LEAPYEAR eXcalibur GroupSeptember 2015 – May 2016Packet III Academic and Mental Readiness(8/4/15 revision – Page 1 of 15)

Dear LEAPYEAR student,You are about to embark on a year of transformation in which your creativity, passion and vision are supported and cultivated. This packet is meant to help you get ready for the upcoming year and the academics that lie ahead, as well as to help you understand what you can expect during the retreats throughout the year. In this packet you will find the following:

1. Background and philosophy of the LEAPYEAR retreats.2. Information about the media policy during your LEAPYEAR.3. The first assignments for your LEAPYEAR courses. Please note the due date

below in the gray box.4. The first steps in the process of designing your summer semester solo

internship. Please note: Any further information that is relevant to the upcoming year will be emailed to you and/or posted to: www.leapnow.org/lngroups. Please check your email and the website regularly between now and the start of your LEAPYEAR.

If questions or concerns arise for you as you go through this material, please contact the LEAPYEAR staff at 1-707-431-7265. We are looking forward to an amazing journey with you!

Sam, Cassie, and the LEAPYEAR Staff

Please note that it is vital that all assignments in this packet are undertaken and completed by the DUE DATE. We will use each assignment during the first retreat.

Email each completed assignment to academics@leapnow.org Please be sure to email all assignments in Word format, double-spaced,

and include Your Name and eXcalibur Group 2015 in each assignment and in the subject line of each email.

DUE DATE: Friday, September 11, 2015

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LEAPYEAR ASSIGNMENTS - DEEPENING THE JOURNEYThe assignments that follow are intended to prepare you for LEAPYEAR by directing your inquiry, and by taking practical advantage of this pre-program time to prepare you for your journey. The assignments are designed and crafted in a way to help familiarize you with another culture, prepare for your journey in LEAPYEAR, and help you to choose an internship. Have fun with these assignments and use them as a way to explore your ideas and reflect on your vision for the upcoming year. Please use the following checklist to ensure you have completed all of these required assignments by the due date.

1) Intentions & Agreements Reflection: Complete this reflection and writing assignment. *Email*

2) Three Month Exploration: Complete this assignment described below. *E-mail*

3) Résumé: Complete your résumé. This is vitally important for us to be able to place you in your spring semester individual internship. *E-mail*

4) Integrated Essay and Guiding Questions: Complete this assignment described below. *E-mail*

5) Introductory Presentation: Prepare your 10 minute presentation. Include your poem as part of your presentation. No Power Point or laptop presentations, please!

6) Memorize a Poem: As part of your presentation, choose a poem that speaks to you and be prepared to share it.

7) Required Readings : Review required reading list. Purchase and bring the books with you to first retreat.

8) Academic Supplies: Find or purchase academic supplies you will need to bring with you before coming to our campus.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EMAILING ASSIGNMENTS:► Send to academics@leapnow.org ► Send as an Attachment in WORD format (Double-Spaced). ► Include your Name, eXcalibur Group 2015 and the Title of each assignment at the top of each assignment and in the subject line of each e-mail.

DUE DATE: Friday, September 11, 2015

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PARTICIPATION, RETREAT WEEKS AND CONSCIOUS COMMUNITY"We are the only creature in creation that can refuse to be itself. You never hear a crow saying…..Oh, if I could only be an eagle! We are the only creature in creation that can live in exile. That is why it is an absolute triumph to just be yourself. We say, ‘just be yourself.’ Actually, it’s the most frightening thing to be." David Whyte

“In the midst of crisis people often break through to intimacy, an empathetic, mindful relationship that arises naturally out of who we are. Being who we are calls forth respect and love and wanting the best for one another and for ourselves. This “right relationship”…is as essential to the continuity of human life as the air we breathe.”

