The arc of the DFI Program Year is designed with specific aspects of the curriculum explored at particular times. For the Personal Learning Plan (PLP), the arc is deliberately shaped in partnership with each Fellow, and it is expected that the PLP will evolove as Fellows refine their guiding questions, learn about Israel, and dive deeper into the Fellowship.
Accepted Fellows will be provided with detailed information about creating and shaping their PLP. Again, Fellows are guided by the questions that we use throughout the year:
What contributions do you wish to make in life? In what ways do you hope to influence your community or communities? In what ways do you wish to see society change? How might you be part of that change?
Below is an outline of the arc of crafting the PLP so prospective applicants can more fully understand the nature of one of the core components:
- September through November: setting initial goals and determining how to assess them, experimenting with many different options, getting a taste of Israel and all that the DFI has to offer
- December: getting clear on what changes are needed to the PLP before traveling to Budapest, and then the seminar in Budapest, Hungary, in which Fellows learn about an established Jewish community far different from the United States, and understand American Jewry in a global context
- January through March: refining and shifting initial goals as necessary, continuing more refined iterations of PLP, focusing on a few key aspects of one’s development
- March through June: trying any last activities that are crucial for one’s development, assessing goals over the year, determining how to carry this experience into post-Dorot life, preparing for final presentations