For Arabic speakers/readers, please check out the full invitation in Arabic (as a PDF). and here is the application in Arabic. We hope to receive your application!
Event Timing: 9-14, June 2021. This is an online event.
Session times: June 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 from 5-7:30 pm.
Application Priority Deadline: 1st May 2021
Application Regular Deadline (if space is still available): 29th May 2021
The sooner you apply, the better, as we will take admissions on a rolling basis.
Masaa2 il Fol!
It is our honor to invite you to apply to participate in a unique gathering: the Egypt Jam! This Jam will connect 20 diverse, engaged and committed participants from around the country for sharing inspiration and skills. Over the period of six days, we will journey together through deep listening, sharing, self-discovery, systemic inquiry and community building. All of you are welcome and each and every part inside each of you is welcome!
What is a JAM?
We call our gatherings “Jams” because we are inspired by music jams. When musicians get together to “jam”, each gets to share their own unique skills as well as learn from each other. Musicians jam in harmony to create melodies together. As they jam, musicians have fun, build community, use their individual talent, expand their horizon by learning from others, inspire and get inspired to create something far greater than the sum of its parts.
The YES! Jam brings the elements of fun, creativity, inspiration, co-learning, co-living and co-creation to conversations and experiences of social change. The Jam is composed of a facilitation team and a group of participants who act as the Jam’s engine through their wisdom, questions, curiosities, challenges and expressivity.
The Jam is a gathering of diverse changemakers for three different levels of conversation/awarenesses about change: the personal (self), the interpersonal (relationships) and the systemic (the whole). It is a space for truth telling, healing, compassion, connectedness and learning.
The Personal:
On the internal level, it is a place to share and reflect on our life journeys and our work in the world. This means first and foremost deciding to put down the masks that we use on a daily basis; the Jam gives us a chance to leave our box of masks at home and come with our true authentic selves. All parts of ourself are welcomed and embraced. It is a time to replenish, recharge and renew, to connect with nature and to gain specific and practical tools for self-care and personal sustainability. It is an opportunity to grow in self-knowledge, to ask meaningful questions, to unlearn our fears and blocks, and to co-create new possibilities together.
The Interpersonal:
On the interpersonal level, we come together to share our cultures, our stories and our struggles with each other, to deepen our understanding of each other and of ourselves. The Jam values diversity and seeks to bring together as diverse a group of people as possible. During the Jam, we hope to discover our commonalities and celebrate our differences. Given the conflicts happening in Egypt, it is not always easy to hold onto a vision of dignity and cooperation that exists beyond the narrative of ‘us’ vs. ‘them’. The Jam seeks to create dialogues that build on what is common among us, in which our differences are engaged, not with antagonism, but with a spirit of shared learning. We see the Jam as a chance to move from the ‘demon-ization’, to the ‘human-ization’ we so desperately need for a healthier future for all. The intention is to build trust and friendship, in a meaningful (not superficial) way. This means challenging stereotypes, inquiring appreciatively, being present with each other, speaking truth, working through tough places and being open to giving and receiving support. We feel that the more authentic our relationships are, the stronger the foundations we will have for developing new collaborations and synergies for living the journey of the change we wish to see in the world.
The Systemic:
On the systemic level, through the Jam, we become clearer about our vision and work in the world. We vision and practice the world we want; we nurture our beloved community. We get a chance to link issues that aren’t commonly linked, to notice crucial intersection points, and get a clearer picture of the whole. We come together to learn from each other: about what is working, about what mistakes we have made, about where we need help. We have a chance to share tools and ideas to support one another. In turn, we hope this helps us to generate a body of collective wisdom for transformation in the country. We also hope it will enable each participant to feel deepened in their capacity to affect meaningful positive change and carry their dreams forward.
What is NOT a JAM?
The Jam is a unique and special gathering, where we bring our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, and together explore what is alive for us towards healing, liberation and transformation. It is not a conference, seminar on a specific topic or a typical meeting. Also, the Jam is unlike many of the workshops that have been conducted around “hosting”. It is also not a training specifically, though participants usually pick up several dozen tools and practices that they can take forward into their work, families, and communities. The focus of the Jam is the people in the room – our struggles, hopes, fears, relationships, contexts, visions, identities, possibilities, and more – and what we can learn from and with each other to build the community we want to see.