Rosalind Diamond

LEAPYEAR is an invitation to learn to live your life in a different way. A key component of LEAPYEAR is the exploration and creation of community and authentic relationships. Authentic relationships are based on mutual respect and trust that allows us to express our true selves and support our individual development. Throughout our year together we will collectively discover the elements and practices that promote healthy, productive, authentic relationships not only with each other but also with our own selves. Being in authentic relationship with ourselves is key to being in authentic relationship with all others. When groups of people come together for a common purpose, there is a collective spirit created by the individuals that make up that group, their individual goals and their relationships to each other. This underlying spirit is the sense of connection: the bond of the group. This bond is created and strengthened by sharing energy: learning and working together, making and sharing food, singing, hanging out, chanting, playing, traveling and talking. These elements are vital to the development of the group during the year. The quality of conversation in a group has a lot to do with the level of relationships that develop. Think about your most important, most meaningful relationships. They are probably with people with whom you can have deeper and more meaningful conversations, and that you can reveal a truer sense of yourself and of your feelings with – in short, people that you can “be real” with. The relationships that you will develop with each other during your LEAPYEAR will likely be some of the most meaningful relationships you have ever had. This is the reason that LEAPYEAR graduates often stay in communication with each other and become a network of support in each other’s lives long after the year is over.In order to create these extraordinary relationships you will be asked to stretch yourself to new levels of self-revelation and discovery and find courage for new levels of participation and vulnerability. Participating fully, opening up to new possibilities in relating and communicating, speaking your truth, learning to listen deeply to yourself and others is what our retreat time is largely about.One of the central questions to address in our own development and maturity into adulthood is: How can I be fully myself and also be fully with others? Most of us grow up learning to be some way that we believe others want us to be, in order to get

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love, approval or acceptance. Because of this, most people fear sharing their true thoughts and feelings. Sharing positive feelings is easy – people are sure to approve – but we tend to feel differently about uncomfortable feelings. When a group of people is sufficiently accepting for all feelings to be shared, people are then able to meet on the level of who we really are and how we really feel in each moment. As we become more grounded in our relationship with our own self, we are able to connect more deeply with others while standing in our own truth. As a result, relationships become possible on a much deeper level than we ever imagined possible. Through relationships with others we meet aspects of ourselves that are simply not accessible when we are by ourselves. That is why in order to grow and mature, it is very helpful to explore and discover those parts of yourself that are only revealed through relationship.

“An individual cannot survive as a person if his/her experience is solely that of the repression of the feelings of the true self. Such an individual remains an uneducated child, untested, undeveloped. In effect, the person shrivels and dies from disuse.” Joan Timmerman

During LEAPYEAR you will be introduced to skills, tools and practices that open up new possibilities for deeper, more meaningful ways of relating and communicating. It is exciting, enlivening and can also be challenging and difficult. Almost all LEAPYEAR students find that their inner journey is much more challenging than the outer journey abroad. You cannot “fake your way through” for an entire year. You must show up and participate fully and authentically, and this may mean experiencing the parts of yourself that are

confused, insecure, scared, painful or incoherent.We will utilize the LEAPYEAR community, our relationships with each other and our relationship with ourselves, to explore new levels of sharing our deepest feelings, discover our deepest truths and work collaboratively toward essence-based relationships. Know that you will continually be challenged and empowered to really stretch yourself, step outside your comfort zone and find your most authentic self.To support the formation of this quality of community the school is located in a quiet, rural location. If you imagine that LEAPYEAR is like a typical college campus, where you can come and go as you please, do whatever you like, smoke, drink and party, please revise your thinking. During the retreats, you will not have access to the internet, texting, video games, cell phones, DVD’s, television, headphones, drugs, alcohol, junk food – some of the many distractions that people use to keep from hearing their inner voice. We ask each participant to attend all of the retreat weeks in their entirety, and schedule other activities, such as visits with friends or family, during non-school dates. The idea is not to curtail your freedom, or control you – but to create a container in which each student can turn their attention to their inner world – an adventure that each LEAPYEAR student has expressed an interest in undertaking.

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Within LEAPYEAR, the fall semester abroad and the spring semester internship are designed to facilitate your learning through experiences and learning in diverse cultures – by going “out.” Retreat weeks are set up for you to learn about yourself – by going “in.” Taken as a whole, the year is designed to help you map and navigate your world by going “far out” while abroad, and “far in” while on retreat. Finally, please know in advance that LEAPYEAR is meant to be challenging. This is by design. If you expect it to be hard, it will be easier for you. If you expect it to be easy, you may be surprised. We grow by overcoming and facing difficulties, without them it can be difficult to really know what we are made of. We aim to give you a series of successively difficult challenges, so that you can know yourself and your deep strength more and more fully throughout your year.

