Windcall Residency Program

Application UpdateGuesthouse

In 2008, Windcall Residencies will be selected from among those social change organizers who have been on our waiting list for some time.

The deadline for applications for 2009 Residencies is SEPTEMBER 1, 2008. Application information will be posted on this website after July 1, 2008.

Information on the Application Process

Our aim is to honor and renew the commitment and energy of those who work towards a more just society. If you’ve been doing this difficult work and need to step back to see what’s ahead, we encourage you to apply to the Windcall Residency Program.

 

Windcall is a supportive environment to explore the unknown with the space and time to build new visions or to find again what feeds your soul.

 

Impact

The Windcall Residency Program's (WRP) effectiveness is based on nineteen years of insights into burnout, experiential learning strategies for leaders, and the dynamics of social justice organizations and movements. Evaluations and reflections by the Residents themselves - who are not only participants but also seasoned social justice leaders have demonstrated Windcall's impact.

 

Residents almost uniformly report that the WRP played a key role in sustaining their vision, sense of balance, and sheer ability to stay at the helm of their organizations or in another leadership role.

 

Many report, long after their Residencies, that they have a new appreciation for reflective leadership and have found ways to keep themselves healthy and off the burnout track.

 

Many have been inspired to create truly sustainable organizations that promote leadership development, succession planning, and healthier work cultures.

 

A significant number of residents have been inspired to innovate in some way, ranging from creating new organizations and new projects to developing new methodologies.

 

For many, it was the first time they have truly felt valued for their considerable personal sacrifices.

 

The WRP's approach to reflective renewal produces real gains for people who are completely committed to their work, live by endless lists, and who often haven't had a vacation in years. By being in a small cohort, residents benefit from the insights of others -- stepping back to see their work in a wider context and reflecting on the past and future in ways that daily life seldom permits. The results are powerful for leaders and their organizations.

 

How the Program Works

The WRP program benefits a group of three to four leaders at a time over the period of two weeks. All programs -- with the exception of the nightly dinner/peer exchange with other residents -- are at the residents' discretion. The program, room and board, food and most of the travel are free to the Residents through the generous contributions of Windcall alumni, donors and institutional funders. During the program, leaders create an individualized agenda designed to unearth their own questions and visions.


A Windcall Resident's time might include:

  • Wide-open reflection time to envision new possibilities time and space Residents almost never have in their daily lives
  • Mutual support in a safe environment and powerful exchanges with colleagues who work on different issues yet face similar challenges
  • Writing and opportunities to be creative, nourishing new insights and sources of inspiration
  • Yoga, hiking, and other activities in nature which take residents out of constant strategizing and encourage visioning and a different kind of risk taking
  • Dialogue about reflection, renewal and strategies for sustainable personal and organizational practices

 

Criteria

Windcall Residents are leaders in local and national efforts to achieve social, economic and environmental justice in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We give first consideration to grassroots community and labor organizers working in low-income communities. We also accept applications from cultural workers, advocates, and activists. If leaders are in one of these categories, their applications are enhanced if they can demonstrate how their work engages other people in taking collective action for social change. All residents have at least five years experience with organizations demonstrating their long-term commitment to social change.

 

The WRP is for individuals only, although spouse and/or partners who are both qualified for the program may attend Windcall at the same time, as long as they each qualify and are accepted.

Prospective residents apply for the program through a short application, including a personal statement about why the applicant thinks a period of reflection would be beneficial, and references. Residents are chosen by a national Selection Committee comprised of former residents who are familiar with the challenges faced by social justice leaders.

 

Windcall Residency Program in Vermont

After its first 18 years in Montana, the Windcall Residency Program is now located in Vermont. We are searching for a long-term site for the Residency Program. If you have ideas about possible sites for Windcall, please click contact us.

 

The Hosts
The Pie-in-the-Sky hosts, Jude Sargent and Jay Moore, are long-time activists in Vermont progressive movements, are skilled at making their guests feel comfortable, and have been trained by the WI and its founders in how to create the best environment for Residents.

 

The Land
Pie-in-the-Sky is situated in a quiet, friendly valley of rolling hills and family farms in southern Vermont. The property includes two beaver meadows and deer and other animals may be visible. Walking trails extend through forests and open fields back to a deserted farm pond and to a gorgeous view of the Knox Mountains. Other views of the Green Mountains are nearby. Within a short drive is the Groton State Forest, the largest piece of public land in northern Vermont, with numerous opportunities for hiking, picnicking, boating and swimming. Montpelier, Vermonts small capital, is an easy half-hour drive away. The area's flavor reflects its mix of long-time native Vermont farmers and loggers, as well as artists, writers, and craftspeople that have settled there for the progressive environment, cultural opportunities, and the outdoor or back-to-the-land lifestyle.

 

The Facilities
Windcall at Pie-in-the-Sky in an 1850's Greek Revival style farmhouse. A sunroom, porches and decks on all sides provide beautiful views at different times of day. Each resident has his/her own bedroom plus a semi-private living room space in which to read or hang out. The two full baths are shared with the other Residents. The retreat half of the old farmhouse has a full kitchen for Residents' use. Dinner is prepared for residents nightly.

Photographs of Pie-in-the-Sky are available at: http://www.pieinsky.com/


Windcall Residents: 1989-2006

 

Resident Quotes:

"Without Windcall, many activists would not have found a way to take care of themselves and think about how to do activism in a more sustainable and effective way."
Taj James, Movement Strategy Center, Oakland, CA

"Many activist leaders deal with grief every day. We see human and ecological injustice. And it hurts. Ideally this pain is transformed into the energy that fuels our work. But often, the intensity of our lives keeps too much of the pain buried deep in our hearts and in our overstressed bodies."
Dianne Bady, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition

"I have been inspired by the essential beauty of wilderness, of a genuine silence, of a comforting darkness, but even more by the deep compassion and sense of humanity of my fellow residents. Windcall allows us to surround ourselves not only with trees, flowers, birds and streams-but with the deep-rooted strength of freedom fighters."
Bill Gallegos, Communities for a Better Environment, Los Angeles, CA