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PRESENTENSE
 
INSTITUTE
 
FOR
 
CREATIVE
 
ZIONISM
seeding initiatives to change the way the jewish people live, think and work
Summer Institute for Creative Zionism: Deploying an InternationalNetwork of Creative Zionist Leaders
Introduction
The PresenTense Institute for Creative Zionism is community center andincubator for social entrepreneurs dedicated to developing projects that willenhance the State of Israel and strengthen the ties between the geographicallydispersed Jewish People. The pilot phase of PICZ will take place this summer between June 18th and July 31 in Jerusalem, Israel. It is primarily focused ondeveloping networks and projects that will run in parallel between the twolargest communities of the day, Israel and America.Dedicated to transforming the way the Jewish People think, program andwork, PICZ has been inspired by the vision of Zionist thinkers across theideological spectrum such as Ahad Ha’am, AD Gordon and Ze’ev Jabotinsky,who foresaw Israel as the laboratory for the renewal of the Jewish People and asource for the reinvigoration of Hebrew culture. This pilot summer seeks todevelop the framework needed by the Information Age’s young Jewish leaders sothat they may rededicate and reinvigorate theirs and their peers' connection tothe Jewish People.To do so, PICZ has two levels of affiliation: Fellows and Members. Fellows—a group of 12 young innovators with proven track records—undergo personaltraining and development sessions throughout the six weeks of the summer, andwill be deployed in natural-work teams to develop projects that will addressissues of concern to the Jewish People. Members—a larger group spanning thegenerations—are free to come and go throughout the summer, to work in thecommunity center throughout the day, and to come to sessions with innovatorsfrom across the spectrum and thereby learn about—and potentially get involvedin—issues facing the Jewish People.PICZ’s dual-track model of community center and incubator enablesmaximum return on investment: those project seeds that will be developedduring the course of the fellowship will be planted into a larger community ofinnovative members from around the world—all of which are united around thegeneral vision of Creative Zionism.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: PILOT SUMMER INSTITUTE
PresenTense Institute for Creative Zionism
info@creativezionism.com ∙ www.creativezionism.com
 
PRESENTENSE
 
INSTITUTE
 
FOR
 
CREATIVE
 
ZIONISM
seeding initiatives to change the way the jewish people live, think and work
Mission:
To seed ground-breaking initiatives that change the way the JewishPeople live, think and work.
Goals:
•
To model, in Jerusalem, Israel, a cooperative creative Jewish communityfor the Age of Information
•
To explore contemporary ways of affiliation and Jewish citizenship
•
To develop a pluralistic model for community seeding that overcomesdenominational and ideological boundaries while strengtheninginterdependence and commitment to the whole
•
To develop young leadership and create a vision for continued dedicationto Zionism, Israel, and Jewish Community
Methodology:
The summer institute's methodology is inspired by the hi-tech incubatormodel harnessed by Israelis in the '90s, which brought together various brilliantminds of different specialties in a supportive and inspiring environment. Thismodel--utilized by the leading cutting edge companies around the world--positsthat human capital is the most important factor in the information age economy,and that by drawing people together from a diverse array of disciplines and backgrounds, creative new solutions to human problems will flourish.To this end, we are bringing together 12 young activists to be fellows fromIsrael and the Diaspora with a portfolio of innovation--proven socialentrepreneurs of different skill sets who have devoted their lives to addressingissues affecting the Jewish People.These social entrepreneurs will be integrated into a network-buildingprocess over the course of six weeks that will seek to develop the network as awhole, and inspire sub-groups within the network interested in addressing morenarrowly focused deliverables. The program is aimed at developing team-focused leadership skills as well as teams through a process of experientiallearning mixed with expert sessions. Via a creative environment in the city thatrepresents the Jewish People's beating heart, these fellows will work to enhance Jewish creativity in the Age of Information. The six week curriculum featuredonline includes the following:1.Daily breakfasts in the institute's common space.2.Unstructured "creative time" between the hours of 9-5pm, parallel toGoogle’s latest Human Resources models, to allow Israeli fellows to
PresenTense Institute for Creative Zionism
info@creativezionism.com ∙ www.creativezionism.com
 
PRESENTENSE
 
INSTITUTE
 
FOR
 
CREATIVE
 
ZIONISM
seeding initiatives to change the way the jewish people live, think and work
continue their day-jobs and Diaspora fellows to focus on personal projectsrun out of the institute.3.Three evenings a week (on average) of programming, aimed at skilldevelopment, including sessions framed around: Leadership, Creativity,Culture, Business and Innovation. These sessions provide a backbone forthe Institute, and are buttressed by sub-group time in which teams willwork on different projects.4.In addition, as mentioned above, PICZ is going to incubate a number ofnonprofit initiatives that the Fellows will collaborate upon throughout thesummer with the aim of having concrete projects ready to roll by the endof the session.5.Friday Master Innovator sessions -- four in number, bringing togetherfellows and members with leaders in the political, social, business and hi-tech spheres.
Expected Outcomes:
During the course of the summer, PICZ Fellows will be working on avariety of projects focused on strengthening the Jewish community andanswering some of the challenges faced by the Jewish People. To ensure Fellowsare given a framework to focus their energy on a collaborative process, Fellowswill self-select into teams at the beginning of the summer and work with amember of the steering committee as well as a Faculty mentor in the field inwhich the project seeks to be developed (i.e. education, social welfare, Hasbarah,environment, etc.). These projects will also benefit from the input and theconnections offered by Members, who will surround this core with a supportiveand encouraging level of energy and buzz.In addition, the very existence of the Institute will help in developingstronger ties between Israel and the Diaspora in that, for the most part, even themost integrated summer programs for American Jews end up leaving American Jews disconnected from their host society. By bringing together American Jewsand Israelis in one space, and providing them with a shared experience togetherwith top-level speakers focusing on a shared topic of concern, social networks between are bound to develop.
Some of the People Involved:
Steering Committee
(full bios online at www.creativezionism.com)
 
PresenTense Institute for Creative Zionism
info@creativezionism.com ∙ www.creativezionism.com
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