Phone & Media Use During Retreats & Travel:During your LEAPYEAR interview, we let each of you know that LEAPYEAR retreats are media-free. This means that during retreats and group travel, you’ll put aside your use of cell phones, iPods, email, entertainment & computers.

This generation is the first to grow up with virtual reality, with continuous and immediate communication, and with constant interruption and dividing of attention. These are not necessarily positives for the development of a human being. As a result of such media saturation and integration, even a short-term withdrawal from media can be a real challenge. We intend to positively challenge you with this withdrawal, for the following good reasons:

So that you can focus on what you are doing and what is real (cooking, talking, making music, etc.). So you can be where you are – not anywhere else.

To stimulate your creativity and foster direct communication between people. To give you a chance to be out of touch with your family and friends – so that you

can hear yourself think and feel. This allows you to define yourself in a fresh way during a time of important growth and transition.

So that you can begin to hear your quiet inner guiding voice To give you a chance to speak your deep truths, to be heard and seen, and to

deeply see and hear others. This gives you the opportunity to form deep and meaningful relationships.

For more background and research about the impact of technology on human relationships, check out this link to a New York Times article by Sherry Turkle, a professor at M.I.T. who studies this topic: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html?_r=3&emc=eta1&pagewanted=all#comments

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We’ve been limiting media usage with excellent results for the past 22 groups. Here’s the media policy for the three main elements of LEAPYEAR:

Four LEAPYEAR Retreats at Maacama: You will not have access to media during these eight weeks. Your phones and laptops are put safely away in our office. We will ask you to contact parents during the first and last days of each retreat. We will ask you to let friends and family know that you’ll be out of touch during these times. Laptops will be available selectively for academic work. You will always be reachable by phone through the LEAPNOW office in case of emergency.

Group Travel – First Semester: LEAPYEAR students leave cell phones behind during the first semester of group travel. Our group leaders carry cell phones for regular communication with our office, for safety and in case of emergency. Our office can reach them 24/7 during this period. During group travel, you will have regular access to Internet cafes where you will be able to email and make Skype calls to friends and family as well as to phones. Each year students tell us that they wish they had spent less time on Facebook or online and more time exploring while traveling. Past students have recommended that you seriously consider closing your Facebook account for the travels (if you have one) – so you can focus on where you are and on your travel group. We also recommend leaving your iPod behind, but that’s too much of a stretch for most students.

Individual Travel – Second Semester: During the 3-month internship period, you will decide how you wish to use media and how accessible you wish to be.

Before arriving for each LEAPYEAR retreat, please let your friends and family know that you will be out of

email and phone contact during your retreats.

A Note on Resistance:As you work your way through the assignments in this packet, please bring your awareness to any resistance you have to doing this work, or any obstacles that arise to doing the work (procrastination, busy-ness, rebellion, disorganization, resentment). It is likely that what stands in the way of your being successful with these assignments, stands in your way in other places in your life. Everything is grist for the mill! Our gifts and challenges are present in everything we do. Begin the process now of mapping your gifts and challenges.

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LEAPYEAR ASSIGNMENTS1. INTENTIONS AND AGREEMENTS REFLECTION: Please reflect on and write in response to the three questions for both Intentions and Agreements.

INTENTIONS: Intentions are a powerful tool for creating what we want. Nature abhors a vacuum - so rather than take your chances and make do with what comes your way, take some time to write about your intentions for the coming year to the best of your ability.

1. What are your intentions for the year? What do you want? Given that the focus and intention of LEAPYEAR is education for the evolution of the whole human being, how might your intentions capture how you want to evolve emotionally, intellectually, socially, intuitively, and in relationship to your body? You will have time to develop these intentions during the first retreat but let your thoughts simmer on paper as you make your way towards the beginning of LEAPYEAR.

2. Imagine that next summer, you are describing how you’ve changed over the course of LEAPYEAR. What would you say (in a paragraph or so…)?

