Toronto Jam 2023
Quick info:
- Applications are here!
- Alumni of a previous Toronto Jam? Apply here!
- Application deadline: Sunday, February 26, 2023
- If you need more time or any accommodations to submit an application, please let us know as soon as possible so we can support you. If the deadline has passed and you are still interested in applying, please reach out by email first to confirm if we can consider your application. We can be reached at: yestorontojam[at]gmail.com.
- May 3-7 , 2023
- Location: Jericho House
Ok, what’s a jam?
Jams are gatherings of 30 changemakers to connect, learn, and rest. We explore the complex relationships between self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, and systemic change. We do this through facilitated dialogue, sharing circles, artistic expression, games, movement, and free time for participant-led activities and spontaneous interactions and connections. A Jam is not a conference, seminar, or meeting. It is an experiment in ‘beloved community’: a place where we can intentionally come together to practice the art of connection, collaboration, and co-liberation in the context of a society that is constantly seeking to divide us.
Is this online or in person?
We’re back in person! We had two beautiful virtual Toronto Jams in 2021 and 2022. And we are ready and excited to gather for an in-person Jam once again. The opportunities for spontaneous connection, care, rest, sharing time in nature, and space from our regular lives are some of what has made in-person Jams so special.
We are also aware of the ways in which online Jams were more accessible for some people in terms of childcare, work, anxiety, and more. We are open to the possibility of another virtual Jam someday – let us know if that interests you!
Why Toronto? Why now?
We are living in times of transformation. The times of failure and collapse of old dominant systems of power that hurt and divide are upon us. The capitalist economy is failing too many; our health care, education and criminal justice systems, white supremacy, cisheteropatriarchy, the way we relate to the Earth – are staring us in the face. It ain’t easy, especially as we continue to navigate the impact these systems have on our daily lives, including financial precarity, exhaustion, and disconnection from each other, the Earth and hope.
And in spite of it all, or maybe because of it, people are steering toward change. We have seen a rise of powerful mutual aid networks and movements for Indigenous sovereignty and racial justice that are weaving together and redistributing our collective resources to meet urgent needs. In the last few years, we have seen intense ruptures, divisions and separation, and transformational connections and gatherings in spite of very difficult circumstances. We are witnessing a desire for new approaches and a different kind of energy to greet the current moment.
And here in Toronto, we hear the need for space to rest and envision what is possible now. How can we meet this moment in ways that affirm life? We know we can’t do this alone, that we need each other and containers to build authentic connection across our multiplicities, complexities, grief, hope, creativity, longing and collective wisdom.
The Jam is an opportunity to explore this complexity in an environment of healing, connection, and (re)humanization. It is a reminder that our interdependence is an essential part of our nature. We want to celebrate our victories, support each other through our struggles, and share what it looks like for each of us to create safe, just, and regenerative lives and communities. The Jam is an invitation to come home to yourself. It is an opportunity to courageously practise slowing down together so we can feel into our own truths; to grow deeper roots in community for collective resilience; to explore listening and learning from each other so that we may find one another on the other side of conflict; and to nourish the seeds of inner safety, heart-centred vulnerability, connection, play and joy.
Why is it called a “Jam”?
In music, a jam is a creative, live gathering of musicians who together spontaneously create a new sound, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Similarly, Jams are places where people who care about the world bring together their passions, questions, and unique perspectives. We provide a structure to support the gathering, and what is formed in that space is dependent on who shows up, what they bring and what emerges in our collaborations. The Jam asks that all the players are present and ready to listen deeply to each other. What is then co-created are previously unimagined outcomes that flow from our often untapped collective resources — something none of us could have done alone.
Who attends a Jam?
Jammers are people who are dedicated to creating change in our local communities; people who know the beauty, power, and wisdom of each other, our diverse cultures, and varied communities; people who see the potential of our collective liberation in this vibrant and challenging part of the world. The Jam offers an opportunity for people who use different approaches to change and who have different areas of focus to connect and build stronger networks in our city.
And so when we are asked “who attends a jam?” the answer is “YOU!” — organizers, artists, entrepreneurs, healers, strategists, public officials, business leaders, dreamers, thinkers, activists, builders, educators, poets, researchers, philanthropists, non-profit leaders, spiritual leaders, environmentalists, and anyone with a desire to impact social change — are invited to join us for the 8th Toronto Jam!
Though one of the benefits of a place-based Jam is building local connections, we’re open to applicants from neighbouring Toronto areas or who otherwise have or feel some kind of connection to Toronto and to transformation work.
