Get to Know Accelerating Racial Justice 2013!

The final deadline for Accelerating Racial Justice 2013 passed and we've got our group together!  Thirty-four Bearcats are scheduled to head to Grailville for a week on racial justice and inclusive leadership in August.

Twenty-six of these are participants, the second class of ARJ ever!  Eight are serving in formal leadership roles.

Here's a little insight into our group:

Our group is academically strong, reporting an average GPA of 3.3.

The group comes from seven UC's colleges and represents a balance of class standings.

A&S= McMicken College of Arts & Sciences; CAHS = College of Allied Health Sciences; CBA = Lindner College of Business Administration; CCM = College Conservatory of Music; CEAS = College of Engineering & Applied Science; CECH = College of Education, Criminal Justice, & Human Services; DAAP = College of Design, Art, Architecture, & Planning

In the application process, the group was given the chance to share their racial identity and all chose to answer.  Here is the group's make-up by reported racial identity:

Because You Can't Do RAPP's the Nine-Month... - Apply for Accelerating Racial Justice

Reposted and updated from June 2012:

Throughout our twenty-seven years at UC, RAPP's main program has been our academic year-long program.  In budgetary lean times, it's the core we keep alive.  It's arguably the origin of intergroup dialogue.  It's dynamic and ever evolving, ever improving.
It's also inaccessible to lots of students.

Under semesters, this is even more so an issue.  Previously, we were relatively easily able to accommodate folks who co-oped or interned out-of-town for a quarter.  Now that they're out for half the year instead of a third, we're much less able to do this.

This year, we moved back to having one group of 35 that meets throughout the year instead of two groups (which RAPP had for the previous four years and a total of six of our twenty-six years).  This means there's only one night for meetings:  Wednesday.

So, if you co-op/intern out of the city and/or are busy on Wednesdays, the nine-month program is not an option for you.

Don't worry - because Accelerating Racial Justice hopefully IS an option for you!

Accelerating Racial Justice is RAPP's newer five-day, four-night intensive.  For a week, you'll build community while enhancing your knowledge and skills around racial justice and inclusive leadership.

The intensive runs Monday, August 12th to Friday, August 16th.  Transportation to and from the retreat as well as meals, lodging, and supplies are provided at no charge to participants.  The only cost to you is your time!

Apply now for Accelerating Racial Justice!  Applications are due by 5PM on Friday, May 3rd!

Not available for a year-long program? No problem!  Spend a free week with us at Grailville Retreat Center through Accelerating Racial Justice!

How to Apply There are two steps to apply for this life-changing program:

1. Read the Information for Potential Applicants.  This piece is designed to cover the common questions people may have about Accelerating Racial Justice to help you decide if it's what you're looking for.
2. Complete a written application.  This application gathers basic information from candidates.  Information on how to access the application is available in the Information for Potential Applicants, which you are expected to read before completing a written application.

Please contact Rebecca Lehman at lehmanrl@uc.edu or 513.556.6119 with any questions you may have.

Take a Free "Learning Vacation" - Apply for Accelerating Racial Justice

Reposted and updated from June 2012:

Students' lives are busy ones!  You work tirelessly to build harmony between a lot of competing priorities, such as classes & classwork, work-work, families, friends, hobbies, and more.  Taking a moment to stop in the go!-go!-go! life and reflect on that life is a rare luxury.

Accelerating Racial Justice invites you to take time this August 12-16 to stop, breathe, and reflect on yourself as a student leader and person.

We take participants to the beautiful Grailville Retreat Center in Loveland, OH, and house & feed you while there.

The RAPP mission is fighting oppression through individual awareness and collective action.  We lead you through activities that enhance your knowledge and skills around racial justice and inclusive leadership.  You learn and teach with a group of 38 other UC students, building a supportive and meaningful community.  You are given the time to focus on yourself - your whole self as a person, community member, leader, and learner.

This program is FREE for all UC students - graduate and undergraduate, all majors, all colleges, all campuses.  The only cost to you is your time.

Apply today for this free learning vacation!  Applications are due by 5PM on Friday, May 3rd!

How to Apply There are two steps to apply for this life-changing program:

1. Read the Information for Potential Applicants.  This piece is designed to cover the common questions people may have about Accelerating Racial Justice to help you decide if it's what you're looking for.
2. Complete a written application.  This application gathers basic information from candidates.  Information on how to access the application is available in the Information for Potential Applicants, which you are expected to read before completing a written application.

Please contact Rebecca Lehman at lehmanrl@uc.edu or 513.556.6119 with any questions you may have.

Impressions of Cuba: Women, Religion, & Culture - Feb 17th!