3. How can you be the source of an amazing year for yourself? Name at least three gifts that you are bringing into the year that will help create the year you are imagining.

AGREEMENTS: Clearly defined agreements among group members create a safe container for relating, learning and growing that educates, challenges and demands a high level of involvement and creativity from all participants. They create the crucible in which transformation is supported, safe and yours. One of the first tasks you will be involved in during the first retreat is creating this container with your group.

1. Write about a time you felt a part of a community that supported your voice. 2. What are the ingredients of a “dream” community for you? What is it that you

most value?3. What agreements do you want to have within your group that would create a

safe container for you to learn, grow, change, challenge and speak truthfully? Define at least five agreements and describe why these are important to you.

The following are examples of agreements that past LEAPYEAR groups have made to help foster a feeling of emotional safety and stimulate real conversation:

I agree to be on time so we may end on time. I agree to respect the confidentiality of the group. If the need/desire arises to speak

outside of the group, I agree to speak only of my own experience. I agree to tell the truth and feel my feelings and to do so in relationship with the

group. I agree to be 100% responsible for my well-being. I agree to speak from the place of ‘I’. I agree to turn complaints into requests. I agree not to gossip with or speak negatively about other group members. If I have a

problem with a group member, I agree to deal with them directly.

Please respond to these questions as deeply as possible.7

There are no right answers, only your answers.

During the first retreat, we will talk more about intentions and agreements, as well as the difference between agreements and the program rules.

► Send to academics@leapnow.org ► Send as an Attachment in WORD format (Double-Spaced). ► Include your Name, eXcalibur Group 2015 and the Title at the top of the assignment and in the subject line of your email.

DUE DATE: Friday, September 11, 2015

2. THREE MONTH EXPLORATION: Imagine you have 3 months to explore ANYWHERE, do ANYTHING in the world. Answer the following questions to begin this discovery process.

1. Close your eyes and imagine: You can go anywhere, do anything for three months. There are no limits, no boundaries. This is a dream three month experience. Identify your Three Month Exploration: What is your personal vision for three months of exploration? Who do you want to become in the journey? Consider these questions in your answer:

What aspects of yourself - your gifts, your talents, your challenges - do you want to develop or explore?

Is your dream related to specific career exploration? In what ways would you like to grow during your 3 months? Describe you ideal environment that promotes your mental, physical, emotional

well-being. Do you want or need to learn a foreign language? What else would you need to make this experience successful for you? What would success look like for you?

2. Describe experiences that have prepared you for challenges and risks you may face. Include the following:

Courage – attempting to reach a goal in spite of fears. To be courageous is to participate fully with clear intention in the face of fear, uncertainty or doubt. Identify the fears you have about this journey and describe ways you may confront and overcome them.

Endurance – the ability to persevere through difficulties. To be steadfast is the demonstrated ability to stand in one’s commitment in the face of adversity - what the world throws at you or what you throw at yourself. You go beyond mere survival to demonstrate strength and perseverance.

Intelligent decision-making – responsibility in action. Show that you are able to consider important factors such as safety, support systems, itinerary, emotional and physical self-preservation and contingency plans to deal with the unexpected; that you are able to do what you need to do, not only what you want to do.

Self-reliance in an unfamiliar environment – the ability to apply skills and knowledge to new situations. Show how you will apply learning from your past experiences to your current one.

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► Send to academics@leapnow.org ► Send as an Attachment in WORD format (Double-Spaced). ► Include your Name, eXcalibur Group 2015 and the Title at the top of the assignment and in the subject line of your email.

DUE DATE: Friday, September 11, 2015

TOP FIVE INTERNSHIPS:AFTER you send us your Three Month Exploration, you will be sent a packet called Top Five Internships. It will include a list of 100 amazing internship possibilities. Your task will be to choose your Top 5 Internships from that list.Be sure to get us your Three Month Exploration as soon as possible so you have time to imagine and explore your top 5!

3. RESUME: We will need your resume in order to make your second semester internship placement. Follow the “Resume Guidelines” on this page to complete your resume. An easy way to do this is to cut and paste the sample resume into a document, and then simply replace the generic information with specific information about you. Guidelines are also available at the group web page (www.leapnow.org/lngroups).

