Next Dor Press

Just in time for the Potluck tonight, Next Dor is getting some great press from Jewishinstlouis.org.

The story, written by fellow Young Yid PJ is pretty solid and gives a pretty nice description of the house.

You can read it here and view some of the, as of yet, unreleased pictures here Read More......

Next Dor: Coming To A Neighborhood Near You

When we first started putting together the Next Dor Proposal, we weren't really sure what kind of legs it would have. I mean, its a great idea, right...have a central space where Jewish young adults can get together, and build a community. In the model of For Us By Us.

Lately, though, things have picked up. A large Synagogue 3000 grant came through, a local developer is getting involved to cover a large portion of the costs, and we have figured out who might want to be the live-in caretaker/administrator for the house.

There are some big things we have left to do. The first, is obviously to raise the remainder of the money (a not insignificant task). What will determine our success in this crucial piece is helping the community to understand that this is a community-wide effort. In other words, this space will not be affiliate with a particular congregation, or movement for that matter.

One of the other large issues is understanding the relationship between access and security. How can we ensure that students who want a place to study can come and go as they please, while making the house safe?

This is a community project, so we want to open this up to the community. How should these issues be tackled?
Read More......

Why is it so hard to get any thing done correctly?

Yesterday, at the Clayton offices of Gallup Johnson and Neuman, I attended a Young Leadership Focus Group. I had little idea of what to expect, and the outcome was far different from what those, who did know what to expect, had anticipated.

When I was asked to be part of the focus group to help create an innovative community-wide leadership development initiative, I was flattered... and not entirely certain what I had signed up for.

At the GJN offices, around a huge board room table, two consultants from the East Coast explained that they wanted to know our thoughts on the development needs in the community.

The conversation quickly took a turn towards discussing engagement and marketing, as opposed to developing the already engaged members of the community.

This didn't sit well with one of the participants, who maintained that this was not to forum to discuss those issues, as it was about providing development opportunities for those already plugged in.

The fact is, so it seems, that these two issues, of engaging and developing new leaders, as well as providing deeper and more robust training for those on boards and moving through that nebulous world, are deeply tied together, even as they are wholly different discussions.

The number of people who are deeply involved with cabinets and boards is fairly small, and that crew seems to recycle people from one board to the next.

As important as it is to make sure that those people are equipped with the necessary skills to be effective board member and lay leaders, the other side to that coin is bringing in and engaging new talent.

There is a careful balance that must be struck between making it appear to be an honor to be on a board, and making the boards too elite.

By all accounts, it was an interesting meeting, sparked some great discussions, and make a few connections.

We'll be interested to see what develops and will keep you posted.

What do you think are the community leadership development needs?
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How To Survive The Recession: Make Friends

Just got the Jewishinstlouis.org email update and they are running a series about Jewish young adults and the economy. Check out this story and the props that Moishe House gets!

Also, they finally got around to writing up the leadership and service trip to New Orleans Read More......