Why is an Egypt JAM needed?
Egypt has been going through several changes & challenges in the last few years — political, societal, economic, religious, and ecological changes. With these broader changes on a national level come more personal transformations as well. With differing political, religious, and societal ideologies, Egyptians are becoming more polarized, making dialogue between them much more challenging. The JAM is an opportunity to have an intentional space where we can slow down and reconnect to ourselves, to each other and to nature. It is a space to re-energize and realign our values and our work as people who work for the well-being of this community in every field. To contemplate and reimagine what rhetoric we want to create in our struggle for justice and peace. We have also been going through the Covid-19 pandemic which has been challenging for many of us. The Jam will be a place to slow down, reflect, and heal from some of the challenges of this past year.
We invite you to take part in the Egypt JAM to be a part of a group of people who are yearning to reflect, deepen, heal, and co-create a vision for themselves, for their communities, and for Egypt. We also invite to be a part of the Jam to connect to a global community who are on similar pursuits around the world.
Who can attend?
- Persons are eligible to apply from all over Egypt, whether they are Egyptian nationals or not.
- Fluency in Arabic language since the Jam will be held in Arabic.
- Methods and venues of social engagement: entrepreneurs, NGOs, communities, families, neighborhoods, educationalists, healers, philanthropists, governmentalists, parliamentarians, environmentalists, academics etc.
- Issue- or work-focus: all spectrum of social change is welcomed. For example, community media, local economies and globalization, indigenous issues, education, food security, cultural regeneration, cultural exchange, interfaith, health and physical well-being, ecology, spiritual healing and recovering from trauma, arts, sustainable living tools and practices, political participation, socially- and ecologically-conscious building and architecture, upholding and honoring diverse forms of human dignity, etc.
- Diversity in Ethnicity, Religion, Age, and Gender are all welcomed.
Dates and Timings
The Jam will take place between 9-14 June, 2021. This is an online event. The session times are on June 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 from 5-7:30 pm (no session on June 11 to give a little more space for rest, integration, and participant-led session). There will be an optional time-slot for hanging out everyday from 7-7:30, and although it is not mandatory, we wish that you will be able to be there. So please save the full 2.5 hours on all of our session days (from 5 – 7:30 pm).
Also, very important: during the jam there will be so many spontaneous moments and thus we hope you will free up your schedule as much as possible, overall, so that if there is anything that you want to take part in you will be able to. Try not to schedule too much in the week, so you can have time for yourself to personally rest, reflect, marinate and digest, and also so you can participate in participant-led creative learning spaces, and also have time to deepen in the relationships you want to make with the people who come to Jam.
Financial Contributions
We invite a contribution to cover the facilitator honorarium. We ask for a sliding scale of contribution of 500-1,000 EGP. The expense per participant for the Jam is actually 750 EGP.
We work on a shared economy basis. Meaning, we apply a sliding scale of contribution. People who are able to pay more will help to cover the tuition of people who are paying less to cover the jam expenses. If you are able to contribute more, feel free to consider making a donation to the YES! Egypt Jam to help us bring in more applicants with financial difficulties.
In all cases, if you really think the Jam is the right place for you and that there is a calling for you to attend, please do not let money stand in the way of your participation.
Language of the JAM
Given the nature of the country, the Jam will be predominantly conducted in Arabic.
Who is putting the Egypt Jam together?
Below you can find the profiles of the Egypt Jam Facilitation and Organizing Team:
Lama El Hatow works in the environmental field focusing on climate change and water issues in this region. She is currently pursuing her PhD in the Netherlands at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) on Water governance of the Nile River basin under climate change. She is also the co-founder of the think tank the Water Institute for the Nile (WIN) looking at win-win solutions for water issues on the Nile River Basin for all African states.
Yousof Elkady has been a participant in life for 27 years now. He spends his time on drumming, outdoor activities, designing games and aimless wandering. He currently works at Makouk creating educational/entertainment games and activities.
Nariman Moustafa is a social innovation catalyst and an educational activist. She is currently the co-founder of the School for Education Entrepreneurs and the founder of Mesahat: an Egyptian Initiative for Self-Directed Education that aims to create spaces of free learning for children and adults. She has previously worked across several social issues with leading social entrepreneurs across the globe through her work with Ashoka Arab World. Nariman journeyed to the social innovation field after shifting careers from Dentistry. She practices art and mindfulness in various shapes and forms. She loves to travel, connect and enjoy coffee along with authentic conversations.
Zeina Morad uses creativity and painting as a means of self discovery, healing and meditation. To her, children and Nature are her greatest teachers. She strongly believes in the power of self expression. When people are given the space to “be”, the magical unfolding of their truest version of themselves is allowed to thrive; which leads to more easeful and harmonious living. Zeina has recently returned to Egypt after five years of living in the United States, where she participated in several Jams, including the 2016 Education Transformation Jam and the 2017 North America Leadership Jam. She is excited to meet new and old friends in the Egypt Jam!
Shilpa Jain is currently rooting herself in Oakland/Berkeley, CA, where she serves as the Executive Director of YES!. Prior to taking on this role, Shilpa spent two years as the Education and Outreach Coordinator of Other Worlds and ten years as a learning activist with Shikshantar: The Peoples’ Institute for Rethinking Education and Development, based in Udaipur, India, where she served as coordinator of the Swapathgami (Walkouts-Walkons) Network. Shilpa has facilitated dozens of transformative leadership gatherings in India, Jordan, Senegal, Lebanon, Egypt, Thailand, Canada, Peru, and the US, working with hundreds of young leaders from over 50 countries. She is passionate about cooperative games, dance and music, organic and natural farming, upcycling and zero waste living, asking appreciative questions and being in community.
Mohamed Shaltoot been working in the field of dialogue and peaceful coexistence for a little while now. He has been with Ambassadors for Dialogue as a volunteer for four years. Shaltoot was a participant at the Egypt Jam in 2016 and it was a turning point in his life.
Mohamed El Mongy is a certified mediator with over 20 years of experience in sustainable development and conflict transformation. Prior to founding Sycamore Consulting, Mohamed was Co-Founder and Director at Misriyati for Peace Building and Conflict Transformation Processes. A passionate believer in pan-African collaboration and the ability to transform situations through meaningful dialogue, Mohamed recently co-founded the Nile Forum, a platform and a learning ecology where people of – and interested in – the Nile Basin can engage in meaningful conversation, collective learning processes, reconnecting to the land and its stories and inspiring trans-local collaborations. Throughout his professional career, Mohamed has also held a variety of positions in sustainability consulting, brand management, and project management. Mohamed holds an MSc in Environment and Development from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and is currently pursuing his PhD in Integral Design. He also holds certifications in conflict resolution, agriculture and ecosystem services, and climate change and water.
About the YES! Network:
YES! is global nonprofit organization that connects, inspires and collaborates with change-makers to join forces for thriving, just and sustainable ways of life for all. We work at the meeting point of internal, interpersonal, and systemic transformation. YES! is a vibrant and dynamic body of people – staff, board, global program partners, alumni, and supporters – on a learning journey, seeking to live and work more consciously in alignment with our values. The organization and program principles focus on restoring balance and sustainability; means-to-end consistency; partnerships across historic divides; and intentional space for the role of love and spirit. YES! brings these core elements into social change movements worldwide by convening transformational gatherings called Jams and building lasting partnerships with diverse social entrepreneurs worldwide. YES!’s JAMs support some of the planet’s most potent and dedicated young social change leaders and are currently being held on six continents. If you want to learn more about the history of the JAMs, or to see where else they are happening in the world, please visit http://www.oldsite.yesworld.org.
How To Apply?
Apply today! (in English)
For Arabic speakers/readers, please check out the full invitation in Arabic (as a PDF). and here is the application in Arabic. We hope to receive your application!
Application Deadlines:
Priority Deadline: 1 May 2021
Regular Deadline (if space is still available): 29 May 2021
The sooner you apply, the better, as we will take admissions on a rolling basis.
We are only able to process and contact applicants who submit full applications (all questions answered). We invite you to give optimal time for the application and speak to us from your heart.
To keep the Jam intimate and participatory, we only have 25 spaces available. We will take applications on a rolling basis, meaning, we will admit applications as they are filled. So the sooner you fill out your application, the better, to be able to book your spot.
For any further inquiries, please email us what is on your mind at: Egyptjam@gmail.com.
We look forward to Jamming with You!
Hob Keteer ..
Nariman, Lama, Shaltoot, Yousof, Mongy, Zeina, Monica, and Shilpa