Students keen to learn in Israel

AN annual and potentially life-changing Kelly+Partners Scholars Foundation business leadership study trip to Israel for year 10 and 11 students – that began with a modest intake of five Moriah College students in 2017 – is expanding this year to include non-Jewish students from across NSW.

Ten non-Jewish students were awarded scholarships to embark on April 14 on a five-day immersive, supervised trip to Israel to meet some of Israel’s top innovation movers and shakers, and positive social impact drivers.

They were selected from a group of 25 who completed a three-day leadership program in December at the University of NSW (UNSW), and who have a member of their extended family that is a client of Kelly+Partners.

The program’s founder, Brett Kelly, said it was pioneered with Moriah College in a 10-year agreement, on the central idea that “there should be a program that allowed students to really expand their sense of what’s possible in life and in business, in terms of making a positive impact, by getting to meet people who have already done that”.

“It’s about making them understand they really have personal agency.

“There’s so much to learn from Israel about social impact and entrepreneurship, that it would be difficult to go there and not come away a wiser person.

“And while the program is valuable for Jewish students, it struck me that the story of Israel should be inspiring to the whole world, so it made sense to me to get more people involved.”

Among the innovative companies and start-ups that participants will visit are Mobileye, OrCam, Eco Wave Power, Google, and Redefine Meat, plus there will be a half-day tour of Tel Aviv University’s (TAU) Entrepreneurship Centre.

The program also includes meetings with assistive tech industry leaders at the Nalaga’at Centre, and entrepreneurs involved with Unistream, which provides mentorship for underprivileged Israeli teens.

There are also cultural, educational and sightseeing components, including touring Masada, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem’s Old City, attending a Shabbat service at Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue, and visiting Yad Vashem, the Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation, and Save a Child’s Heart.

The program’s partners are the Australia–Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC), UNSW Founders, and TAU.

AICC CEO Michelle Blum said, “We’re really delighted to be partnering with Kelly+Partners to support this brilliant initiative they are funding, to expand the program to non-Jewish students.

“They’ll have an amazing level of access to Israeli entrepreneurs, and also get to experience Israel’s culture, society, and environment.

“I have no doubt they’ll become business leaders in the future.”