Thank you for your interest in the
Diamond Approach Youth Fund.
Q: What is the age limit for the fund?
A: Any current or prospective student under 40.
Q: Where does the fund operate?
A: Worldwide across the school.
Q: When will this fund be available?
A: It is available now!
Q: So someone can apply who is not yet a registered DA student?
A: Yes, this fund is for anyone who is either just starting out or already in an ongoing in person group. They will however need to be accepted onto an ongoing group before receiving any funds.
Q: What does the fund cover?
A: Ongoing home group retreat fees, room and board, and child care costs for home retreats. The fund currently does not cover open weekend teachings, EU Summer Retreat or Asilomar.
Q: What retreats can be applied for?
A: Any home retreats, DIVe and RiSING seminary retreats. The fund does not cover the Hameed’s Winter retreat, or the EU Summer Retreat (unless it is a mandatory retreat) and Asilomar.
Q: So someone can apply for child care costs?
A: Yes! We want to support young people with families to come to retreats. We will be offering a separate strand for child care costs alongside the overall scholarship. We will also match any Student for Student Fund that gives an amount to group childcare costs, with the hope to make onsite childcare free or low cost for students.
Q: How often can someone apply?
A: There will be four application deadlines each year, 31 Jan, 30 Apr, 30 Jul, 31 Oct. We recommend applying a few months before each weekly retreat when in week long retreat groups or twice a year combining a few weekends together if in a weekend retreat group.
Q: How much can an individual apply for?
A: A student can apply for what they think they need. There will be an annual cap on how much we can give per student, which will depend on what country the student is from, i.e. countries with lower economic output will have a higher cap. However we do not give 100% scholarships, all applicants will always have to pay a percentage of their retreat fees.
Q: Where and when will the money be sent?
A: The money will be sent to the students directly. After the round closes the applications are reviewed anonymously by a scholarship review committee. Once agreed the money is then transferred, this can take up to one month post application round closing.
Q: Can a student apply for private sessions?
A: Yes! We are now offering private session scholarships. You must agree with a teacher first before applying. You will always need to pay something for your sessions, but the fund can subsidise the remaining amount for a series of a minimum of 6 sessions in one year.
Q: With a private session scholarship how will the money be given to the teacher? And how much can I expect?
A: Once the scholarship for private sessions has been agreed if the student is a member of the school the scholarship will be paid directly to them up front which they then need to send to the teacher to begin the sessions. If a student is not a member and a private only session student the scholarship will be sent on the completion of the series of sessions. The total amount is €360/$380 for a series of private sessions and can be divided up across a number of sessions in one year to be determined by the teacher and student. If a student can pay €40/$45 they can receive 6 sessions, if they can afford €55/$60 they could have 8 sessions where the teacher charges €100/$110 per session etc. This ratio can change depending on what the teacher charges per session.
Q: What about attending other retreats apart from home retreats?
A: A student who has a scholarship for their ongoing retreats will not be barred from going to a second or additional retreat, such as the EU Summer Retreat or Asilomar.
Q: Can a student have a second session on retreat if they apply for this fund?
A: Yes! All students can have as many private sessions as they want even if they apply for this fund.
Q: Can a student apply for this fund and still apply for the Student Bursary or Student for Student for Fund as well?
A: Yes, although their group contact person will know of the application for this fund and we feel it is important for any Student for Student fund to know so they can consider it in their application process as well. We will also be asking if an applicant has or intends to apply for their Student for Student fund or a teacher bursary, or are receiving other forms of financial support. We would like students to pay something for their retreats, they should never attend with 100% fees paid for.
Q: Will lead or private teachers know who has applied for this fund in their group?
A: Yes. Upon successful application we will email the admin or teacher contact person in their group to inform them of a successful application. The applicant is asked to provide us with their teachers contact information in order to complete the application.