From Grailville:


Join Grail member, Mary Lu Lageman, as she discusses her Cuban connection!

Grail Member Mary Lu Lageman will offer first-hand impressions of our near neighbor to the south.   In the summer of 2012 a small group of Grail members joined other women for a friendly and informative visit to Cuba, made under the auspices of a Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn with longstanding ties to this geographically close, but socio-politically distant country.

Mary Lu will share her stories, pictures and learnings about the history, culture, health and education systems of this country, and especially about the amazing women she met who are involved in many aspects of Cuban life and leadership. Join us for a lively discussion and a day of first hand experiences.

What:
Impressions of Cuba: Women, Religion & Culture

When: 
Sunday, February 17, 2013 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Where: 
Grailville Retreat & Program Center
932 O'Bannonville Rd.
Loveland, OH 45140

Reservations are requested. For those wishing to register without making the suggest donation of $5.00, please email Morgan Lyn, Marketing & Program Associate, to register for this program by clicking here.

"Journey of the Universe" A Film Screening at Grailville - Jan 27th!

From Grailville:

Journey of the Universe:

A Film Screening

Sunday, January 27, 2013

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm  

Grailville continues its inquiry into the meeting of science and spirituality with Journey of the Universe, an award winning documentary by cosmologist Brian Swimme and scholar Mary Evelyn Tucker that considers the human connection to Earth and Cosmos and the 13.7 Billion year journey that brought us here. Through their engaging and thoughtful observations we will encounter anew the profound role we play in this intricate web of life.

Following the screening a 9-part study and discussion series will follow on Sundays at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm from February 3 - April 28.

This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required. For more information or to register, click here or contact (513) 683-2340. 

Winter Day of Quiet at Grailville - Jan 26th!

From Grailville:

Winter Day of Quiet

Saturday, January 26, 2013

10:00 am - 3:00 pm  

 

Experience Grailville as a space of quiet prayer and reflection. During this self-directed day, Grailville will provide quiet space and a simple contemplative framework for participants. Grailville is the perfect place to enjoy a day of rest and renewal. While you are here we encourage you to take advantage of our hiking trails, outdoor labyrinth and peaceful environment.

 

For those who wish to also participate in  Mandalas for the New Year, may attend our Winter Day of Quiet for just $15.  

 

The fee is $20, which includes lunch. Reservations are required. Some scholarships may be available. For more information or to register, click here or contact (513) 683-2340. 

Art of Living: A Creativity Retreat for Women - Nov 16th-18th!

From Grailville:

Art of Living:

A Creativity Retreat for Women

November 16-18, 2012

Make your life into ART!

Join visual artist Diane Debevec, dancer Gloria Esenwein and poet Pauletta Hansel in a retreat meant to to interweave visual arts, movement, writing and singing as pathways to self-healing, creative expression and personal transformation. The Art of Living will include time for individual and group creative explorations, rest and reflection, and connecting with other women.

Facilitators are:

· Diane Debevec, a Cincinnati artist specializing in oil and pastel painting, as well as paintings and drawings in a variety of mediums for private and commissioned sale. Diane teaches workshops and classes to a wide spectrum of participants, from novices to professionals. As a teacher, she is known for both her passion and her patience.

· Gloria Esenwein, a dancer/performer, choreographer and educator, has taught and led movement and dance classes/workshops for over 20 years. Her choreography often combines personal story with movement and life's HUMOR. Gloria's movement work with residents of healthcare facilities and her study of movement and massage inform her teaching. She appreciates that each of us learns in highly individualistic ways and she enjoys discovering what works for her students.

· Pauletta Hansel, MFA, a poet, teacher and author of four collections of poetry, Divining (WovenWord Press), First Person (Dos Madres Press), What I Did There (Dos Madres Press) and The Lives we Live in Houses (forthcoming from Wind Publications). Pauletta directs Grailville's Practice of Poetry program, intended to help women find new meaning in our experiences, and make room for both inspiration and careful discernment in our spiritual and creative lives.

Past participants have said:

"This weekend has helped me to get reacquainted with my inner artist!"

"I ecstatically appreciate the time to be 100% art."

"It was perfect in a way nothing is ever perfect."

Give yourself the gift of time and community. Go deep. Play hard. Reconnect with the artist within. Whether you already engage in a regular practice of creative expression or only wish you did, this retreat is for you!

The fee is $300 for single occupancy and $250 for double occupancy. Participation as a commuter ($200) is also available, although we encourage women to stay at Grailville in order to really retreat. Reservations are required. Some scholarships are available. For more information or to register, click here or contact (513) 683-2340.