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JONATHAN DANIELS & SAMUEL YOUNGE INSTITUTE What Is the Institute? Through the program, The SpiritHouse Project: (1) supports and prepares a new generation of peace and justice workers who want to discern a call to social justice and non-violence; (2) strengthens their courage, hope, resolve, and reason to do this work; (3) prepares them to play leading roles in public policy debates about issues such as racism, poverty, prison industrial complex, militarism, and the shrinking budget for human needs, voting rights, privacy and judicial issues, and neo-conservatism; and (4) helps grassroots communities meet their urgent need for trained and committed volunteers or staff. Who Are the Fellows? Daniels and Younge Fellows vary in age, race, gender, religious beliefs, and economic status. Typically, they are college student interns who commit a summer, a semester, or an academic year to working with SpiritHouse. Many of our fellows come from poor communities. Fellows undergo a formation process that includes an interdisciplinary curriculum of classroom work, meetings and conversations with older SNCC activists, spiritual reflection, field work, public speaking, and research. Many Fellows lack the historical knowledge of the past movements that enable them to place their work and calls as justice workers into a continuum of struggle and victory. Moreover, they come lacking intergenerational connections. Cut off from this history and connection, Fellows often come to The SpiritHouse Project dispirited and feeling very powerless and sometimes very angry. Often during the first few weeks of the Institute, we spend a lot of time listening to their suffering, aspirations and fears. It is as much healing work as it is teaching work.
Daniels and Younge Fellows participate in an intensive, creative, and organized set of activities that place them on the front line of important public policy issues, which relate to critical peace and justice questions. They have the opportunity to improve their analytical, reading, writing, organizing, communications, and planning skills. Fellows also work in the field as organizers and popular educators. They assist in providing grassroots communities with the information they need to become more knowledgeable and effective players, both locally and nationally. Fellows are expected to organize a press conference, where they will talk about public-schooling reform, the prison industrial complex, and racism in the 21st century. Throughout the internship, they must be willing to read, reflect on, and critique new knowledge, gained new experiences, and classroom work. As a Jonathan Daniels and Samuel Younge Fellow, you will work with Ruby Sales, a seasoned justice worker, educator, writer, social critic, and history maker. Cheryl Blankenship will supervise you on a daily basis. Cheryl has a long career in higher education, as well as Learn and Serve America. She is a former Senior Program Officer for AmeriCorps, where she oversaw more than 300 programs in 24 states. C-SPAN Video Coverage: Youth Response to Homeland Security: Young people involved in the groups SpiritHouse and Black Voices for Peace talk about their objections to parts of President Bush’s Homeland Security policy. If Interested, Please Contact: The SpiritHouse Project Learn More About Jonathan Daniels and Samuel Younge. |
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