Cultivating the seed of principled nonviolence in rising social change makers

Program Summary:

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What Metta Mentors is: The Metta Mentors Nonviolence Immersion Program is a 10-week mentorship (internship) program based in Berkeley, California. The program pairs students of nonviolence (mentees) with local partner organizations for practical nonviolence and social justice work, while offering regular guidance from Metta, in order to help participants 1) learn about the principles of nonviolence as a personal path, and 2) apply those principles effectively in the service of building a nonviolent culture.

Four days a week, participants work with a local (San Francisco East Bay Area) social justice organization to be of service as an intern, to gain experience in a given field, and to address specific issues relevant to nonviolence in their work.

Every Friday mentees come together under the guidance of the Metta Center to participate in reflective exercises, forums, and workshops that explore how to integrate nonviolence into social change work and daily life.

In short, Metta Mentors is an immersion program in applied nonviolence.

Detailed Program Description:

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Preamble: First, watch this one minute video about a certain kind of power….

What is this power? Some call it love in action; Kenneth Boulding, a peace scholar and activist, called it integrative power. By whatever name, this is the power employed in nonviolence – a power that when applied to social change can awaken the conscience of an entire people, gain civil rights for an oppressed minority, free a nation from imperialist rule. Through the Metta Mentors program we hope to offer a transformative experience to young aspiring change-makers and equip them with this most powerful of internal forces, which Gandhi called the “weapon of the brave”: nonviolence.

How Metta Mentors works…
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• Four days a week, participants will work with a local (San Francisco Bay Area) social change organization to address specific issues relevant to nonviolence such human rights, youth empowerment, conflict resolution, food justice and environmental sustainability, and other forms of social justice work.
• Every Friday mentees will come together under the guidance of the Metta Center to participate in forums and workshops that explore how to integrate nonviolence into social change work and daily life.

• Friday mornings will be geared toward personal reflection, as well as and facilitated discussion of the mentees’ experiences from the past week.

• Friday afternoons will offer workshops, speakers, and seminars on various topics of a more external nature exploring interpersonal nonviolence, exploration of nonviolence as a social and political force, etc.

• These Friday gatherings offer participants guidance and structure, while also allowing them the opportunity to democratically guide their own learning and experiences.

By participating in the program, mentees will:
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• embody the spirit of praxis, reflecting on principled nonviolence while working actively for social change.
• be challenged to ask tough questions and live out the answers during the 10-week mentorship, and beyond.
• receive guidance and mentorship from the Metta Center for immersion in a nonviolent paradigm
• build deep relationships with their peers and colleagues, thereby creating a community and culture of nonviolence that inspires and supports each individual to realize and activate their own potential for change.

Program Logistics:
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Program Dates: Friday, June 4, 2010 – Friday, August 13, 2010

Application submission: Applications will be accepted until spots are filled, with a priority deadline of March 26, 2010. Applicants will be notified of selection on or before April 30, 2010.

Location: Berkeley (and wider San Francisco Bay Area), California, U.S.A.

Stipend: While there is no predetermined stipend for this program, Metta Center will cover the costs of food and lodging for program participants, as well as incidentals such as travel money to reach program locations, etc. In most cases, mentees will be asked to cover travel expenses to California, though we will have funds available to cover travel expenses for international applicants. For more information on this topic, please see our FAQ section. Note that we are planning to work with mentees on an individual basis to determine the best way we can provide for your needs. Please contact us with any questions or concerns about this part of the program.

Time Commitment: Program participants commit to:

1) attend an orientation retreat from Friday, June 4 – Sunday, June 6.

2) devote 32 hours each week (8 hours/day) to the mentorship program for nine Monday-Thursday work weeks, beginning Monday, June 14, and ending Thursday, August 12. (The first week of the program, June 7-10, is an introductory period, where participants will have time to orient themselves with their partner organization, the local community, and each other.

3) complete a culminating project. This project will be co-created and largely self-directed by the mentees. More information on this project will be available at the outset of the program.

Partner Organizations: Each mentee will be paired with a partner organization, with whom they will work Monday-Thursday of each week. Mentees are encouraged to play a part in the selection of their partner organization, and in the creation of their work plan, though full support and guidance will be offered by Metta Center every step of the way. For more information on how the PO aspect of the program works, please see our FAQ section.

Application: Please note: only applications submitted via email will be accepted. We would love to have you as a participant in our 2010 program! You can download the application here as a Word doc (also available in PDF format here, for those who may have difficulty with the Word format).

What is the Metta Center for Nonviolence?
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The Metta Center for Nonviolence (previously the Metta Center for Nonviolence Education) is a nonviolence resource center, which exists to raise consciousness about principled nonviolence and serve as a catalyst in the shift toward a modern nonviolent paradigm. We were established in 1982 by Prof. Michael Nagler, a world-renowned Gandhian scholar and practitioner of nonviolence, and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. Michael currently serves as the President of Metta, and provides important guidance to the Metta Mentors and other Metta programs. Today we offer a breadth of ongoing programs to serve anyone who wishes to learn and practice nonviolence, which Gandhi called “the greatest force at the disposal of humanity.” Metta Mentors offers the most in-depth and personalized experience of all of our programs.

Questions? Check out our FAQ page
Feel free to contact the 2010 coordinator with questions:
mettamentors@mettacenter.org | 510 548 5550