What questions do we explore at the Jam?
For the 2023 Toronto Jam, we anticipate exploring and deepening into these questions:
- How do I take care of myself while caring for, and being taken care of by the community?
- How do I find more balance across the many responsibilities in my life?
- How do I open myself to connection and discovery with the reality of ongoing isolation or separation?
- How do I become/remain open and tender as relationships and systems crumble around me?
- What is my purpose/calling and how do I live into it more?
- What tools and processes are useful to help me pause, heal, and (re)centre myself?
- How can we lean more into curiosity and find connections and common ground across our different forms of social change work?
- How can we heal wounds that have been developed and inherited across our social identities and generate friendships and webs of ongoing support?
- How can we create forms of dialogue and conversation that centre learning, love, truth, and transformation together?
- How can we build and sustain our movement infrastructure?
- How can I see through fresh eyes, and tap into visionary realities of what could be?
Yours, these, and many more questions are the basis of the Jam. And, by exploring them together through a variety of modalities — circles, small group work, movement, meditation, visioning, the arts, play, and more — we hope to build a foundation for lasting, transformative change.
Working at the intersections of the personal, interpersonal and systemic
In the Jam we will address three interconnected levels of transformation. Our aim for gathering is to:
- Rejuvenate (internal/personal) – We aspire to give ourselves space to reflect on our personal stories, learn and unlearn, take off our masks, seek our next growing edge, recharge, rest and renew. We want to nurture our own spiritual and emotional health in order to fire our activation and work in the world.
- Build solidarity (interpersonal) – We want to make and take time for authentic conversations to emerge, to discover common ground, and to celebrate differences. By taking an honest, loving and transformative look at our conflicts, we seek to move beyond collaboration and allyship towards deep friendships that will sustain us over the long-term.
- Foster collective liberation (systemic) – We aim to connect the dots of what we are each doing and link issues that are not commonly linked, to find new intersection points, and to gain a clearer vision of the whole.
We hope to emerge renewed: bringing back grounded passion, spiritual fortitude, deep clarity, new relationships, and re-imagined solutions for our home communities and projects.
Location and food
The Jam will take place at Jericho House, a retreat centre near Port Colborne, Ontario – the territories of the Haudenosaunee, the Attiwonderok, the Mississauga and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. It is a 90 minute drive south of Toronto.
The site offers double rooms with ensuite 3-piece bathrooms. A limited number of private rooms may be available. Bedding is provided. There is a fire pit for campfires and hiking trails nearby. It is located next to the Wainfleet Wetlands Conservation Area and the beaches of Lake Erie.
The venue is wheelchair accessible.
All meals are provided and can accommodate a range of dietary restrictions.
Cost
The Jam is offered on a sliding scale of $450-$1,200, with the at-cost price being $850.
Breaking down the $850, $650 covers food and lodging (4 nights and 11 meals), and $200 covers accessibility (eg: childcare), supplies, and honoraria for the organizers and facilitants.
We invite you to give what you can, and to give generously. Any amount above the at-cost amount of $850 helps us provide scholarships to support the broad spectrum of participation on which this event thrives.
We never want money to be a barrier, so we will do everything we can to make it work for you to attend. We can also create a monthly payment plan that works for you.
Arrival and departure times
The Jam begins at 2 pm on Wednesday, May 3, and goes until 11 am on Sunday, May 7. To honour the flow and the collective building that happens over the course of the Jam, we ask that participants attend the entire Jam from start to finish. Each day will be a mix of facilitated sessions (“in breaths”) and open time for participant-led sessions, spontaneous offerings, rest, and reflection (“out breaths”). We recommend that you not schedule anything else (even remote/zoom things!) for the time that we’re together, as we’ve really seen how being completely open lets all of us get the most out of our precious time together. We also recommend, if you can, to give yourself some time after the Jam is over to support integration.
Travel
Travel costs are the responsibility of participants, though we will help in coordinating carpools to the best of our ability.
Children
We love having children and families at the Jam and strive to provide childcare, where requested. Please let us know if you want to bring your children and we will work out childcare arrangements with you.
COVID-19
In terms of Covid precautions, we ask participants to take a rapid test before they leave home. We also ask that if anyone is feeling sick or has a positive result, they do not come to the Jam. At the Jam itself, we will be monitoring our symptoms and naming any needs we might have. We encourage selected participants to reduce their exposure possibilities in the week leading up to the Jam. We will follow up in more detail with a welcome packet if you are selected. We’ll be keeping an eye on the Covid situation as it continues to evolve. We know it is hard and complex. And if you have any questions or further needs about Covid, please note them in your application or write to us at yestorontojam[a]gmail.com.
