Leveraging Privilege for Social Change

Leveraging Privilege for Social Change (LPSC) Jam

July 25 - August 1, 2010, Ben Lomand, CA

Unleashing all that we are, and all that we have, on behalf of all that we love...

The LPSC Jam connects, inspires and collaborates with self-identified privileged young changemakers for a week of personal exploration, community building and skills-sharing.

The Jam provides a safe and transformative space to focus on change at all levels:  internal, interpersonal and systemic. We take time to explore our personal histories, race, class, sexual and gender identities - learning how and where they intersect with our lives, our community and our world. We collectively seek to leverage our learning and to translate it into meaningful actions in our individual lives that can ripple out into the world.

Click here to see what past participants have said about the Jam.

Where do we begin? What do we explore at the jam? What is our Place In Leveraging Privilege for Social Change

What are our unique experiences, histories, struggles and dreams?  How do our individual identities and stories interrelate? How can our collective exploration help illuminate some of our blind spots in race, gender, power and class, and enable us to form cross-identity alliances and partnerships? What kind of healing and transformation would we like to do within ourselves and in our local and global community?

Privilege – We set no specific monetary or social impact yardstick for what ‘privileged’ means. Privilege can show up in our lives through wealth, access to resources, luck, inheritance, education, skills, public/media attention, location, professional position, cultural heritage, social connectivity and more. How does our unique journey with privilege affect who we are, how we relate to others and how we impact the world?  How can we recognize and claim the responsibilities, burdens and blessings we carry, and respond in a healthy way to their implications in a wider social context?

Leverage – How can we feel more grounded in who we are, so that we have a stronger foundation to build our leverage. How can we have maximum impact? How can we use our lives, relationships, opportunities and resources to work collaboratively for social change? How can we be more radical in understanding the breadth of our generosity?

Social Change – What’s happening in our communities and in the world? Where does lasting change start and what does it look like? How do we deepen our understanding of the realities of our times, and develop, build and implement effective models of transformation?

Who we are looking for

Jam participants come from a range of backgrounds.  Past participants have included young inheritors, musical artists, athletes, philanthropy professionals, donor organizers, non-profit leaders, actors, authors and entrepreneurs.  Within this diversity, Jam participants share a sense of privilege and a common intention to use what they have to better our society in some way.  We come together for a week to build bonds of community, understanding and trust, to see the powerful connections among the diverse issues in the world today, and to gain support and skills for the work to which our lives are committed.

We’re looking for participants who feel that they have some significant privilege and who desire to make a positive difference in the world.  If you are willing to share honestly about your own life journey, engage with peers for learning and growing further, and value slowing down and taking time to reflect on change at all levels, the Jam is right for you.

Who is putting this on?

YES! connects, inspires and collaborates with young changemakers in building thriving, just and sustainable ways of life.  We primarily serve a diverse population of young people, sometimes in a multigenerational program setting, committed to positive social change and values that affirm life, justice and peace. Participants range widely across race, class, ethnicity and gender. Our goal is to expand the vision and effectiveness of the young people who will help to shape the new Millennium and help them grow into a lifetime of service.

Since 1990, YES! has spoken to over 675,000 students and organized more than 100 week-long gatherings for visionary young leaders from 65+ nations.  YES! works at the meeting point of internal, interpersonal, and systemic transformation. We bring sustainability, means-to-ends consistency, partnerships across historic divides, and intentional space for the role of love and spirit, into social change movements worldwide by convening transformational gatherings and building lasting partnerships with diverse social entrepreneurs. You can find more information at yesworld.org

Site and Cost
The Quaker Center is a retreat and conference center, under the care of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), located on 50 acres of land in the redwood forest in Ben Lomond, CA, just outside of Santa Cruz.  Tuition (including program, lodging and meals) is $2,000.  Upon request a number of partial scholarships are available, on an as-needed basis. We also invite you to think about payment that may fall outside the monetary system, such as work trade arrangements. We work to accommodate single parents, so please contact us about your needs around childcare. 

How to Apply
LPSC alumni who would like to re-apply to the Jam should click here to update us on your journey! First time participants, please click here to complete the application online.
To download a word version of the application, click here. Once it's completed, email it back to us at lpsc2@yesworld.org.