from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation blog:

The Need for Followership Programs

The past decade has witnessed the emergence of a new generation of programs in which the primary focus is on those who participate, not on those who lead. While Taglit/Birthright Israel, Moishe House, Hillel and Limmud are among the most obvious examples of this shift, a host of other organizations have also embraced the concept of “followership” by making engagement of the many a higher priority than the empowerment of the few.

Unsurprisingly, some of these organizations have had greater success than others.

… The best followership programs also recognize that it is their responsibility to sell, rather than the obligation of their potential participants to buy. All too often, we in the Jewish community bemoan the fact that our young people just don’t get it. This is where our thinking is faulty. We assume their inability to recognize the wisdom of our position is a shortcoming on their part rather than a reflection of our failure to communicate effectively and persuasively. We must remember: it’s not about us; it’s about what is happening.