Workshops
Click on the links to read a description of the workshops:
NOTE NEW ROOM ASSIGNMENTS AND OTHER UPDATES!
Workshop Session I: 11:45AM - 12:45PM
Preparing Students for Global Leadership: Essential Skills for Engaging Religious Diversity
Peter Laurence, Education as Transformation & Diana Denton, Speech Communication Program at the University of Waterloo, Ontario
Room 304
The Role of Interfaith Relationships in Building a Culture of Civic Engagement on Campus
Imad Damaj, Virginia Commonwealth University
Room 200
Safer, More Compassionate World Forums: Building Cross-Cultural and Interfaith Understanding as a Response to Terrorism
Cecilia Snyder, Daniel Tutt, and Vicente Garcia from Our Voices Together
Room 235
Using Simulation to Address Campus Conflict
Tim Wedig, ICONS Project, Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland
Room 102
Common Action for the Common Good: How to Make Pluralism Work in 21st Century America
Jenan Mohajir, Megan Hughes, and Lauren Parnell from Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC)
Room 205
Religion and the Media
Omar Sacirbey,
Correspondent for the Religion News Service
Room 206
TIDE WORKSHOP: Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education
Youth Leaders in the Interfaith Movement
Richa Magan, Henal Motiwala, and Aanchal Narang, Interfaith Action’s Youth Leadership Program Room 231
Workshop Session II: 3:15PM - 4:15PM
We’re Jamming! Lessons from the Ups and Downs of my 10-year Involvement with Jewish-Arab-Muslim Dialogue
Shaffique Adam, University of Maryland
Room 200
Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America
Kathryn Lohre, The Pluralism Project at Harvard University
Room 205
Building Bridges in the Real World: Interfaith Community Organizing
Nancy Kaufman, Jewish Community Relations Council, Bilal Kaleem, Muslim American Society, & Reverend Hurmon Hamilton, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization
Moderator: Alexander Levering Kern, Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM) & Brandeis University BUILD Fellows Program
Room 235
Be the Change! A New Generation of Leadership Uniting for Peace and Interfaith Action
Megan Lynes, Bo Bonaventure and Interfaith Youth Leaders
Room 102
AHA! Moments: When Dialogue Gets Beyond Just Talking
Mary Beth Griggs and Erin Taylor, Pathways- Tufts University's Interfaith Initiative
Room 231
Beyond Tolerance: Multi-faith Community at Wellesley College
Victor Kazanjian, Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life, along with members of the Multi-faith Student Council, the Multi-faith Living & Learning Corridor, and the Religious Life Team of Chaplains
Room 235
Delicious Peace: Developing Interfaith Support around an Interfaith Fair Trade Coffee
Cooperative in Uganda
J.J. Keki, Margaret Massa Bunihizi, Sinina Namudosi, Samuel Ngugo, Ben Corey-Moran
Room 108B
TIDE Workshop: Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education
Pardon Me, Did I Offend You? Pluralism In the Real World
Andrea Birnbaum and Dan Resnick, Interfaith Action’s Youth Leadership Program
Room 304
Workshop Session III: 4:30PM - 5:30PM
The Abrahamic Reality Game: A Consensus Building Tool
Edy Kaufman, Center for International Development & Conflict Management, University of Maryland Room 200
Humanism/Atheism/Agnosticism: Engaging Non-Religious Communities in Interfaith Youth Work
Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain, Harvard University
Room 205
Twenty Years of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Resolution: The Contribution of Civil Society Track II Efforts Towards Peacemaking and Peacebuilding
Gershon Baskin & Mr. Hanna Siniora, Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI)
Room 206
A Dangerous Discourse: Talking About Religious-Political Issues in the Campus Environment
Scott Weiner, New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP), Tufts University
Room 235
Spirituality, Story Telling, Deep Dialogue: Brandeis’ Vision of a Just, Peaceful Future Babatu Adam, Adwoa Atta-Krah, Adam Ross, and Dustin Smith, Brandeis University Interfaith Leadership Development (BUILD) Fellows Program
Room 231
Creating an Interfaith Dialogue: An Up-Close Look at a Successful Campus Model
The MIT Addir Fellows
Room 102
TIDE Workshop: Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education
Are You Really Listening? The Role of Communication in Interfaith Work
Leah Zuroff and Aanchal Narang, Interfaith Action’s Youth Leadership Program
Room 304
Workshop Descriptions
Preparing Students for Global Leadership: Essential Skills for Engaging Religious Diversity
Peter Laurence, Executive Director, Education as Transformation & Diana Denton, Director, Speech Communication Program, University of Waterloo
Inter-religious conflict can produce disastrous results, and the skills required for addressing religious diversity through dialogue are becoming increasingly important. This workshop provides training in self-reflection, listening, small-group dynamics and dialogue facilitation. These are critical skills for those who plan to participate in and to lead dialogue groups.
