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Apply for LPSC

2009 Application
June 4 – 11, 2009

Important Note: Important Note: You do not need to fill in every line provided. Due to the small and personal nature of the event, this questionnaire is longer and more in depth than most because we want to get to know you better. Also, please note that all of your answers, including your name and information, will be kept in full confidentiality.* Only the facilitation team will read or have access to them. The more information the team has about you, the more informed their decision can be about selection.

* Please note that if you are accepted, your name and bio will be shared with the other participants of your Jam just prior to the event. Following the Jam, we will put this information up on our yesjams.org website so that you can participate in the alumni community, unless you request otherwise. More info on this is below.


Warning: If you leave this application form and go to another website, you will lose whatever you have already filled out on this form. If you don't want to stay online the whole time you are filling it out, download a Word document version of the application, or simply copy and paste the questions from this text-only version into your web browser.

Questions about the Leveraging Privilege for Social Change Jam? Please contact Shilpa Jain at shilpaminajain@yahoo.com, or at (630) 962-4579

(please include country code, city (area)code, phone number, and any extensions)

(optional - We value diversity of sexual orientation at our programs, and celebrate the opportunity to take a stand to create a safe space for everyone.)

(Please list sources by name)

Who You Are

Look below box for more detail on questions.

If you're part of one or more groups, what are their names, mission and accomplishments? What is your role in the group(s)? What projects are you actively working on? Please be as specific as possible, including kinds of strategies used, depth and breadth of focus, staff or volunteer size, how many people are reached, etc.

What inspired you to want to make a positive difference in the world? Tell us some piece of your story!

An important aspect of the Jam is bridge-building (between movements, issues, cultural backgrounds, faiths, sexual orientations, etc.). Why is this relevant to your work and/or important to you personally at this time? How and when is bridge-building challenging for you? In what conditions has it worked well for you?

How do you see its philosophy, principles and goals as relevant to the world today, or to your life and work?

Please share with us any concerns, doubts, fears or reservations that you would have about attending the Jam.

Please give us a mini-bio (a paragraph version of your story) written in the third person (for example using "she" instead of "I"). If you are selected to participate in the Jam, we may ask you if we can use this bio on our website and selected materials to allow event funders to be introduced to you and your work. We will not use it publicly in any way without first obtaining your permission. Giving it to us is also giving us permission to share it with other Jam participants. Talk yourself up! Include any organizations you've started or worked with, awards you've won, contributions you've made, etc.

Naming Privilege

We recognize that sharing about our power, influences and privileges (especially for those with monetary privilege) is not something our society encourages. Most of us have been conditioned to keep such things to ourselves. A core focus of the Jam is an exploration of our privileges and power, and the opportunities and/or challenges they provide. We have set no specific yardstick or measure for privilege, so the more you can share about how you see and experience it in your life, the more we can deepen these conversations at the Jam. In that context, and in full confidentiality, we invite you to tell us about your current sense of privilege/influence/power in as much detail as you feel comfortable sharing.

Please be as specific as possible. If monetarily -- what is the scale, and what is your level of access or authorship?; If through position – what is the position, how does that power live for you, and what does it mean?; If, through fame – how many people do you impact and how does fame play out for you?; If through education – what is your educational background, what does it mean to you, what does it give you, and how do you work with that?; etc. We recognize that privilege is self-defined, and we encourage you to take the time and space to tell us what it means for you.

 (Giving away money, donating time, being a spokesperson for causes, or... ?)

Costs of Attending

Tuition (including program, lodging and meals) is $2,000. A number of full and partial scholarships are available upon request, on an as-needed basis.. Additional donations above the event price are welcome, and help us to provide scholarships to enable the diversity upon which this event thrives (they are also tax-deductible).

Are you or your organization in a position to pay the $2,000 tuition? If not, how much are you able to contribute to the cost of tuition (or what amount of scholarship would you require)? Are there other non-monetary ways that you might be in reciprocity with the Jam (any particular skills, other in-kind contributions, etc.)?

The Leveraging Privilege for Social Change Jam will be happening in a beautiful retreat center about one hour from Beckley, WV (BKW) and two hours from Charleston, WV (CRW) (the nearest airports). Washington, DC, and Charlotte, NC, which are five and three hours from the site, respectively, are also possible places to fly or travel to, and then carpool with other Jam attendees from there.