Ravi, Isaac, & Shilpa at LPSC Jam 2010

From Isaac Graves:

I recently returned from a profound and inspiring experience held in the Redwood forest in Ben Lomond, California.  The event was the Leveraging Privilege for Social Change (LPSC) Jam hosted by the nonprofit organization, YES!

Founded in 1990 by two teenagers, YES! is a nonprofit organization that connects, inspires and collaborates with young changemakers in building thriving, just and sustainable ways of life for all.  Our three program areas are global leadership Jams, on-going support networks, and resources & communications.  We work at the meeting point of internal, interpersonal, and systemic transformation.

I am still processing and digesting what was a truly eye-opening and transformative experience.  The Jam’s ability to create a safe learning environment built on authentic communication and connection was remarkable.  I have talked endlessly about my experience since it ended just over a week ago, but find myself speechless as I’ve sat down to write about it!  I’ll use a recent blog post by one of the facilitators and a few videos to give you a little insight in the meantime.  If you are interested in finding out more about YES! and the Jams, please visit www.yesworld.org

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One of the facilitators, Shilpa Jain, recently wrote a blog post on the LPSC 2010 Jam, “LPSC Jam Completes Another Amazing Year!:”

The redwoods are great teachers.  They stay firmly rooted in the soil, they grow in community with one another, and they reach for the sky…  They were an inspiration and a reminder to us as we journeyed through the 8th Annual Leveraging Privilege for Social Change Jam.  From July 25 until August 1, 2010, 28 young leaders gathered at the Quaker Center in Ben Lomond, CA. We hailed from 15 different US states, as well as Canada and Mexico, and worked on issues ranging from social entrepreneurship, to alternative education, to food justice, and much more.

Amidst our diversity, we shared two beliefs: (1) that each of us is privileged with some gift, power, or influence, and (2) that each of us is committed to making a difference with what we have.  We gathered together for a week, to explore our lives, our identities, our passions, our fears, and our commitments.  We struggled to build bridges across deep divides of class, race, and gender identities, took time to envision ‘a community that works’, and made solid first steps in living it together.  We stopped talking and started listening, and in the process, learned more about ourselves and each other than we could have imagined.  It was an incredible ride, with ripple effects that we hope will ring out in our families, organizations and communities back home.

“The Jam created a space to experience community in a new and powerful way that has pushed the idea of what I want to create in my own community and support in the world. It gave me a taste of what can be possible and connected me to a group of people who have shared this sampling. This experience and connection gives me hope in people and in myself. It gave me space to be supported with my deepest challenges. It showed how fundamental the struggles of all people are. How related our pain is despite our difference and how powerful it is to heal and support each other.”

- Heather Fenney

The last morning of the jam, August 1, we were joined by another 30 friends and community members, from Santa Cruz and the Bay Area.  They came to share in our learnings and explore with us what it meant to ‘leverage one’s privilege for social change’.  The hour-long program, followed by an hour-long networking brunch, was an opportunity to synthesize and explore, as well as engage new people in, the questions and understandings of the week.

Sharing the spirit of the Jam with a wider community also served as a stepping stone for Jammers in their return journey home. It was a chance to ‘translate’ — trans-relate — crossing boundaries and connecting to the hearts and minds of an eager learning community.  Nourishing food from Jason Harvey (Oakland Food Connection) brought us all together, and we ended with a burst of energy and ‘true love’ that could only surge further outward in the hopes of healing ourselves, each other and the planet.

“I had a truly life changing experience that I honestly do not know how to encapsulate in words.  Participating in the Jam opened me up to a part of myself that had lain dormant for years: the part where unconditional love of self and community is the norm.  I have made lasting connections with people that I probably never would have opened up to in a different setting, and I am eternally grateful for that. I have made amazing realizations about myself, my potential, and the potential of my community to support me by being part of this experience.  This has truly impacted the way I will construct the rest of my life. Important foundations have been set, and I have been inspired!”

- Sia Mensah

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What is YES? Here’s a 12-minute video:

Here’s another video by Manauvaskar Kublall who also made the recent Education Circle of Change video: