2025 Freedom School Action Camp with VSPN

📋 Read the program description for more information: bit.ly/vspn-fsac-about

Join the Virginia Student Power Network (VSPN) for our 2025 Freedom School Action Camp!

Virginia Student Power Network invites student organizers in so-called Virginia to join us for the latest iteration of our annual, summer organizing fellowship program: the 2025 Freedom Schools Action Camp (FSAC)!

Our FSAC is a free, unpaid nine-week long, youth organizing cohort focused on political education, strategic campaign planning, and transformative leadership development. During this training camp, groups of students from across universities + schools in VA will engage alongside VSPN in a mix of virtual camp training sessions, in-person training(s), and skill-building + application spaces.

This program will be primarily virtual, with some opportunities for in-person engagement.

Note: We highly encourage former VSPN Freedom School fellows who are currently students to apply to this program as a part of a pod.

Are you interested in supporting FSAC by taking on facilitation and support roles? Click here for more information to to sign up!

📌 Application deadline: Sunday June 1st at 11:59pm (EST)
🟢 Program start: Sunday June 15th (deadline to accept invitation to join cohort)
🔴 Program end: August 17th (approximately; subject to change)

📋 Learn more about the program by checking out the program description: bit.ly/vspn-fsac-about

Link to Application Questions in PDF form

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The Virginia Student Power Network is a Black-led, youth-led, queer-led abolitionist organization at the forefront of transformative change. For the past 12 years, our organization has served a crucial role in advancing progressive values, shifting conditions, and generating new opportunities for liberation.

Our network of young people is committed to ending policing, prisons, surveillance, and militarism. We fight for our future, collective liberation, in which all communities break free from policing and the carceral state and everyone has the skills necessary to make sense of the world – and where young people, students, and workers have decision-making power, self-determination, and autonomy within their lives.
Apply for our Freedom School Action Camp now ⬇️

This information will be used to send you status updates about your application, the Freedom School Action Camp, and other VSPN programming. It won't be shared with anyone outside of our staff team.
Name*

First NameLast Name
E-mail*
Please avoid using university affiliated email
Phone Number*
Please enter a valid phone number.

⚠️ BEFORE CONTINUING, please read the program description for more information about our Freedom School Action Camp: bit.ly/vspn-fsac-about
Have you reviewed the program description?*

YesNo

Part 1: About You

We want to know more about you. Don't worry; this information will be used to help us make decisions about who is right for our cohort. It won't be shared with anyone outside of our staff team.

About You

Tell us more about your education.
Graduation year?*
Where are you enrolled in school?*
If you selected “Other” where are you enrolled?
Are you a first-generation* college student?*

YesNoUnsure
*A first-generation college student is a student whose parent(s) or guardian has not received a four-year college degree. See the following link to read more.

Part 2: About Your Organization

We want to know more about your organization (or group/collective) and the people you want to organize with for this training camp. This information will be used to help us make decisions about which pods are a good fit for our cohort. It won't be shared with anyone outside of our staff.
Applicants are applying as representatives of groups, organizations and coalitions. Please note that by applying on behalf of an organization, group, or coalition, you are affirming the organization’s participation in the program.

About Your Organization

Tell us more about the organizing you do.
Are you a member of a campus-based organization or coalition?*

YesNoOther

About Your Organization

Tell us more about the organizing you do.
Please provide the name of your organization, group, or coalition.*
Please provide a brief description of your organization, group, or coalition.*
Based on the explanations of "active" and "inactive" below, what is the status of your organization/group/collective/coalition?*
Active: meeting regularly (example: monthly meetings), planning and/or putting on events, planning campaigns,

Inactive: have not met regularly in over 6 months, no new members, not actively planning programming or events

About Your Pod

Tell us more about the people from your org/coalition that you'll be organizing with.
Are you applying in a pair or trio?**

YES, I am applying in a pair (2 people, including myself)YES, I am applying in a trio (3 people, including myself)NO, I am applying alone
List the names and emails of all other members from your organization who are applying to the Freedom School Action Camp as a pod. (If you are applying alone, please write “N/A”)*
Pod Member #1

First NameLast Name
Pod Member # 1 Email
example@example.com
Pod Member #2

First NameLast Name
Pod Member # 2 Email
example@example.com
In a few words, tell us how you know your pod members.

