From eJewishPhilanthropy:

by Andrea Rose Cheatham Kasper

In response to last year's Jewish Futures Conference competition on "prosumerism", the idea of Yadaim, the Academy of Applied Academics was born. To be clear it was an idea that was in the making for well over a year which crystallized in a competitive context. The competition asked the public to critically think about how co-creation of Judaism and Jewish education can manifest itself in innovative and dynamic ways which will capture the imagination of the public.

The trend of prosumerism is only one major trend we face today, another is a trend grounded in resourcefulness and utility, the ability to do things on our own. Prosumerism is the idea that people have evolved from simply being consumers to actively creating the world and experiences they seek. In the Jewish context, this means that Jews no longer look to an authority to tell them how to be Jewish nor through what traditions or practices, instead they are looking to collaborate and co-create a Judaism that is meaningful to them. By embracing this trend we evolve from being only intellectual creators of our world to actual creators of our world and experiences. By embracing this trend we move from a one dimensional focus on intellect to a fuller educational and Jewish conception of being God's partners in the physical, material/economic, spiritual and intellectual work of the world. It is the intersection of this trend with the unprecedented connectivity provided by technology that demands a prosumer response. Yet, as prosumerism is understood, there is no one public, it is not monolithic; rather it has over time and with the advent of new technologies broken into small, individualized and specialty groups. Jewish day school and Jewish high school leadership must respond to the increasing demand for individualized products by diversifying options.

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