Shinnyo-en Foundation supports various programs for Shinnyo-en's youth practitioners. Please read the summary document below to learn more about these exciting opportunities!
***
Summary of 2013 Shinnyo‐en Foundation‐Supported YA Programs
1. National Service‐Learning Conference, Denver, Colorado
The 2013 National Service‐Learning Conference (NSLC) is scheduled to take place from March 13th ‐16th at the Denver Convention Center, in Denver, Colorado. The participants should most likely expect to arrive
at the conference site by the evening of March 12th and leave March 17th.
The purpose of this sponsored event is for SYA members:
- To immerse themselves in an international and intergenerational service‐learning conference,
- To learn about community service on a local, national and global level,
- To reflect on their conference experience and learning,
- To share their own experiences and learning with other members of their home temple and beyond,
- To orient SYA participants to the work of Shinnyo‐en Foundation.
A total of 8 Shinnyo‐en USA Young Adults (including from Canada) whose ages range between 18 to 35 years old are invited to attend the NSLC. An interest in reflecting on and engaging in service, servicelearning or volunteering in the temple community after returning from the NSLC is desirable. In order to provide the greatest number of opportunities for everyone, SYA members who have never attended the NSLC in the past are encouraged to apply.
SYA interested in this conference should ask a local YA chief for consideration to attend as soon as possible. Once invited to apply for participation, an application with a short essay must be submitted to your local YA chief by January 31st, 2013.
***
2. The Putney School Summer Programs, Putney, Vermont
The purpose of this program is for Shinnyo‐en Junior Young Adults (SJYA) to engage in a range of visual, expressive, and performing arts in a rustic setting. This program is designed to provide developmentally appropriate experiences to nurture self‐awareness, friendship, and peace‐building as an individual.
A total of 4 SJYA ages 14‐17 or currently in 8th‐11th grade during the 2012‐2013 academic year are invited to attend for either Session I (June 23rd – July 12th) or Session II (July 14th – August 2nd ) based on availability. In order to provide the greatest number of opportunities for everyone, students attending the Putney School Summer Programs with the Shinnyo‐en Foundation’s support may only attend one of the sessions. SJYAs who demonstrate an ability and interest in music, art, dance, theater, writing, ESL and/or farming, are encouraged to apply.
Please see the Putney School Summer Programs website, www.putneyprogramsummer.org, for details about their location, choice of workshops, campus life, daily schedule, etc. SJYAs interested in this program should ask an SYA district leader for consideration to attend as soon as possible. Complete applications must be submitted to SYA chiefs in each district by March 22nd, 2013.
***
3. The New Mexico Interfaith Immersion Trip, Various Towns in New Mexico
The purpose of this trip is for SJYA to engage in interfaith dialogue, community service, farming and agriculture, and cultural experiences with adult guidance and supervision in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos, New Mexico. This trip is designed to provide participants with developmentally appropriate experiences to nurture self‐awareness, friendship, and peacebuilding.
A total of 5 Shinnyo‐en junior young adults ages 15‐18 or currently in 9th–12th grade during the 2012‐2013 academic year may participate. SJYAs who demonstrate an interest in interfaith dialogue, community service, farming and agriculture, and learning about other faith traditions or religions, including Native American beliefs, are encouraged to apply. They will be joined by 10 additional teens from diverse religious backgrounds, such as Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism, involved in the Teen Interfaith Leadership Council of Santa Clara, California.
Participants will engage in dynamic community service opportunities and learn about the various cultures of northern New Mexico coordinated by Los Niños International (www.losninosinternational.org). Los Niños connects the group as a whole with several different nonprofit farm‐based organizations serving local families in need, including community supported agriculture and organic community farms in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos, to provide assistance in harvesting produce and weeding. Topics such as principles of organic and sustainable farming as well as indigenous methods of farming and relating to land will be addressed. Adult trip leaders will participate in all service alongside students.
This trip takes place from July 25th through July 29th 2013. SJYA interested in this program should ask SYA local chiefs for consideration to attend as soon as possible. Complete applications must be submitted to SYA local chiefs in each district by April 15th, 2013.
