Young Voices: Our alumni are true leaders

Developing leaders is something any good community, organisation or group must do to thrive.

Britain’s political class is struggling to find the leadership it needs but, within our youth movement of RSY-Netzer, I was delighted to see our newest cohort of leaders graduate from our leadership scheme, Course Hadracha, on Sunday.

A person doesn’t just become a leader instantly – and a graduation ceremony certainly isn’t such a moment. But it is the culmination of a journey.

Over the last year these people have developed from Israel Tour participants, enthused by the experience they formed part of, into creative and knowledgeable informal educators ready to create those experiences for others. They are not just leaders. They are Jewish and Zionist leaders who have had the opportunity to embrace these values into the leaders they have become.

But what values as leaders do we learn from the ideologies close to our hearts?

We learn from Moses that, as one graduate said at the ceremony, it isn’t just the loudest and biggest characters who can become the greatest leaders, but also those you may not expect.

We learn from Nahshon of the need to put yourself out there or, as many of the graduates put it, to be willing to look a bit silly in order to take the lead for everyone else.

We learn from David Ben-Gurion about how a true leader needs to be a dugma ishit – to set a personal example and live out the ideals being professed.

We’re all incredibly proud of our new leaders as they take up positions of responsibility, shaping our movement’s future.

If the country doesn’t find some new leadership quickly, I would happily recommend some of ours. They have proved they have the values and qualities it takes to be true leaders.

Ben Lewis is an RSY-Netzer movement worker