OUR APPRENTICES & MENTORS
AOP Changes 2008-2009 Apprentice Schedule
Wondering why AOP apprentice and mentor applications haven’t been released? Given the busy election season, AOP has decided to adjust the schedule of its cohort term for the next class of apprentices. The upcoming cohort will begin in early 2009, instead of fall 2008, as has been the schedule in the past two cohorts.
We will have more information posted shortly, and expect to release the applications this fall.
AOP is proud to have worked with a diverse group of apprentices and mentors in our first three years of programming. Through our apprenticeship program, AOP has partnered with, among others:
Making Connections Milwaukee
Hmong American Friendship Association
9 to 5 National Association of Working Women
Citizen Action of Wisconsin
GSA for Safe Schools
The Arc of Racine
Campaign Against Violence
Independent Living Council of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Coalition of Independent Living Centers
Urban Underground
Institute for Wisconsin's Future
The Arc of Winnebago County
The Arc of Milwaukee County
LOV-Dane/Waisman Center
WI-ADAPT
Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center/Women Rise Up
Meet Current and Recent Mentors
Brian Juchems - Program Director
Brian Juchems serves as GSA for Safe School's Program Director. Brian holds a B.A. from Luther College and has extensive experience with social justice and working with youth. In addition, he is a sought-after experiential education presenter who has worked extensively in the K-12 school system and other settings. He has been involved with our organization since 1998. He has also served as a Youth Development Specialist for Briarpatch and as Director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison LGBT Campus Center. Brian maintains close relationships with student leaders and school personnel, provides schools with technical assistance and consultations, and coordinates our conferences and trainings.
"My day to day work involves developing and mentoring student organizers, so AOP's mission to build a bigger and stronger community of grassroots organizers resonated with and was exciting to me. What surprised me about the experience of being a mentor was how much I learned about being an organizer-- the mentor/apprentice relationship is a two-way street of learning, and AOP was there to further fuel the learning."
Meet Current and Recent Apprentices
Tim Michael - Program Assistant
Tim Michael serves as GSA for Safe School's Program Assistant. Tim holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a graduate of the Wisconsin Apprentice Organizers Project (AOP), a program that seeks to foster a "culture of organizing" in Wisconsin. Prior to his apprenticeship with AOP and GSA for Safe Schools, Tim was a Field Organizer for the Fair Wisconsin campaign. As the founder his high school's GSA, Tim feels he has come full circle and is thrilled to rejoin the effort to make Wisconsin's schools safe for all.
"I started with AOP as an activist, and finished as an organizer. The training and support I received was one of the most important experiences of my life. AOP intentionally creates the opportunity for organizers from a variety of backgrounds and communities to work, learn and grow together. I still stay in touch with my fellow apprentices, and it's great to know I can call any of them for feedback and advice, and collaboration."