New Generations: Climate Justice Training - application

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The course consists of three areas of focus: (1) basics: developing theologies of care for the earth and her people; the
Description: New Generations: Climate Justice Pilot Project: February to July 2016 This is a five-month intensive program comprising of a bi-monthly long distance learning course, a two-and-a-half-day face-to-face retreat, and attendance at the Mission u Regional Study Training in Tempe, Arizona, in June 2016. The program will support the integration of young women’s leadership in the area of climate justice into the life of the United Methodist Church and their communities during this intensive training and beyond. Throughout the long distance learning intensive and sequential pre-Mission u meeting, the participants will be guided through a learning experience that will encourage and develop skills to work both within the structures of the church and partner with others outside the church to advance the goals of climate justice. The course consists of three areas of focus: (1) basics: developing theologies of care for the earth and her people; the role of young women in the Climate Justice movement; bringing concepts of climate justice to your own communities; and building fellowship with other young women in the movement; (2) effective solidarity work and organizing; and (3) teaching others about climate justice at Mission u and beyond. The overall goal of this program is to help young women build the skills necessary to teach the Mission u adult climate justice study in 2017 and to become environmental and climate justice actors within the church and their communities. Along the way, the program will also help build institutional conditions in support of this goal. Who: Twelve young women (ages 20 to 35) interested in climate justice advocacy recruited from diverse experiences, communities and contexts throughout the United States. Most will have already demonstrated concern for and/or be working toward climate justice/environmental justice. Candidates must be a part of the United Methodist Church. Why: n UMW and the UMC need a diverse group of young women leaders to take leadership roles in issues of climate justice and beyond. Through this program, which will include participating in the life of the church and community and the experience of teaching the climate justice study in 2017, participants will have a step up on leadership roles within the UMC/UMW. n Climate change and environmental degradation are wreaking havoc upon this earth and her people. Anxiety over this situation has become palpable in this generation. Young women need a way to work with the church on this issue and take advantage of its many resources for the sake of their future and their children’s future. n One of UMW’s four priorities is climate justice. Training a group of climate justice actors will help keep the focus on promoting climate justice education, initiatives and actions at the local, district and conference levels even after Mission u 2017.

How: Carmen Francesco, the climate justice intern and manager of this project, will be facilitating this group using a collaborative model. Throughout the group’s time together, the wisdom and experiences of the participants will be honored. The participants will engage in a collaborative, selforganized learning atmosphere. The work will take multiple forms including but not limited to small group work, whole group work, group devotionals led by participants, lessons and discussions. When and What: February–June 2016: Participants will engage in an intensive five-month program of home study with regular, bi-monthly phone-call check-ins, self-guided readings, some community work with both United Methodist Women leadership and the communities in which participants live, and online distance learning meetings via GoToMeeting; June 20–23: a New Generations retreat/learning experience in Prescott, AZ; June 23–26: attendance at the Mission u Regional Study Training in Tempe, AZ. Goals of the distance learning meetings, consisting of bi-monthly phone conferences/video conference meetings and a two-and-a-half-day retreat/learning experience, include: n Develop deeper understandings of God, spirituality, environmental justice, and Christianity as faithful disciples and individuals. n Create a space for reflection on young women’s environmental work as a part of the UMC/UMW experience. n Build fellowship between young women within UWM. n Get to know the UMW climate justice adult study and develop skills to help prepare participants to teach the adult study in 2017. These sessions will be self-organized with resource persons engaged in the process when necessary. The climate justice intern will help with the details of each session. The principle document will be the climate justice adult study—Climate Justice: A Call to Hope and Action— produced by UMW. The bi-monthly sessions will begin with an introductory session and then move onto the climate justice study starting in the first week of February. Developing a firm eco-theology and an understanding of its necessity in the church will be fundamental. The program will also provide opportunities for young women to network with their conference/district/local UMW and the UMC; it will include work around building anti-racist allies in the environmental movement. Staff contacts: Kathleen Stone, Executive Office of Economic and Environmental Justice: Project Director [email protected] 212-878-7814 Carmen Francesco, New Generations Climate Justice Intern: Project Manager & Facilitator [email protected] Mary Cheng, Director for Transformative Education: Mission u Consultant [email protected] Further Work Beyond July 2016: To be determined through the process and input of the participants, facilitator, project director, Mission U consultant, membership and jurisdictional guides.

