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youth
Introduction
Youth at IIC's Interfaith in a Global Age Symposium, 1999 Parliament of World Religions, South Africa
While interfaith conversations and activities have been taking place
around the world for years now it has only recently been the case that
youth have become involved in the interfaith movement. However, involvement
with interfaith work is particularly relevant for youth today as they
live in a world that is much more diverse than the one in which their
parents grew up. Additionally, many youth find themselves looking to
make connections to their history that are more meaningful and significant
than the messages of instant gratification and materialism that are
fed to them by the MTV culture.
One event that showed the powerful spirit of youth in interfaith cooperation happened at a United Religions Initiative conference in 1995. While adults met to talk about the possibility of doing interfaith activities, hundreds of youth from almost 50 different religions walked out into a field and prayed together. Read more about this event and others where youth have brought incredible energy into the interfaith world here by clicking here: North American Interfaith Network.
More and more, established interfaith organizations are developing programs for youth. These programs are no longer considered an afterthought, but a significant component of the organization’s work. Furthermore, there is an emerging movement of projects, organizations, networks and resources that focus exclusively on bringing young people from different religious backgrounds together.
The foundation for this module has been prepared by the Interfaith Youth Core, an organization based in Chicago that works to help young people of diverse faiths engage one another, connect faith and action, and understand the relationship between global trends and local issues. It is our belief that these activities will help faith-inspired young people build the skills and develop the perspectives needed to meet the challenges of our times.
This module is designed to introduce you to different ways that interfaith youth work is being done in high schools, in colleges and universities, and in communities, as well as provide you with some tools to help you get involved with interfaith youth work in your area. It also includes intellectual and reflective resources and provides links to national and international networks.
| © International
interfaith organisations network 2003 |