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New Website!

2010-07-15T22:17:38Z

Check out the new Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation website! http://www.schusterman.org/meet-us/our-story

ROI Summit July 4-8, 2010

2010-07-15T22:08:30Z

If you weren't at the ROI Summit (#roicom), catch a pretty detailed look at what things looked like on the ground at Kfar Maccabiah. Video links below, with more videos to come at the ROI YouTube channel - subscribe to see things the same time that I do. :)

July 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo9LjNJcXKU

July 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85ujrRIhPSE

July 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etu8YjodrLY

July 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc_LAon6W0Y

Over the Wall with Some Help from Kivun

2010-06-17T22:10:17Z

It may have just looked like a wooden wall in a ropes course in the forest, but to me it was much more. There we were during our second 48 hour retreat at Pearlstone, a Jewish retreat center in Reisterstown, MD, up from our chairs and enjoying nature. It felt so good to be with my cohort outdoors and moving around, playing goofy games in the beautiful woods. However, as soon as my half of the group got assigned to scale a large wall with only the use of our bodies to hoist ourselves over, I was nervous.

Ropes courses and trust falls are not exactly in my comfort zone. I am much more comfortable next to a giant stack of papers than a giant wall. I felt comfortable in all of the learning, reflecting, and exploring we had been doing together as a group, but this sort of activity immediately jolted my confidence. It made sense that CLI would know that this was the type of challenge I needed to face. This moment is what set apart the Kivun Intensive from every other professional development program out there. I doubt many other places would incorporate an activity like this in the limited amount of programming time together, but it made perfect sense for CLI to push me in this way. Instead of looking at us only as Jewish professionals, CLI saw us as whole people who needed to be challenged, nurtured, and encouraged using all of our senses and abilities.

And still, there I was, ready to take a back seat during this activity, something I had done many a time before in similar situations. But this was the Kivun Intensive and these were the people I had been learning with for the past 5 months. My peers encouraged me to give it a try and trust them to give me the support I needed in this challenge. We had already shared our fears and triumphs as young professionals trying to make a name for ourselves and a difference in the Jewish communal world. We had discussed the art of negotiation, the difficulties of time management, the intricacies of creating a budget, the complexities of “managing up” within our own institutions, and the many identities that make up the Jewish community, to name only a few. I knew instinctively that I had already passed an intimacy far greater than this with this group than it would take to face my fears and allow the group to help me over the wall.

So, although it scared me more than I knew it at the time, I put my total trust in the group to help me get over what I assumed was just a wooden wall in the forest.

With the help of the Kivun Intensive community, I was quickly lifted up and over what once seemed like an impossibly high distance. Before I could second guess my decision, there I was, standing at the top with my peers all around. It was probably a 30 second activity, but I have thought back to it each day in the weeks since leaving Pearlstone and my peers for my life and day to day job in Boston.

While I continued to assist others over the wall, I could not wipe off the giant smile that was on my face. Maybe it was just adrenaline that made me feel so great, but I actually felt on top of the world. What I thought was just a wooden wall was really so much more. In the same way that my peers and leaders gave me the extra push over this wall when I needed it, the Kivun Intensive gave me the boost and encouragement I needed to scale the many other walls in my professional life.

As I try to figure out where to apply for graduate school and what experiences and people I need to surround myself with in order to succeed, I think back to what I learned at the Kivun Intensive to guide me in my journey in finding a unique place in the Jewish communal world where I can make an impact. In a job where I can sometimes feel isolated from other young people in the Jewish community, the Kivun Intensive gave me my own community of peers to lean on to get me over this wall, and any others that may come my way during my personal and professional life.

Check out this video of participants going over the wall:

Emily Einhorn was a participant in the Kivun Intensive 2010. She works at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies.

A User's Guide to Fostering Organizational Innovation

2010-06-09T22:16:28Z

Some may say that the power of the word innovation has been diluted simply by its overuse. Others think just the opposite - its mainstreaming illustrates a positive change in the sector. Click here to read the full article in PDF.

