About
scholarship
Teachers are role models who inspire, and education has a ripple effect. The Judith Leibowitz Scholarship (JLSF) is offered to Black, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Persons of Color who would like to earn an Alexander Technique teaching certification.
The JLSF sees AT in the 21st century as an anti-racist practice. We support the continuous efforts to unveil racism and any forms of oppression in the work, the writings and the institutions of the Technique. This scholarship was conceived to empower BIPOC, who want to train to become AT teachers and expand the AT teaching community.
The JLSF provides tuition support for BIPOC awardees training as teachers of the Alexander Technique in AmSAT teacher certification programs. We currently support teacher trainees in Albuquerque, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Minneapolis. Read more about them here.
History
Judith “Judy” Leibowitz founded the American Center for the Alexander Technique in 1964 and established the Technique as an integral part of actor training at The Juilliard School. Despite the partial paralysis she developed after suffering from polio as a child, she believed deeply in the power of change and long-term benefits of practicing AT. Those fortunate enough to study with her remember her as a “sculptor of bodies.” Her lifetime commitment to expanding the Alexander teaching community is honored by this scholarship’s pursuit to bring forth the next generation of AT teachers.
Conceived by Jessica Wolf and Rebecca Tuffey as a fragile dream proposed at the 2019 AmSAT annual meeting, the Judith Leibowitz Scholarship Fund (JLSF) is now a well-oiled fundraising machine that annually awards scholarships to BIPOC students who wish to train as AmSAT certified Alexander Technique Teachers.
JLSF BY THE NUMBERS
15 scholarships awarded
6 scholarship recipients now working as AmSAT certified teachers
8 JLSF trainees currently working towards certification
75+ fundraising workshops fostering community and learning
2 JLSF recipients, now AmSAT teachers on the JLSF Committee
1 JLSF recipient, now AmSAT teacher on the AmSAT Board
And still growing!
Jessica and Rebecca planted a seed. With your support it sprouted. Let’s watch as the JLSF grows leaves and branches, expanding higher and wider in every direction.
Donate here to celebrate how far we’ve come, and to recognize the urgent need to continue what Jessica and Rebecca started.
Donate $50 or more here to receive a link to the celebratory video, REMEMBERING JUDY.
technique
The Alexander Technique helps people integrate non-habitual approaches to moving, breathing, and thinking. AT practice can support healing the effects of trauma, including the trauma of systemic racism. Many experience greater confidence, strength, and enhanced skills in all areas of their lives.
The Alexander Technique is in constant evolution, as it is applied by individuals and communities striving to actualize their potential.