The Role of Interfaith Relationships in Building a Culture of Civic Engagement on Campus
Imad Damaj, Virginia Commonwealth University
Part of America’s greatness as a nation lies in its acceptance of diverse faiths and cultures. However, unless that diversity is actively expressed through civic participation, our country cannot reap the full benefits of pluralism. This workshop will introduce an innovative dialogue model called “Learn, Reflect, and Act” that uses techniques in listening, self-reflection, and dialogue to uncover participants’ own traditions of civic engagement.
Safer, More Compassionate World Forums: Building Cross-Cultural and Interfaith Understanding as a Response to Terrorism
Cecilia Snyder, Daniel Tutt, and Vicente Garcia, Our Voices Together
Our Voices Together’s nationwide Safer, More Compassionate World forums explore building cross-cultural and interfaith understanding as part of counterterrorism strategies, and have changed the public conversation about individual response to terrorism, especially among students, turning it towards concrete, positive global action. We will model an actual forum with two panel members, offering local and global actions students and others can take as a response to terrorism.
Using Simulation to Address Campus Conflicts
Tim Wedig, ICONS Project, Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland
This workshop will focus on the utility of simulation as a tool for exploring the dynamics that drive inter-group tensions and its application for developing conflict resolution skills. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to brainstorm possible applications of simulation exercises for issues facing their own campuses or organizations.
Common Action for the Common Good: How to Make Pluralism Work in 21st Century America
Jenan Mohajir, Megan Hughes, and Lauren Parnell, Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC)
There are millions of religious young people in the world standing at a crossroads of faith and identity. Two paths open before them; the path of conflict or the path of pluralism.Which path will they choose? Who are the individuals that are meeting them at this important crossroads? The Interfaith Youth Core's Megan Hughes, Lauren Parnell, and Jenan Mohajir will narrate the story of becoming a religious pluralist though building relationships of mutual respect and understanding, and answering the call for common action.
Religion and the Media
Omar Sacirbey, Freelance Writer for the Boston Globe and Religion News Service
How is the subject of religion dealt with in the media? Why is honest, accurate coverage so important? Omar Sacirbey, a freelance writer for the Boston Globe, will share the story of how he became a notable religion writer, and how he approaches the subjects of religion, politics, and culture in his writing. Omar, a former diplomat with the Bosnian Foreign Ministry, was inspired by the journalists who covered the Bosnian war and subsequently left diplomacy for news. In the aftermath of 9/11, Omar felt a growing urgency to examine religion and how it affects relations between nations, cultures and peoples. Omar will share with workshop participants lessons from his various experiences.
TIDE Workshop: Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education
Youth Leaders in the Interfaith Movement
Richa Magan, Henal Motiwala, and Aanchal Narang, Interfaith Action’s Youth Leadership Program
There are many different models for engaging youth in the interfaith movement. Interfaith Action believes it is critical that youth not only engage in the work, but that their voices be heard: how involvement in the interfaith youth movement impact’s their life and choices, how they actively plan and implement programs, and how their leadership changes their communities. By showcasing youth voices and experiencing their leadership in a break-out session, those working with youth can broaden their vision of what is possible in the movement.