Making Listening Part of the Conversation: Samoan Circles

2010-06-08T23:48:05Z

What’s A “Samoan Circle”?

The Samoan Circle is a creative facilitation modality used by CLI and other groups to flesh out controversial topics, while allowing everyone in the room to get their voice heard. It’s set up so that most of the people in the room are listening, rather than talking. Here’s how it works:

1. STEP ONE: Put four chairs in the center of the room in a circle.
2. STEP TWO: The facilitator sets the stage and shares the rules, which are:

Only people in the 4 chairs can speak at a time; everyone else observes and listens.
The people in the circle can discuss the topic at hand in any way they want.
The people in the circle can only speak to others in the circle.
If somebody else wants to participate in the discussion, s/he may signal this by approaching the four seats in the center and waiting for somebody to leave. S/he may join the circle of chairs (and therefore the conversation) only once somebody has left the circle.
The people in the circle can stay as long as they want, leave whenever they want and return whenever they want.
If a participant wants to speak to a particular person, s/he must stand behind his/her chair and wait for one of the other chairs to become free.
Once seated in the circle of chairs, a participant may ask that somebody who has left the circle return to it.

3. STEP THREE: The facilitator gets everyone in the group to agree on an endpoint to the discussion.
4. STEP FOUR: The facilitator leaves the circle and the discussion begins.
5. STEP FIVE: The facilitator becomes a participant like everyone else in the group. S/he is responsible for keeping time and may remove one of the chairs at a certain point to help bring the meeting to a close near the agreed-upon endpoint.

When Should I Use the Samoan Circle?:

The Samoan Circle is…

Great for exploring well-defined questions. If you can articulate exactly what you want to know, this is a solid choice.
Helpful in polarized settings. If the discussion relates to controversial issues, this is a way to get lots of people involved in the conversation without having it get out of hand. The Samoan Circle forces people to listen to different opinions and engenders a strong sense of self-discipline in the group.

When Should I NOT Use the Samoan Circle?:

The Samoan Circle is…

Not well suited for seeking closure on an issue. If you want to come to a firm decision about something, this probably isn’t the modality for you.
Not well suited for expansive discussion of broad issues. If you don’t know exactly what you want to find out, the conversation can go anywhere and will therefore be less useful.

For more information:

http://www.peopleandparticipation.net/display/Methods/Samoan+Circle
http://www.kstoolkit.org/Samoan+Circle

Some of this information is based on Dovetail Consulting’s Effective Group Facilitation Resource Manual for course “the Art & Craft of Effective Facilitation,” taught at the Hollyhock Leadership Institute in April 2009.

Using Text Study in Professional Development

2010-06-08T23:43:10Z

Increasingly, in the world of professional development, trainers are incorporating Jewish text at opportune moments in their work. Many, when asked why, will say that it makes the experience more Jewish, that it allows Jewish professionals to connect to the material more readily, or that it is their responsibility to incorporate Jewish text and thought into their work whenever possible. These are noble motivators, and we would like to add yet another perspective to the conversation. Many of CLI’s crafted gatherings involve text study in sessions ranging from “Engaging and Managing Consultants” to “Project Management.” Why do we bring these texts? In almost all cases, it is because they are the best materials at modeling key points of leadership and management that we have been able to find, anywhere. The many uses of Jewish text in professional development these days is not only a sign of deep connection to tradition, but also a deep proclamation that we are using the best of what we have inherited to make the world even stronger. It is our hope that it will also serve to increase literacy in Jewish text. Even diamonds have to be mined.