RESUME GUIDELINES Create a resume for yourself that highlights your experience- focus on your high school years. We have included a sample resume to get you thinking. Feel free to cut and paste and fill in

your own information. You can also use a resume building program on your computer. The sample includes some of the experience you can anticipate in Latin America. Feel free to include it, or not, in your resume.

When in doubt about whether to include something or not- include it. We will help you edit it later.

Consider your experience in all areas including: Work Experience, Relevant Coursework, Outdoor Experience, Art Experience, Volunteer Experience, Education, Travel

Keep your résumé to ONE PAGE in length.

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Sample ResumeXavier Excalibur1008 Integrity Way (707) 442-1234Calistoga, CA 95473 email: traveler@gmail.com

EDUCATIONB.A. – Naropa University: LEAPYEAR Program. Freshman year – earning 30 semester hours of credit

while studying, working and doing internships in the U.S. and abroad. See below for detail.High School Diploma - Hillside School, La Canada, California, and Healdsburg High School,

Healdsburg, CA. Cumulative GPA=3.9 Focus on: Spanish language, Peer Counseling.

WORK EXPERIENCELEAPYEAR Program: Sept. 2015– CurrentUndergraduate-level academic year program of study which included:

Semester of Study and travel in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru: Spanish Language Study, Semester of Spanish Immersion, Yoga Retreat, Volcano Trek, Volunteering with local nonprofits, Home stays and service projects

Customer Service – Oakville Grocery Prepared Foods Dept., Healdsburg, CA Summer 2015Provided customer service, did catering, prepared gourmet and regional foods, organized and maintained workstation, and substituted for sous chef.Volunteer Work: Coach/Assistant – Special Olympics – assisted with various events April 2015Prepared and distributed food to the homeless in San Francisco Dec 2014Boys and Girls Club Christmas Tree Farm. Organized/assisted with tree sale. Nov 2013& ‘14Rotary Crab Feed Benefit Dinner. Organized, served & cleaned up. Oct 2013& ‘14Russian River Clean up - organized work crew, participated in annual event May ‘13Senior Citizen Dinner Dance - organized and served May ‘13Fitch Mountain Elementary School Spanish/English Immersion Program 11/12 -5/13& & 10/13-5/14 - assisted in the bilingual classroom with second grade students

Other Qualifications & Activities: Languages: Spanish. Completed AP Spanish III in high school. Sports: Varsity Soccer - 2 years, team captain. Varsity Track-School Record holder in Girl’s Pole Vault Interact Club (community service) board member Class officer-Senator, sophomore & junior year Peer Helping- organized and presented annual HIV/AIDS Conference; one-on-one counseling; peer

counseling

REFERENCES: Available upon request.

► Send to academics@leapnow.org ► Send as an Attachment in WORD format (Double-Spaced). ► Include your Name, eXcalibur Group 2015 and the Title at the top of the assignment and in the subject line of your email.

DUE DATE: Friday, September 11, 2015

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4. INTEGRATED ESSAY AND GUIDING QUESTIONS: A. Choose your Topic: Choose a topic that interests you about your travel region from the following list. Pick something that deeply interests you, as this will be the start of an exploration for later assignments during the semester. Keep in mind that, as you read and explore, you can let your topic develop and evolve as your own understanding grows. Below is a list of suggested topics. Use your creativity and curiosity to pick a topic from the list or create a topic of your own!

Possible Latin America Topics:1.1. History - Modern (impact of colonialism & independence, civil war, etc.)2.2. History - Ancient (ruins, culture, mythology, calendar)3.3. Religion - Mayan, Catholic, Animist, Day of the Dead, Semana Santa4.4. Civil War & Refugees - Rigoberta Menchu, death squads, long-term impact, etc.5.5. Environment & Environmental Issues - Mayan Biosphere, deforestation, pollution,6.6. Hurricane Stan7.7. Indigenous issues - Maya, Garifuna, discrimination, current politics, languages, etc.8.8. NAFTA/CAFTA - short-term vs. long-term impact, rural vs. urban9.9. Economics and Poverty - class struggles, opportunities for youth, etc.10.10. Arts - Dance, Music, Textiles, Architecture, Painting, Woodcarving, literature, poetry11.11. Medicine & Health – access to health care, traditional methods, Shamanism12.12. Culture - Food, Lifestyle, Birth and Childhood, Marriage, Death, Social structure,

