Wake Up Stay Up

We’ve solidified our plans for the summer and the initial phase of the Wake Up Stay Up project. It looks like Ofer, Corwin, Kal-El, and I will all be in Montreal for the months of July and August. We’ll be engaged in four key activities:

• Researching the long-term impact of the original Wake Up Tour
• Working together as a band to develop a cohesive sound and a few good songs
• Developing a business plan and funding proposal that builds on the lessons learned from Wake Up I
• Developing our own spiritual practice and experimenting with approaches to “Stay Up” activities that facilitate dialogue and practice in larger groups.

The decision to go for this strategy was based on the fact that we need to build gradually, drawing on insights from the past work. We have a sense that Wake Up I was quite successful (check out these articles from 1998 and 1999) but we need a more detailed understanding of its impact. We’re hoping that since I (Jason) was not involved in the first project, I’ll be able to bring a more objective outsider’s perspective. It will be a good test of my qualitative research skills as I interview people from local Jewish youth organizations and other people in Montreal who were touched by the Wake Up Tour.