Here are some of the ways that CLI has used text study in professional development:

The Biblical story of Yitro, Moses’s father-in law to analyze best practices in working with external consultants. (Exodus Chapter 18)
The Talmudic story of Reish Lakish and Rabbi Yochanan to discuss what creates and strengthens partnerships and what causes their demise. (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Baba Metzia 84a)
The passage in the Babylonian Talmud when a Divine Voice arrives to inform the disputing schools of Hillel and Shammai that both of them speak “the words of the living God,” to discuss managing the plurality of opinions in a single working environment. (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Eruvin 13b)

Schusterman Foundation Seeks Director of Young Adult Initiatives

2010-06-02T00:25:49Z

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation in seeking a Director of Young Adult Initiatives who will help design and manage its evolving young Jewish adult engagement strategies and initiatives, with a particular focus on leadership and professional development. Click here for the full job description in PDF.

Lynn Schusterman Broadens Her Investment in Young Jewish Activists Through ROI Community Grants

2010-06-02T00:26:43Z

The ROI Community announced today that nearly $500,000 will be awarded to 35 initiatives that are being led by members of its international network of young Jewish activists. Hailing from 11 countries, the projects range from early to mid-stages of development.

ROI is a global community of young Jewish leaders that was created by Lynn Schusterman as a partnership between the Center for Leadership Initiatives and Taglit-Birthright Israel.

Read the full press release here.

Congratulations to the 2010-2012 Cohort of the Joshua Venture Fellows!

2010-06-02T00:27:37Z

Introducing the Cohort for the 2010-2012 Dual Investment Program...

Joshua Venture Group is proud to invest in eight dynamic social entrepreneurs and in their visions to transform the American Jewish landscape. Through their efforts in social and environmental justice, community building, spirituality, education and the arts, they are leading a vibrant regeneration of our cultural and religious heritage. Click here to learn more about the participants.

Schusterman Family Foundation Seeks Senior Program Officer

2010-06-02T00:29:35Z

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation (CLSFF) seeks a Senior Program Officer who will help oversee and advance the national agenda of the Foundation, focusing on its four strategic priorirites of young adult engagement, Jewish service, Israel education and inclusivity and diversity. For more information and application instructions, read the full job description in PDF.

REALITY Israel Experience for Teach for America Corps Members Announced

2010-06-02T00:31:10Z

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation (CLSFF) and the Samberg Family Foundation (SFF), in partnership with the Center for Leadership Initiatives and Teach for America, are pleased to announce the 2010 REALITY Israel Experience for Teach For America Corps Members trip. As part of this unique program, 47 corps members will spend 10 days exploring Israel from a service and education perspective, as well as connecting their secular service work as teachers to Jewish values and ideas. For more information about the REALITY Israel Experience program, visit the REALITY Israel Experience for Teach For America Corps Members website or read the full press release here.

Facilitating a Holy Space for Conversations

2010-04-15T22:35:58Z

Once upon a time, the Jewish people were grouped into tribes, some of whom had very specialized service roles. The priests, descendents of Aharon, were conduits for those seeking to connect with the Divine, with ritual, and with others who were living in a similar culture and community. Ultimately, they facilitated Jewish conversations so that the three systems of Jewish life (human-to-self; human-to-human (community); and human-to-Divine) could flourish. However, with the shifting of time and countless systems (ritual, prayer, language, community and more), the specialized roles of the priests have all but disappeared.

One of the key competencies that CLI seeks to bring to the Jewish community is the facilitation and convening of meaningful conversations between diverse stakeholders who - in the past - could not or would not engage in fruitful, honest, attentive and constructive dialogue. It is our effort to deconstruct the Tower of Babel, brick by brick and floor by floor, and to re-create shared language. In the past months, CLI has placed new emphasis on training facilitators, the people who understand the skills necessary for “working the room,” making space for voices, steering conversations towards poignancy and productivity, and ultimately breaking the barriers that exist between so many members of the Jewish community.

In December 2009, CLI launched Facilitation Intensive, a six-month certification program to train a new cadre of impassioned and skilled facilitators, who will work at our programs and throughout the Jewish community. With two retreats and a personalized apprenticeship program, the fifteen participants are learning the brass tacks of facilitation - working conversations, designing sessions and conferences, dealing with challenging participants and ultimately elevating conversation to where we feel it should be in this community; a productive and, dare we say, even a holy place.

