18 November 2019
Jewish Care Victoria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Observership Program that will further enhance its Yesod Board Foundation Program.
The Yesod Board Foundation Program is a yearlong program that provides young professionals in the Victorian Jewish community with the opportunity to gain strong understanding of board leadership, governance best practice, and the professional duties of a for-purpose organisation.
The initiative provides participants with opportunities to take part in interactive workshops with keynote speakers; gain firsthand experience sitting on a Jewish Care sub-committee; and participate in one-on-one mentoring opportunities with a Jewish Care Board Director, matched according to interests and skills. Since its initial intake in 2016, the program has produced over 45 board-ready non-executive directors.
Like the Yesod Program, The Observership Program provides a yearlong program to young professionals living in Melbourne and Sydney who are interested in building their confidence and capacity to serve on not-for-profit boards through interactive workshops and participation in sub-committee and board meetings in communal organisations.
The new partnership will enable Jewish Care to further enhance its offering to young professionals who participate in the 2020 Yesod Program by offering expanded learning modules and increased opportunities to network with a larger cohort of young professionals with similar aspirations to serve on boards of for-purpose organisations.
“Jewish Care Victoria is delighted to be entering our fifth year of the Yesod Program in partnership with The Observership Program,” said Bill Appleby, CEO of Jewish Care Victoria.
“This partnership in 2020 will further enhance the quality of our governance program for our participants; a program designed to equip young professionals with the skills and confidence to take up governance leadership roles across our communal organisations.”
Jonathan Gavshon, Founder and Chair of The Observership Program, echoed these sentiments, saying; “We are delighted to be collaborating with Jewish Care in such a meaningful leadership development project for both the Melbourne Jewish community and the Australian community at large. We are both deeply committed to harnessing the passion and talent of young professionals who have so much to learn and offer our non-profit sector.”
The Yesod Board Foundation Program is proudly sponsored by the Kelly and Simon T. Morris Family and the Szalmuk-Singer Family. Simone Szalmuk-Singer, Jewish Care Board Director, is involved in both the Yesod and The Observership programs and sees “strong synergies between the programs”. “This collaboration is a win-win for all; it is yet another example of where Jewish Care steps up as a strong community focused organisation prepared to take the lead on powerful and impactful collaboration.”
Click through for more information on how to apply for the 2020 Yesod Intake.