How do I apply?
(alumni, see below)
Application Deadline: Sunday, February 26, 2023.
If you need more time or other accommodations to submit an application, please let us know so we can support.
If I’ve been to a Jam, can I still apply?
Yes! If you are an alumni of a previous Toronto Jam and want to apply to come again, please do!
Use this application form instead. Same application deadline: Sunday, February 26, 2023.
Please keep in mind that as much as we’d love to have everyone back, we want to make this experience available to as many interested people as possible, which may mean we are unable to accommodate some alumni.
Questions? Comments? Feelings?
We look forward to welcoming you to the Jam. If you have any questions, or want to check in at any point, please reach out to us at: yestorontojam[at]gmail.com.
How did Jams start?
YES! is celebrating its 33rd year of service this year. The first Jam was a World Youth Leadership Jam, co-created in 1999, bringing together 30 people from 20 countries. It came out of YES!’s work on youth leadership for nearly a decade, a growing understanding of ‘yes-and’ improv, Open Space Technology, and the power of co-learning. After several more World Youth Leadership Jams, facilitators began to organise local and regional Jams in their countries.
Now teams of Jam alumni organise place-based, sector-based, and identity-based Jams all over the world. In the past five years, Jams have taken place in India, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco, Mexico, Nova Scotia, Toronto, New York City, California, Colorado, North Carolina, Alabama, Vermont, New Mexico, and more. Themes have included Evolving + Emerging Economies, Arts for Social Change, Healing Our Movement Ecosystem, Law and Social Change, and Education Transformation. Jams for specific communities have included the LGBTQ*/Queer Jam, Asian American Jam, Men’s Jam, and Black Diaspora Jam.
YES! is based in California, USA, and each Jam is co-organized by a unique and diverse team of partners. The Toronto Jam grew out of a short program in 2012, which then became 3 and 4 day Jams in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019. We held two virtual Toronto Jams in 2021 and 2022. This is Toronto’s eighth Jam, organised by alumni from previous Jams.
Read more about YES!’s mission, values and approach: https://yesworld.org/about-us/
Who’s behind the 2023 Toronto Jam?
The Toronto Jam is organized and facilitated by a team:
Organizer
Maysam (she/her), born and raised in Tkaronto, is a Muslim diaspora kid with Palestinian and Syrian roots. Currently, she is a secondary teacher, and a lost 20-something learning to trust herself and the ebb and flow of life. She has a degree in Global Development Studies and Bachelor of Education with teaching specializations in First Nations, Métis and Inuit studies, and History. Maysam brings her kinship ties, and teachings from generations of mentors to her practice as an educator, organizer, and poet. She is dedicated to anti-colonial social justice movements, and organizes within the Palestinian liberation movement and in joint-struggle with Indigenous, Afro-Indigenous and Black led movements. After being introduced to the Jam space in February 2021, Maysam has been committed to cultivating a daily jamming practice in the hopes of getting one step closer to embodying liberation in the present. Maysam is also a caregiver to her 8-year old sister named Maya, and an obnoxiously-Palestinian cat named Bondo2 Abu Honeybun Ibn Asal Um Zataar Abdul Ghani (Arabic for “Hazelnut, father of Honeybun, son of honey, mother of zataar” + our family name).
At a mollusc pace, Hitoko is feeling their way home into their body towards sensing safety and belonging in the world. In 2018, they experienced being held in beloved community at their first Jam, where an ocean of grief flowed from their well and cleared spaciousness for their desired growth. They are a queer, interdisciplinary artist, curator, community arts organizer and facilitator. They believe in storytelling and play as tools for transformation. Hitoko has created process-based community arts programming for newcomers and refugees to explore personal narratives of migration and healing through visual and embodied languages, as a collective practice for community building and place making through storytelling, play, craft, exhibitions and public presentation. They are a co-founder and organizer for the Art Installers Alliance of Ontario for sectoral change to empower precariously employed contracted cultural workers. Hitoko is a life-learner of Japanese heritage textile crafts of indigo dyeing and shifu weaving of bast fibres as a cultural and relational practice to plant kin, ancestral knowledge, and spirit, through a queer ecology lens. Their artistic work has been commissioned and exhibited in various galleries and public events across Canada and the USA. She is the recipient of multiple grants and awards. They have participated in national and international artist residencies in Japan, USA, and across Canada.
