The We Are All Sydney Community Leadership Program is a professional development and networking program geared towards strengthening local leaders, agencies, and the city of Sydney as a whole.
Since 2019 – We Are All Sydney (WAAS) is a free-of-charge community leadership training program developed and presented by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies for Sydney residents from diverse communities.
This program is not just about words. It is cultivating a new generation of leaders who are creating the complex partnerships we need in NSW to improve our society.
The program brings together leaders from Sydney’s diverse ethnic, faith and NGO communities and organisations. Graduates of the program have come from many backgrounds, including Afghan, African-American, Anglo, Assyrian, Australian South Sea Islander, Baha’i, Burmese, Cambodian, Catholic, Chaldean, Chinese, Christian, Cook Islander, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Filipino, First Nations, Ghanaian, Greek, Hindu, Indian, Indonesian, Iranian, Iraqi, Italian, Jain, Jewish, Kachin Burmese, Kenyan, Lebanese, LGBTIQ+, Malaysian, Shiite and Sunni Muslim, Nepalese, Pakistani, Papua New Guinean, Peruvian Inca, Rohingya, Rwandan, Samoan, Senegalese, Serbian, Sierra Leonean, Sikh, Sri Lankan, Sudanese, Syrian, Vietnamese and Zimbabwean.
Stronger, more connected community leaders can only build a stronger, more connected Sydney and this is the intended legacy of the program. Perhaps the most famous saying of one of the most famous rabbis, Rabbi Hillel, was ‘If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, then what am I?’ The Jewish community sees it as both a moral duty and a logical undertaking to try to give back and strengthen the social fabric of this city. It is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do, for the benefit of all.
The aim of the program is to build capacity in emerging leaders and organisations from diverse communities in areas including:
- Cohort/Team Building, Leadership Skills
- Government relations/Public affairs advocacy
- Community Outreach, Engagement and Communication
- Public speaking, presentation skills and effective networking
- Developing Community Representation
- Creating community organisations
Graduates have an opportunity – after completion of the study sessions and to join the We Are All Sydney Alumni organisation. These optional programs provide graduates the opportunity to:
- Explore their own leadership style in a professional environment.
- Observe how theory is applied to practice in the community space.
- Expand their professional networks and form peer relationships.
- Enhance their professional skills related to the community services sector
- Enhance employment prospects.
- Engage in dialogue about community issues that matter to them.
- Be a part of a multicultural and multi-faith professional learning environment.
The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies is due to start accepting applications for the 2023/2024 We Are All Sydney cohort.
To apply for a place in our program, click the Application Form button above and email Michael Gencher at [email protected]Â with any enquiries.