Gender roles, Agriculture, Food, Customs, Machismo13.13. Modern Politics & Governance14.14. Religion/Spirituality – Catholicism, Shamanism, Pachamama, ceremony, practice,

mythology, relevant holidays, texture of faith in Latin America etc.15.15. Environmental Issues – economic pressure, water resources, oil exploitation, energy

needs, deforestation, pollution, wildlife, El Niño, Cloud Forest, etc.16.16. Economics and Poverty - opportunities for youth, friction between old and modern

lifestyles, etc.17.17. Arts - Dance, music, textiles, architecture, painting, literature, poetry.18.18. International Relations - World Trade Organization - impact of WTO on Latin America,

International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Bank.

B. Integrated Essay: Based on the topic you chose, select and read two books from the reading list - one non-fiction and one fiction. Watch one Spanish language movie. Write an integrated five-page essay exploring how the books and film contributed to your understanding of your chosen topic, the culture you will be living in and their impact on your worldview. This is explicitly NOT a book report or simple retelling of the books or movie, but an expression of your ability to integrate information from diverse sources. If you find a book or video that is not on the list below that sparks your interest and is relevant to the assignment, use it!

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RECOMMENDED BOOK LISTThe following is a list of recommended books as well as recommended movies. Books that are particularly inspiring or enlightening are highlighted in bold.

Fiction: The President- Miguel Angel Asturias Men of Maize - Miguel Asturias (Guatemala)Labyrinths-Jorge Luis Borges Ficciones-Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina)Hopscotch-Julio Cortazar (Argentina) The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems By Pablo NerudaThe House of the Spirits-Isabel Allende (Chile) Love in the time of Cholera- Gabrielle Garcia Marquez One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabrielle Garcia Marquez (Colombia) In the Time of the Butterflies- Julia Alvarez (Dominican Republic)Hummingbird House- Patricia Henley (American midwife travels to Nicaragua and Guatemala)And We Sold the Rain: Contemporary Fiction from Central America - edited by Rosario SantosLong Life Honey and the Heart – Martin Prechtel (Guatemala)Clamor of Innocence: Central American Short Stories - Barbara Paschke & David Volpendesta

Non Fiction:Country Under my Skin: A Memoir of Love and War - Gioconda Belli (Nicaragua)Life is Hard –Roger N. Lancaster (Nicaragua)Devil’s Highway-Luis Alberto Urrea (US/Mexico Border)Keep the River on your Right -Tobias Schneebaum (Peru)Nunca Mas - Ernesto SabatoThe Maya - Michael CoeI, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala - Rigoberta MenchuHistory of the Indies - Bartolome de Las CasasConfessions of an Economic Hit Man - by John PerkinsRace and Nation in Modern Latin America - Nancy P. Appelbaum Politics of Latin America: The Power Game- Harry E Vanden and Gary Prevost Secrets of the Talking Jaguar – Martin PrechtelWe Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People - Gustavo GutierrezOpen Veins of Latin America - Eduardo GaleanoUnfinished Conquest: The Guatemalan Tragedy - Victor PereraDon’t Be Afraid, Gringo - Medea Benjamin The Central America Fact Book - Tom Barry & Deb PreuschGuatemala: Never Again! by Archidiocese of Guatemala - Thomas QuigleySilence On The Mountain: Stories of Terror, Betrayal, and Forgetting - Daniel Wilkinson

Suggested Movies List: Nordeste (Northeast)-Juan Diego Solanas El Norte – GuatemalaMaria Full of Grace-Joshua Marston El Silencio de Neto – GuatemalaCaminos del Silencio – Guatemala Cover Up: Behind the Iran Contra Affair – NicaraguaInnocent Voices- Mexico 2004- A story of child soldiers in the El Salvadoran civil warSin Nombre (Nameless)– Mexico 2009- A Honduran family emigrating to the USA crosses paths with La Mara Salvatrucha gangDiarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries)-Che Guevara’s trip across South America in the 1950’sBajo la Misa Luna (Under the Same Moon)- Mexican-American 2007

C. Guiding Questions: Based on your books and essay, create a list of guiding questions that will help you explore, research and deepen your understanding of the topic you have chosen while you are traveling. For example: If your topic is the art of Latin America, you might ask:

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What makes Latin American art unique? What types of materials do Latin American artists use? How does ancient Latin American art differ from modern Latin American art? What does Latin American art express about the people and culture? What is my relationship to art and how might that be generative or serve while traveling in

Latin American or while staying in home stays?