Brigid is passionate about co-creating spaces where people are able to show up, share, challenge, connect, disagree, grow, let the complex remain so, get a bit uncomfortable and feel heard. She began her facilitation journey exploring the connection to our bodies as it relates to our sexual health and care in Vancouver using theater of the oppressed. She has been developing in facilitation ever since, working to create spaces that are creative, dynamic, thriving, engaging and inclusive. Since completing a master in Cultural Studies, she’s worked full time in cultural institutions, trying to make the space a little bit bigger, and a little bit warmer, and a lot less exclusive. This has looked like youth engagement and community work, building programming that supported access, inclusion and involvement for all community members both as cultural producers and within the institution. She works in program design, strategy, organizational transformation and communications — as a consultant, facilitator, strategist and cultural programmer — finding ways to have people connect more efficiently in their work, workplace and teams; from short meetings to long term collaborations and on. She is a queer white (irish/jewish) Montrealer who lived in Toronto but now lives again in Montreal with her partner and two littles (!!) She loves what the Jam makes possible for her and all the softness, vulnerability, love and generosity it reminds, nurtures and invites.
Jeff Carolin (he/him) is a recovering criminal defence lawyer living in Toronto who has been shifting his work in the world towards facilitation, mediation, and restorative and transformative justice. Basically, he loves to sit in circles. Hence being on this jam journey for 10 years. But it’s more than just the circles. For Jeff, attending jams has been a key part of discovering how he can–in this life, with this body, and with his experiences–engage around complex issues of racism, colonialism, inequality, and other forms of systemic oppression, without this work leading to further division, burnout, and in-fighting among people who are trying to build something new together. Seeking common ground while always acknowledging the importance of difference, starting from a place of openness and caring, and tuning in to the body’s knowledge a little more and the analytical mind a little less, have all been practices that he has continued to hone through jam circles–and are practices that he tries to introduce in all facets of his life.
Rehana is a facilitator of systems change experiments in organizations and the building of capacity and cultures for generative dialogue across difference. At Bloom, she accompanies organizations in their evolutionary change processes towards equitable systems change, organizational health, participatory leadership, conflict transformation, playing at work and creating cultures of belonging. She is deeply serious and deeply playful at once, believing in the need for strategies that include creativity & play as ways to open up the fields of possible transformations, and reconnecting our mind, body, heart and spirit. She has a Masters in Education from the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education, in Sociology and Equity Studies in Education and is a practitioner of Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter, Dialogue for Peaceful Change, Theatre of the Oppressed and InterPlay. Rehana is born and raised in Toronto to East African Indian and Uruguayan parents, and now lives in Montreal with her 9 year old homeschooling daughter. She is a dancer, a whirler, and a student of sacred clowning who loves to wander in the forest and swim in the river on the land she collectively stewards with a wild group of humans seeking to support ourselves and others to heal with nature. She has been jamming since 2013.
A wannabe DJ and skilled facilitator, Kimalee is an experienced social justice and organizational learning consultant, writer, educator and researcher whose work is deeply grounded in, and informed by Black queer feminist thought and practice. She finds joy in writing, getting lost in music, connecting with loved ones and surrendering to the embrace of nature. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Human Rights and Law and her Master’s degree in Legal Studies which focused on field and theoretical research on the coloniality of gender and violence in Grenada. She sits on the Board of Trustees with the Groundswell Community Justice Trust Fund and organizes with the Caribbean Solidarity Network. She works as a Human Rights Representative with Canada’s largest public sector union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). As a traveller, her heart remains deeply connected to water, land, the cosmos and the territories that she has the privilege of experiencing. Grateful to live, love and organize on Turtle Island, she longs for the day when her body and spirit can return to the place where she was born and raised, Grenada.
Berkha (aka Taashi) is a facilitator of organizational and individual change that fosters environments and communities where everyone can feel supported. As a transmasculine queer south asian, most of their work is dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of 2SLGBTQ+ communities, primarily with youth and racialized communities. Taashi is a recovering Executive Director, who is currently spending their days learning how to slow down, rest, and focus on healing and joy.
Francesca lives and works at Romero House, a community of welcome for refugees in Toronto. A practising lawyer until April 2022, Francesca is grateful to Jams for helping her discern a deeper calling: to serve in a community full of joy, tears, dancing, singing, and prayer. Though she is grateful to her years working in community legal clinics, providing free legal services to low-wage workers, she does not miss the adversarial legal system or the isolation she felt in her legal work. She serves on the board of Cycle Toronto and hopes to see cycling become more accessible to people across the city in the next few years. She loves experimenting with alternatives to mainstream models of work, care, love, and justice.
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