The Abrahamic Reality Game: A Consensus Building Tool
Edy Kaufman, Center for International Development & Conflict Management, University of Maryland
This workshop seeks to increase mutual understanding among Christian, Jewish and Muslim students through game stimulation - to work together to take a stand on the issue of violence against non-combative civilians across the world. New expressions of common ground will be explored through a structured dialogue amongst peers, both domestically and internationally.
Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America: A Film Screening & Discussion
Kathryn Lohre, Pluralism Project, Harvard University
This session will include a screening and discussion of “Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America,” produced by the Pluralism Project. This film offers a look at the lives and work of three American women – one Buddhist, one Hindu, and one Muslim – for whom faith, activism, and identity are deeply intertwined. It offers insight into, and encourages dialogue on, the powerful streams of thought and action that are being created by women activists of different religious and cultural traditions here in the United States.
Building Bridges in the Real World: Interfaith Community Organizing
Nancy Kaufman, Jewish Community Relations Council, Bilal Kaleem, Muslim American Society, & Reverend Hurmon Hamilton, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization
How do global religious tensions impact domestic interfaith community relations? What can local faith communities do to create stronger bonds with one another in the face of rising international and inter-religious conflict? Representatives from three of Boston’s most wide-reaching faith organizations will speak about their involvement in creating positive, meaningful and long-lasting interfaith relationships on the community level.
Be the Change! A New Generation of Leadership Uniting for Peace and Interfaith Action
Megan Lynes and I-FYI Interfaith Leaders
The Inter-faith Youth Initiative, a program sponsored by Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, is a dynamic experience in youth empowerment for high school students, college interns and graduate student mentors. For nine days each summer teens from many different religious backgrounds come together to experience community building, workshops, service projects and learning trips to engage themes of interfaith dialogue, peace and justice. Come learn from participants themselves about how the program is structured and why teens rave about their experience at I-FYI.
AHA! Moments: When Dialogue Gets Beyond Just Talking
Mary Beth Griggs and Erin Taylor, Pathways, Tufts University
There are many defining moments in interfaith dialogue. From encounters with people whose bigotry and hatred have made us more determined than ever to speak up, to those discussions with people with whom we learn to disregard stereotypes, there is a moment in time when we realize why we do what we do. We will be discussing the powerful role of these “AHA!” moments and how we can use them to enhance the interfaith experience.
Beyond Tolerance: Multi-faith Community at Wellesley College
Victor Kazanjian, Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life, with members of the Multi-faith Student Council, the Multi-faith Living & Learning Corridor, and the Religious Life Team of Chaplains
Over the past fifteen years, Wellesley College has experimented with a new model for creating a multi-faith religious and spiritual life program on campus that includes: support for all particular religious groups; programs on inter-religious dialogue and conflict resolution; and recently educational programs on inter-religious understanding for the campus at large. Using a multimedia presentation created by students, this workshop introduces participants to Wellesley's programs and offers the opportunity for an interactive multi-faith experience.
Delicious Peace: Developing Interfaith Support around an Interfaith Fair Trade Coffee
Cooperative in Uganda
J.J. Keki, Margaret Massa Bunihizi, Sinina Namudosi, Samuel Ngugo, and Ben Corey-Moran
In 2004, Muslim, Jewish and Christian coffee farmers in Eastern Uganda joined together to
create a fair trade coffee cooperative dedicated to economic justice and interfaith
harmony. Religious organizations across the United States have rallied to support this
venture. Hear four Ugandan coffee farmers representing the Muslim, Jewish and Christian
communities and representatives from their fair trade partner The Thanksgiving Coffee
Company speak about this project.
