OCTOBER 2021 – SEPTEMBER 2022

New Jams and other YES! programs are being added all the time; information and applications are updated, so please check back often!

Many thanks to The Global Youth Leadership Collaborative for laying the foundation for so many of these programs.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are embracing our commitment to community, connection, collaboration and co-liberation by co-creating online Jams, workshops and other offerings.  We also hope in-person convenings will be possible in 2022.  You can see what we are anticipating below, and more new programs will be coming soon.

Pakistan Youth Leadership Jam, February or March 2022, TBD – 7th annual event! Diverse change-makers, from all parts of Pakistan and working in fields ranging from women’s empowerment to youth development to human rights and citizenship, will gather together to grow in self, heal divisions, create support for each other, and vision a positive future for their families, communities and land. Organized and facilitated by a team of alumni from past Pakistan Jams.

Pacific Northwest Changemakers Jam, March 21-26, 2022, TBD – This 2nd annual Jam will bring together multi-generational change-makers from around the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, British Columbia) to explore the diverse realities of this incredible region, generate shared vision, create lasting relationships, and deepen in self-awareness together.

Egypt Leadership Jam, Spring 2022 –  This 8th annual Jam will bring together diverse change-makers, from varying religious, ethnic, economic, geographic, national and professional backgrounds from around Egypt.  It is organized and facilitated by a team of alumni of past Egypt Jams.

El Jam México, Se llevará a cabo virtualmente en la primavera 2022 – El Jam en México es un encuentro contigo y con otras personas hispanohablantes para conocerte, cuestionarte y explorar; para conectar con otros, crear espacio y nuevas posibilidades; para ubicar en donde estás parado, lo que te detiene y lo que te impulsa, tus sueños.  

Mexico Jam, To be held virtually, Spring 2022 – The Mexico Jam is an encounter of Spanish-speaking people to deepen self knowledge, question and explore; to connect with others, create space and new possibilities; to understand and build relationships with participants from Mexico and other parts of Latin America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Argentina, Cuba, Colombia, etc.).

Queer/LGBTQ* Jam,  Spring 2022 – This 5th annual Jam will bring multi-generational change-makers from around and across the LGBTQ* spectrum for collective visioning, interpersonal healing and understanding, and self-transformation. Core partners: George Holmes, Roan Coughtry, Jessie Workman, Alia Lahlou, and Jovan Julien.

Re-Storying Justice Jam, June 14-19, 2022, Santa Cruz, CA, USA – This 3rd annual Jam will bring together practitioners in the fields of restorative justice, prison reform, prison abolition, and more, to generate deeper community, self-awareness and healing, and to help move the dial on what ‘justice’ can look like for our times. Core partners: Demarris Evans, Johnny Perez, Kevin Martin, Joy George, Yoana Tchoukleva, Angela Sevin, Seth Weiner.

Arts for Social Change / ARTivist Jam, June 27-July 3, 2022, Santa Cruz, CA, USA – Musicians, visual artists, dramatists, dancers, graphic recorders, spoken word poets, and more, will join together in cross-pollinating and linking up the vital ARTivist movement!  This 8th annual Jam will focus on mutual support, interconnection, collaboration, visioning, and lifting up the essential contributions of artists in social transformation.

Men and Masculinity: Men Raised as Men Jam, July 18-23, 2022, TBD – This 2nd annual Jam will offer participants the opportunity to catalyze positive change through healing, homecoming, and expression of healthy masculinity as part of a resilient whole.

Wellness and Healing Justice Jam, Summer 2022, TBD – This 5th annual event will bring together social workers, therapists, counselors, and many other wellness and healing artists, to dive into deeper self-awareness, community collaborations, healing across the fields of work, and moving the dial on what is possible in the field overall. Core partners: Sky Yardeni, Hanan Al-Bilali, Gert Comfrey, Roan Coughtry,  Yoo-Jin Kang.

Education Transformation Jam, Summer 2022, online –  How is education transforming in this COVID-19 world? Intergenerational and dynamic change-makers in the field of education gathered together to (re)weave an oft-divided education transformation fabric. Learning from our life experiences, healing from education pains, co-creating a robust support system, and generating new visions and practices of education are at the heart of this 9th annual Jam.

Black Diaspora Jam, Fall/Summer 2022 – The 3rd Black Diaspora Jam will bring diverse changemakers from across the Black diaspora to explore personal, interpersonal and systemic transformation in these times.

North America Leadership Jam, December 4-11, 2022, Santa Cruz, CA, USA – YES!’s longest-running program, which has helped to birth so many Jams around the country and has been happening for the last 21 years, in one form or another. Leaders from around the continent will be diving deep to co-create shared vision, find common points of collaboration, heal historic divides, and explore the self.

Montreal Jam, 2022, Montreal, Canada – The first-ever Jam to gather changemakers from in and around Montreal to cross-pollinate, deepen in their relationships, and expand the actions and visions of peace in the area. This Jam is being organized by a team of alumni from the Toronto Changemakers Jam.

Hindi Changemakers Jam, 2022, India – Several alumni of the India Youth Jam will organize this language-based program, to bring together diverse changemakers from around the country. The hope is to sow the seeds of connection, collaboration and shared visions.