New Generations: Climate Justice Group A Project of United Methodist Women Description The New Generations: Climate Justice program is designed as a collaborative training ground for newer generations of United Methodist Women to gain knowledge and a skill set that will help them advocate and act to address environmental injustices. Throughout this ten-class, bi-monthly distance learning course and sequential pre-Mission u retreat, women will be guided through a faith-based learning experience and training that will encourage and develop new leaders for the fight against climate injustice. The course consists of three areas of focus: (1) Basics: About the Movement, About Your Community, About Your Role; (2) Effective Solidarity Work and Organizing; (3) Teaching Mission U and Educating Others. The overall mission of this program is to build the necessary skills to teach the Mission u Climate Justice adult study in 2017 and to train and encourage young women to become environmental and climate justice actors within their own communities. Throughout our time together we will honor the wisdom and experiences of all of the participants by encouraging the group to engage in a collaborative learning atmosphere. The collaborative learning will take several forms, including (but not limited to) small group work, whole group work, and group devotionals and discussions led by participants. The goal of this collaborative learning model is to help young women build the necessary skills to collaborate with others within their own communities. Expectations of Participants Participants will commit to attending a minimum of eight of the ten bi-monthly classes; they will also complete each of the class assignments. If a participant is unable to attend a class, she will still be expected to develop a level of awareness about the topics covered and must also complete that session’s assignment. In addition, participants must attend the pre-Mission U training (June 21–23) in northern Arizona, which will precede the sequential Mission U Tempe Training (June 23–26). A learning contract between the participant and the UMW staff will be established at the beginning of the learning experience. After the trainings are completed, it is expected that the women will teach the Mission u climate justice adult study wherever possible throughout 2016 and 2017. Requirements This group will consist only of new generations of United Methodist Women (ages 20 to 35). Participants must have previous experience within United Methodist Women or the United Methodist Church and be willing to see this community as a community they can influence. Ideally, participants will have background knowledge in social justice or environmental justice. Participates MUST be able to commit to the expectations listed above. Deadline: Friday, February 5, 2016

New Generations Application Name: _______________________________________________________________________________ Preferred name & preferred pronoun: ____________________________________________________ Date of birth: ________________________________________________ Racial/ethnic background: ____________________________________ Mailing address:

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Permanent address: ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Email: ______________________________________________________ Telephone: (home) ______________________________ (cell)

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Best way to reach you: (select one) email, home phone, cell phone, other (please describe): ______________________________________________________________________________________ How are you affiliated with the United Methodist Church or United Methodist Women? ______________________________________________________________________________________

Short Answer What knowledge or experiences do you have participating in justice work? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Why are you interested in participating in this project? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________

What skills do you possess that would allow you to better contribute to this collaborative learning community? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Do you have any additional thoughts you would like to share? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Check box if you agree to the terms of this experience: o I, __________________________________ (fill in name), understand that by applying, I commit to dedicating my time to this learning experience, which includes a home study, pre-Mission u training conference, and Mission u training. I will dedicate the appropriate amount of time to the study (2–3 hours weekly). Furthermore, I understand that this group will rely on my participation, attention and involvement as an essential element in the process of learning. Therefore, throughout our time together, I will make my best effort to remain engaged and dedicated to the purpose of the group. I acknowledge that everyone participating in this group is at different places in their life journey and I will make a particular effort to help maintain an inclusive and safe learning environment dominated by God’s guiding principles of grace, compassion, justice and joy, all of which are encompassed in United Methodist Women’s Sisterhood of Grace. Please complete and send to both: Kathleen Stone, Exec for Economic and Environmental Justice, UMW at [email protected] Carmen Francesco, Project Manager, New Generations Projects [email protected]