These questions should be turned in with your Integrated Essay and a hard copy brought to First Retreat. ► Send to academics@leapnow.org ► Send as an Attachment in WORD format (Double-Spaced). ► Include your Name, eXcalibur Group 2015 and the Title at the top of the assignment and in the subject line of your email.

DUE DATE: Friday, September 11, 2015

5. INTRODUCTORY PRESENTATION: Prepare a 10 minute presentation that introduces you to the group and explores the prompt below. Include your poem as part of your presentation. No Power Point or laptop presentations, please! This will be the first of many presentations during your LEAPYEAR and each one will be assessed in terms of your presentation skills, your level of creativity, and how well you communicate to us, your audience.

An Exploration into Culture - Inner and OuterDuring your semester of travel and throughout your LEAPYEAR, you will be asked to shift your awareness from consuming (education, experiences, resources) to generating and

serving. Dominant US culture is a consumption-focused culture and LEAPYEAR will be an opportunity to create a new culture - one in which giving and serving are valued higher than taking and consuming. You will be invited to imagine a life where everything you

do is in service to something: whether it be service to yourself or your own growth, service to the environment, service to family or service to your community or anything else that matters to you. LEAPYEAR will provide you with many opportunities to explore the meaning of, and value of, service in your own life, and will give you the opportunity

to experience just how good it feels to give. While in home stays, working with organizations abroad or during retreats you will be asked to transform your awareness

from consumption to creation.

Serving, generating, creating in Latin America:

Please include your thoughts on the following in your presentation:

How can I shift my attention from consuming to serving?

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What do I have to offer and what am I willing to give? (to a home stay family, a classroom full of orphans, to a building project, to my group, to a friend, to myself)

How can I be generative and creative wherever I am, whatever I am involved in, whatever I am feeling?

6. MEMORIZE A POEM As part of your presentation, share a memorized passage or poem that is reflection of the inner journey you are on. Some sources for this might be poetry by Rumi, Hafiz, Mary Oliver or David Whyte. You could also choose a passage from a favorite book, essay or song.

7. REQUIRED READINGSFirst Semester: *Purchase and bring to campus

First Retreat.*1. Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav2. Spanish Now, Level 1, Seventh Edition, ISBN 07641777453. Spanish Now, Level 2, Seventh Edition, ISBN 07641411044. 501 Spanish Verbs by Christopher Kendris5. A pocket Spanish English Dictionary

Second Semester: *Purchase now and leave at home*6. The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron 4. Conscious Living, Gay Hendricks

You will receive additional readings throughout the year, including a printed LEAPYEAR Sourcebook with weekly readings for your group travel period. We highly recommend that you buy your books used or borrow them from friends or family- better for the environment and cheaper too! Good resources for used books are Amazon.com and local used book stores. Movies can be found online, at your local video store or on Netflix.

8. ACADEMIC SUPPLIES: In addition to getting your books from the required reading list, be sure to pull these supplies together before you arrive at our

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campus in September. Our campus is far removed from any stores where you can purchase these items.

Pens and pencils Journal - any style you like, though journals with unlined pages provide more

scope for the imagination. A single subject binder Optional: Portable art supplies (drawing paper, pastels, charcoal, etc.)

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Assignments Due Friday, September 11, 2015

Email to academics@leapnow.org ___Intention and Agreements ___Three Month

Exploration ___Integrated Essay and Guiding Questions ___RésuméThese assignments do not all need to be sent in together, but be sure to put

your Name and eXcalibur 2015 at the top of any assignments that you send in during the coming year.