The course, required for over 50 student interns and leaders to attend, is unique to the Hillel community. On Tuesday nights, students gather at KU Hillel for a series of education sessions with topics about social entrepreneurship, Israel, fundraising, Shabbat and Jewish values, with the mission of developing stronger Jewish leadership at KU.
“Social entrepreneurship means not only giving your time and resources to a cause but also talking responsibility of that cause,” said Ben Davis, KU junior from Wichita, KS. “It’s the social entrepreneurs that truly make a difference in a meaningful way.”
On Tuesday, February 11, Adam Beren visited the Beren NextGen Leadership class to talk about social entrepreneurship in terms of spreading the word. He told the class that being entrepreneurial in a social context means trying to get your message heard by as many people possible, even if it resonates with just one.
Over the course of the year, the Beren NextGen Leadership class intends to teach interns how to develop new ways to approach causes in the Jewish community that they feel passionate about.
“The future of the American Jewish community depends on our leaders being entrepreneurs,” said Jay Lewis, KU Hillel’s Executive Director. “They will need to develop and implement creative solutions to our most pressing challenges. The Beren NextGen Leadership program’s supplements students’ experiences as student leaders to prepare them for a lifetime of leadership on behalf of the Jewish community.”