Part 3: Camp Commitments

This information will be used to help us make decisions about who is right for our cohort. It won't be shared with anyone outside of our staff team.

Camp Commitments
We plan to host at least 9 remote trainings over the course of the action camp. They will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays between either 2:00pm -5:00pm EST or 3:00pm - 6:00pm EST. Which works best for you*

2:00pm - 5:00pm EST3:00pm - 6:00pm ESTEither OneOther
If you answered 'Other' above, please list what time frames work for you. Please be aware that we block off about three hours per workshop
Can you commit to regular attendance?*

YesNoOther
If you answered 'no' or 'other,' please elaborate on any conflicting scheduling you are aware you will run into this summer. If you are unable to attend some of them, can you commit to meeting with your pod to get the missed workshop, and meet with staff and/or volunteers to review the trainings, and ask any questions?
During this iteration of our annual freedom school program, we want to co-create a strategic, statewide campaign that wins demands waged against specific targets on and beyond our campuses – with you! Are you interested in collaborating with others in the VSPN and the cohort to develop a strategic campaign around divesting from death (policing and militarism) and investing in life (affordable housing) on your campus?*

YesNo

Part 4: Q + A
The following portion of the application will give us more insight into who you are and what you seek to get out of this camp. Try to explain your answers in 200 words or less when possible.

Do you need to submit this part of the application in another format?

➡️ Use the microphone to record + upload voice messages directly OR

➡️ Upload other media directly to the form (such as text documents, print, video, or larger audio files)

-

If you have problems uploading your files to this form, please send them to us instead at vastudentpower@gmail.com with the subject line: "[Your Name] FSAC APPLICATION MATERIALS"

Q + A

Personal connection to our campaigns
What brings you into the struggle toto divest from policing, prisons + militarism? What background or specific interests do you have in organizing to end cop cities + cop universities in so-called Virginia?*
What brings you to into the struggle to invest in equitable housing in your area? Do you have any background or specific interests related to housing justice? *
(Note: You can record your responses using the tool below. Please remember to indicate which question you're responding to in your voice message!)
Upload Files

Cancelof

Q + A

Goals
What ways do you hope this camp will help strengthen you and/or your org’s capacity to educate, agitate, or organize for meaningful changes*
What major goals would you like to have accomplished as an individual by the end of this action camp? As a cohort? As an org (if applicable)? How can VSPN staff + cohort members help you accomplish these goals?*
(Note: You can record your responses using the tool below. Please remember to indicate which question you're responding to in your voice message!)
Upload Files

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Q + A

Skills
We plan to have camper-facilitated skill share spaces during the course of the summer. Are there specific skills you have that you're excited to share with the cohort?
Are there any specific skills you’d like to learn or trainings you’d like to see throughout the summer?
(Note: You can record your responses using the tool below. Please remember to indicate which question you're responding to in your voice message!)
Upload Files

Cancelof

Q + A

The remaining questions are optional
Do you have any accessibility needs we should be aware of?
How did you find out about this opportunity?
Anything else we should know about you?
(Note: You can record your responses using the tool below. Please remember to indicate which question you're responding to in your voice message!)

If you feel like the previous questions aren't enough, submit something else that helps to get to know you!! This can be art, writing, a film, your mixtape, etc. Attach the files here or email to vastudentpower@gmail.com.

Cancelof
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	Tuesday, June 24th	Wednesday, June 25th
3:00pm - 5:00pm
4:00pm - 6:00pm
5:00pm - 7:00pm
6:00pm - 8:00pm
7:00pm - 9:00pm

📋 Read the program description for more information: bit.ly/vspn-fsac-about

Join the Virginia Student Power Network (VSPN) for our 2025 Freedom School Action Camp!

Apply for our Freedom School Action Camp now ⬇️

Part 1: About You

About You

About You

Part 2: About Your Organization

About Your Organization

About Your Organization

About Your Pod

Part 3: Camp Commitments

Camp Commitments

Camp Commitments

Part 4: Q + A

Q + A

Q + A

Q + A

Q + A