with allies in the vital work of our times. See our events section for details of the upcoming workshops.
  • Arctic Institute for Indigenous Leadership
    The Arctic institute brings together thirty young Alaska Native leaders for two week-long sessions over the course of one year for transformational community-building on a statewide level. Core Partner: Native Movement

  • Global Youth Leadership Collaborative: a network of 15 past and future World Jam facilitators from Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, India, Kenya, Lebanon, New Zealand, Peru, Senegal, Thailand and the United States. The collaborative members are convening over time to challenge and support one another on learning journeys and to assist the evolution of Jams and the work of the extended Jam community. In 2006-2007, with support from the Fetzer Institute, each member used $3,000 at their discretion towards the collaborative's ultimate goals.

    Member-led projects included, among other things: launching of a year-long program for young Alaska natives; exchanges between youth leaders in diverse indigenous communities in Canada, the US, and Aotearoa/New Zealand; the launch of the Nice ‘n Native global indigenous gathering in the South Pacific; an internship for an Egyptian alumnus studying zero waste and localization efforts with Shikshantar in India; the launch of the Invisible Giants project to help young African and African-American women learn from, honor and build upon the work of their elders; and the All On Board Latin American tour organized by Osmar Filho of Brazil.

    For more information about the Global Collaborative and its working framework, click here.

  • Seeds of Justice: A YES! alumna established the Seeds of Justice Fund through YES! and the fund, which is directed by a collective of grantmakers with roots in a range of diverse communities, has distributed more than $400,000 in the last two years to individuals and organizations working at the meeting point of internal, interpersonal and systemic transformation.

  • Fiscal Sponsorship: YES! provides fiscal sponsorship to several of our alumni around the world as they launch innovative programs, organizations and movements.

  • The Art in Action Camp: For five years, this camp has been helping young people from diverse backgrounds to use artistic expression – dance, spoken word, poetry, public speaking, street theater, hip-hop, and puppetry – as a means of learning, self-expression, and social change. Core partners: Global Exchange, Dancers Without Borders, Cultural Links, and Art & Revolution Convergence.