Kaufman Updates
Permanent link for Scholars Take Parliament By Storm: Modeling Youth Interfaith Engagement on August 22, 2023
There are certain experiences to which words cannot do justice; you simply must experience them to understand what they are. I would describe our staff and Kaufman Interfaith Institute Leadership Scholars’ experience of attending the Parliament of the World’s Religions in this way. Instead of painting a picture for you, maybe I can provide snapshots of what we experienced so that you may imagine what this global conference that hosts upwards of 7,000 people feels like. Upon entering you are greeted with people of every race, color, ethnicity, worldview/spirituality, garb, language and infinite back stories that engrain their connection to interfaith. There are probably as many definitions of the word ‘interfaith’ as there are people. During this year's Parliament, we were also confronted with as many workshops as there could ever be topics to explore from an interfaith perspective - human rights, environmental justice, curriculum development, engagement across every demographic front, the intersection of politics and polarization, mental health, healthcare, social justice from the perspective of multiple traditions as they intersect with global organizations or movements. This made for a bountiful learning and networking environment. However, as we most often see in interfaith spaces, the participants at Parliament were predominantly more experienced interfaith practitioners, from middle-age to advanced in years. And yet, in many of the workshop sessions that the staff attended, there was often an underlying theme of questioning, “What about the youth? Where are their voices? How do we work with the youth to build strong interfaith movements? How do we engage with the issues of importance to the youth?”
This year marked the 130th anniversary of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and in this historic moment, we all felt the urgency to highlight the voices of the next generation if we could have any hope to sustain and advance interfaith cooperation and understanding.The Kaufman Interfaith Institute’s Leadership Scholars’ workshop presentation was well attended by eager and diverse participants. During their workshop, the Scholars shared a presentation entitled, “Dispelling the Taboo of Interfaith Conversations: Youth Interfaith Leaders Share their Learning.” They spoke about the model of the Scholars program and the interactive dialogue project they implemented (thank you Jenison High School and United Jewish School) that addressed creating interfaith inclusion at our area schools. The feedback they received was astoundingly positive. They have been invited by other interfaith organizations around the country to visit, share their learning, and consult on how to engage more youth in global interfaith work and were admired for their leadership, poise and knowledge. In addition to presenting at the Parliament, the Scholars were able to attend an interfaith concert where they saw Rev. Jesse Jackson receive a lifetime achievement award. We attended wonderful workshops, including a break out session on Interfaith Photovoice, and had a delicious Langar meal at a pop-up Gurudwara hosted by the Sikh community primarily from the UK and Chicago. Ultimately, these innovative, inspirational, and humble leaders had a day in Chicago to be kids in awe of the beauty of Lake Michigan, the city of Chicago, global worldview representations and the important part they play in the interfaith puzzle.
When asked the question during their Q&A, “What do you need from us so that you can change the world?,” Emma, one of our graduating Scholars, responded quite succinctly: “Trust. We need trust that we know what we’re talking about, that we have felt these things and seen these things. [...] We know that it’s going to be hard, but we know that we want to do this.”
Zahabia Ahmed-Usmani
Zahabia with the Scholars cohort