TIDE WORKSHOP: Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education
Pardon me, did I offend you? Pluralism in the real world
Andrea Birnbaum and Dan Resnick, Interfaith Action’s Youth Leadership Program
In this diverse nation, there is a beautiful opportunity to learn about other people and their traditions. We may find ourselves curious about our new neighbors, but might refrain from dialogue for fear of being intrusive or offensive.Participants in this workshop will engage in discussion and learn to ask without offending.
We’re Jamming – Lessons from the Ups and Downs of my 10-year Involvement with Jewish-Arab-Muslim Dialogue
Shaffique Adam, University of Maryland
What began as an effort of Stanford University’s multicultural office to ease strained campus relations between Jewish, Arab and Muslim students, became a ten-year personal journey through the joys and pains of organizing and participating in interfaith dialogue groups on two college campuses. By discussing the lessons learned through the many successes and failures, this workshop will engage participants to brainstorm on the necessary ingredients for building trust and sharing meaningful and genuine dialogue that not only fosters mutual respect and understanding, but also enriches all of the participants.
Humanism/Atheism/Agnosticism: Engaging Non-Religious Communities in Interfaith Youth Work
Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain, Harvard University
1 in 5 Americans aged 18-25 are non-religious. And many of the millions of Humanists, atheists, and agnostics strongly support the concept of interfaith cooperation for pluralism, peace, and justice. But how can one get involved with the organized Humanistic community, and/or get it involved in multifaith efforts? This workshop will include an introduction to the richly diverse tradition of Humanism and atheism, and a discussion on how Humanists and the religious can find common ground rather than just grounds for endless debate.
Twenty Years of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Resolution: The Contribution of Civil Society Track II Efforts Towards Peacemaking and Peacebuilding
Gershon Baskin & Mr. Hanna Siniora, Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI)
IPCRI was founded almost 20 years ago as a joint Israeli-Palestinian public policy think-tank aimed at helping to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Twenty years later after hundreds of track II meetings, we ask – what has been achieved?What contributions have civil society track II efforts made towards peacemaking and peace building? What went wrong and what can we learn from our mistakes? What does the future hold for track II conflict resolution in the Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Arab setting?
A Dangerous Discourse:Talking about Religious-Political Issues in the Campus Environment
Scott Weiner, New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP), Tufts University
Dialogue often suffers from the creation of a “no fly zone” surrounding issues of religion and politics. This workshop will be a roundtable discussion examining this sensitive issue and how to begin dealing with it. Is it possible to open a religious-political discourse which is honest yet civil on campus?
Spirituality, Story Telling, Deep Dialogue: Brandeis’ Vision of a Just, Peaceful Future
Babatu Adam, Adwoa Atta-Krah, Adam Ross, and Dustin Smith, Brandeis University Interfaith Leadership Development (BUILD) Fellows Program
BUILD is engaging students in powerful dialogue opportunities, empowering them to maintain their true identities while accepting key differences. Learn how to create an environment that allows individuals of different religious backgrounds to open their hearts and minds. BUILD leaders will show a video created by students engaged in interfaith work on campus, and lead an interactive discussion on the following topics: being faithful in a secular world, being the majority/minority and how can we achieve peace and justice by being who we are as people of faith.
Creating an Interfaith Dialogue
The MIT Addir Fellows
Interested in being part of an “interfaith dialogue,” but don’t know how it works? HERE'S YOUR OPPORTUNITY! Using a very successful model from the Addir Fellows: MIT Interfaith Dialogue Program, we will introduce a small group model. Our time will be spent in diverse dialogue groups, which will provide a brief experience of this intensive process.
TIDE WORKSHOP: Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education
Are You Really Listening? The Role of Communication in Interfaith Work
Leah Zuroff and Aanchal Narang, Interfaith Action’s Youth Leadership Program
Many people speak their minds in this world, especially about personal and controversial issues, yet they are not always heard. Many people are unwilling to listen due to their own strong opinions. This can be detrimental to a discussion or dialogue because communication only occurs when people are both active speakers and listeners. This workshop focuses on listening as the forgotten tool for successful communication, one that allows for the absorption of other’s ideas and the forming of unbiased opinions.
