LeatherQuest California
 FAQ
A. Students will be learning about leather history, traditions, service and spirituality, advanced forms of sm and sex techniques, and D/s relationship dynamics. The personal interaction with the presenters, the structure of leather tradition, the assignments given outside the class, the challenges the students face together, and the friendships formed create a context for the material presented each weekend. The result is a class microculture much more like the esprit d'corps of a military unit, a "spiritual boot camp," than the casual atmosphere at many community events. Things will happen that simply cannot be reduced to lecture notes. This sort of training is not something that anyone can approximate based solely on book learning: the sum is more than the total of the parts. The context and structure has an effect that is difficult if not impossible to quantify, it must be experienced to be understood, and as such is a rite of passage experience. Arnold van Gennep, the author of The Rites of Passage, was highly influential in the structuring of Joseph Campbell's 1949 text, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, as Campbell divides the journey of the hero into three parts, Departure, Initiation, and Return. Drawing on van Gennep, cultural anthropologist Victor Turner declares that all rites of passage have three phases:
While this does requires a leap of faith on the part of the student, taking a leap of faith is a lesson in itself. Please base your decision on your own assessment of the instructors and the environment provided. Q: Who is in charge? A: Sybil Holiday is the HeadMistress, and VG Smith, the HeadMaster, of LeatherQuest. Sybil Holiday was one of the main instructors and High Priestess for the original Journeyman II Academy, and an instructor for both Journeyman III Utah and Journeyman III CA. She will be working with VG Smith, a graduate of the 2006 Journeyman III Academy in California, lead mentor for the 2008 class, and a player in the community for over 20 years. Q: Who are the instructors? A: Instructors are drawn from the top levels of nationally recognized authors and teachers, and from graduate instructors of the Journeyman II and Journeyman III CA Academies. Instructors will give their most advanced presentations, in as much depth as they feel is necessary and appropriate. Instructors will be asked to attend a play party for the students on Saturday night, either to play or to provide coaching as needed. Their attendance is entirely at their discretion. Instructors coming from outside the Bay Area will be given a reception the Friday night of their teaching weekend. This reception will be held by the students as an exercise in service, etiquette, and protocol. To read more about past instructors and our history, please go here. Q: Where will the classes be held? A: Classes will be held in San Francisco, close to public transportation. Q: What will be the schedule for the weekends? A: Classes are generally held the first weekend of the month. Exceptions are made when needed by the instructor.
A: Part of the experience is that it's grueling, a marathon. It is not convenient, it is demanding. That is its nature. This program and its schedule will not work for everyone. If you are unable or unwilling to make the class a priority and put up with the inconvenience, we understand and wish you well. Q: Will Tops be required to bottom and will bottoms be required to top? A: Yes, to at least some degree. This is done in the interest of encouraging the students to examine and push their self-perceived limitations, which may or may not be accurate. In some of the classroom exercises, the students may be assigned roles and partners, so flexibility is needed.
A: Students, the Instructors assistant, and mentors who may attend as silent support of the students.Q: What is the cost? A: The class tuition is $120 a month, payable each weekend. There are some additional costs beyond tuition: books for the monthly reading assignment, the class uniform, and food for lunches during the class are the primary ones. Once an applicant is accepted they must pay the tuition for the first month to hold their place. This deposit is non-refundable. As this is an 18 month commitment, students must pay for each weekend regardless of whether they attend all sessions. Students may pay on a monthly installment plan, each weekend is due at the previous weekends class. If a student wishes to drop the program, they must give notice in writing at least two weeks in advance of the next weekend session. A: In a legal sense, no claims of certification or qualification should be assumed. This is not about getting a job. This series of classes is not in any way accredited or recognized by any governmental or regulatory body. In a more personal sense, students are expected to reach for and achieve much of their potential. Do not expect doors to magically open or a sudden abundance of play partners and deference. The value is more personal than anything else. Q: What does "in service to LeatherQuest" mean, exactly? A: As a practical matter, it means carrying out the duties needed for the functioning of the class: setting up chairs, doing dishes after lunch, serving food and drink at a reception and so on. It means taking your responsibilities seriously. It also means not letting your ego get in the way of the process. That phrase is used in the application, and it is prone to some misunderstanding. If you are a lifestyle slave and your owner does not permit you to serve anyone else in any way shape or form, the relationship will interfere with the experience we're trying to create for the students. We'd want to talk with you and them about that. Similarly, a Top who finds offensive the very concept that they could in any sense "bottom" will probably not be a good fit. Anyone who frequently volunteers time and effort to leather community organizations and events will probably be right at home. Q: What are the commitments and requirements? A: This commitment should not be made lightly and is not for everyone. Many will choose not to follow this path and only some who start the journey will finish. The course approaches leather as a personal and spiritual path, and draws from many other traditions and paths along the way. If in the course of your play you have glimpsed the spiritual side of bdsm, this is one way of learning to make it a regular aspect of your play. Personal Commitments Students will commit themselves to overcoming the roadblocks to their own excellence, accepting the guidance of the teachers and mentors, and doing the work that is set before them. The students need to set aside the time and energy required to do these things, making sacrifices in other areas in their life if necessary. Students are expected to make an informed commitment to Leatherquest. Accepted applicants attend the first three months on a trial basis. To be eligible to continue after three months, students are expected to commit fully to completion of the program. Financial Commitments Students are responsible for the monthly $120 per class weekend - this includes weekends that are missed - plus books, supplies, boots, and uniform shirts and pants/skirts.
Graduation Requirements Students will have a monthly reading and writing assignment, and other assignments as directed by the instructors and mentors. Students will engage in their own personal development projects with the support and guidance of their mentors. Graduating students will also be required to:
|
|