Great facilitators must command presence in a room, acting as a vessel that holds context and subtext while powerfully charting the flow of conversation. They need amazing ears to hear what is being said and what is not being said, and they need eyes to see who is talking and who is not. They need sharp minds to perceive and calibrate psychology, strong hearts for compassion, and a strong belly full of intuition to know where to lead. They need to make matches and connect dots. Great facilitators are servants. They steer the course, allow it to change, and simultaneously hold high the vision for the room. And ultimately, they need to be translucent; making certain it is never about them.

In the end, it is the conversations that should be remembered and utilized, not the facilitator. Like our ancestral priests, we hope the facilitators we are offering the community will keep their eyes on the prizes, those complex relationships that make up communities - spiritual, political and personal. Perhaps, as they go out and do their precious work, the Jewish community as a whole will come be recognized as one that models dialogue unlike any other; with vision, passion, humility and acceptance. Perhaps these modern day servants will be able to help elevate the mundane and redundant, to something unique and holy, as our age-old tradition has taught us

Featured Participant: Yvonne Feiger, ROI European Gathering

2010-04-15T22:31:52Z

Meet Yvonne Feiger, participant in this year's ROI European Gathering!

Q: What’s your elevator speech?

A: I grew up in Vienna, Austria where I graduated from the University of Vienna in 2007. I represent “Gesher,” a political faction that stands for the upcoming generation of Viennese Jews, on the board of the Jewish community of Vienna. Since 2009, I have worked as the Director of the Jewish Salons in Vienna. At the moment, I am planning Vienna’s first Muslim-Jewish Conference, which will occur in August 2010.

Q: What is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?

A: Being on the community board and establishing Salon Vienna.

Q: You win a million dollars. What do you do?

A: Invest, save, create something good and live spontaneously.

Q: If Hollywood were to make a movie of your life, who would play the lead role and why?

A: Drew Barrymore. She’s casual, friendly and natural.

Q: Which of the peers that you have met through CLI programs has most influenced your work?

A: I must say, the staff of CLI and ROI.

Q: What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about you?

A: When I was 17, I turned my back on the Jewish community. I was tired of my Jewish friends, tired of hanging out with the same people from the Jewish school, the Jewish youth movement and the Jewish sports club all the time. For the next few years, I wasn’t interested in Jewish organizations or events at all. Instead, I surrounded myself with other people. Because of this, I developed a better feeling of what it means to live as a Jew in Vienna, how others see me/us and why. I started to understand some of the difficulties faced by the Jewish community in Austria and the Jewish people. This made me aware of our self-perception, but also the perceptions of others. I am still observing.

Featured Participant: Naomi Shapiro

2010-04-15T21:45:24Z

Meet Naomi Shapiro of Birthright Israel NEXT!

Q: What’s your elevator speech?

A: I grew up in a small Jewish community in Champaign, IL, where I felt at home and it led to the work I do now with Birthright Israel NEXT - helping young Jewish adults find their place in the Jewish community or create it for themselves.

Q: What is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?

A: My work elevating Birthright Israel NEXT Chicago to a leading organization for young Jewish in Chicago is definitely my biggest accomplishment. If I had to pick a second, it would be organizing Israel Solidarity Day in honor of Israel's 60th birthday for thousands Chicagoans.

Q: You win a million dollars. What do you do?

A: Travel to as many new places as possible, save some, donate some

Q: If Hollywood were to make a movie of your life, who would play the lead role and why?

A: Evangeline Lily because I've been told I look like her.

Q: What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about you?

A: I like watching boxing on TV.

The Art of Offering Feedback

2010-04-15T21:22:25Z

Offering feedback – both positive and constructive – to colleagues, peers, supervisors and supervisees sounds easy, but can be an extremely challenging part of work. It can also be the most gratifying and valuable effort you expend organizationally in the long run. Remember that people tend to remember ‘negative’ feedback much more than the positive – so for every one piece of constructive feedback, you should make sure that you are offering much more positive feedback about what the individual is doing right.

Here is one model for offering constructive feedback:

Step 1: Ask
Can I share something/an observation with you?

Step 2: State the Observed Behavior
Focus on behavior, rather than intentions or judgment.

Step 3: Describe the Impact
Do it quickly and simply.
Focus on how the behavior impacts the organization, team members, etc.

Step 4: Acknowledge (Not Agree) Before Problem-Solving
Acknowledge feelings, demonstrate listening, and convey that you are on their side.

Step 5: Focus on the Future
Problem solve: “Can we do something differently next time?”
Don’t be in a hurry to answer this question. While there are times that you will want to give concrete advice, more than not, you will want to create the space for the employee to figure out her/his own solution and own it.

CLI Gears Up for Birthright Israel NEXT National Conference

2010-04-15T21:17:19Z

CLI is gearing up for the Birthright Israel NEXT National Conference in New Orleans this coming weekend – a conference that will host professionals and volunteer activists involved in young Jewish adult engagement work for a weekend of skills and team building, networking and shared conversation, best practices and program sharing. CLI will be facilitating sessions with NEXT National Staff, Local Directors, Fellows, Pros, Partners and others on programmatic innovation, decision-making, case studies, networking and more.

ROI Changes Things Up for Its 5th Anniversary

2010-04-15T21:15:13Z

In celebration of ROI's 5th anniversary, the ROI team has decided to change things up a little this year: The 2010 ROI Summit will be a gathering for current members of the ROI Community. In other words, if you have participated in a past ROI Summit or Regional Gathering, or were a Charlie Award recipient, you are eligible to apply for participation in this special 5th anniversary ROI Summit. As the program turns five years old, we are trying to strengthen our ROI Community, which has expanded every year. Expansion is good, as it widens the network. But what ROI 2010 will provide is an opportunity to go deeper as it grows wider - enabling us to work together with you on a strategy that will make ROI more responsive to the diverse needs of its member through program offerings like gatherings, grants, networking and professional development.

Facilitation Intensive Launched

2010-04-15T18:38:09Z

December marked the launch of Facilitation Intensive, a six-month certificate granting program, to train facilitators in the craft of facilitation as well as session and conference design. The fifteen participants are participating in two training retreats as well as a personalized apprenticeship program.

25 Exceptional Young Jewish Professionals Gather at the Kivun Intensive

2010-04-14T21:06:40Z

On January 25-27, CLI hosted the first retreat of the Kivun Intensive 2010.

25 exceptional young Jewish professionals gathered for three days of networking, learning and personal reflection.

This year’s cohort, representing 19 different organizations throughout the Jewish communal sector, is a tapestry of diverse personalities, skills, interests, backgrounds and opinions. They are individuals from New York to California, from Washington DC to Washington State, from Massachusetts, Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. Participants are from organizations that address a spectrum of issues of modern Jewish life, including environmentalism, social justice, Israel advocacy and education, youth engagement, inclusivity, innovation and community-building.

The retreat ended with a session entitled Social Asset Mapping, offering participants the opportunity to begin to use their newly-formed professional peer network. On large poster-sized pieces of paper, participants outlined skills they were looking to acquire and individuals (or types of people) they wanted to meet. Participants then did a ‘gallery walk,’ writing on each other’s posters the resources – skills and/or connections – that they could offer each other. In the words of one participant, this activity “created both a sense of receiving and giving” and set the stage for the creation of a resourceful community, inspired to help each other fulfill individual and community potential in the long-term.

Click here to view photos from the retreat.

Lynn Schusterman on King's Day and the Jewish Call to Service

2010-01-18T19:27:04Z

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Chair Lynn Schusterman shares some reflections on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Jewish call to service. Click here to read the full article on JTA.