Religious beliefs are a powerful force in many people’s lives, motivating them to live virtuously and to love others. However as religious diversity increases in the U.S., there are also increased risks of polarization and anti-religious sentiments. To counteract these anti-social forces, there must be more widespread efforts to promote interreligious trust and understanding.
To create greater awareness, understanding and empathy between students from different religious traditions, as well as between students of faith and those of no-faith, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) partnered with other campus ministries to provide productive interfaith engagement on campuses across the U.S. The work, supported by a $300,000 grant from AVDF, led to 62 hosted interfaith campus events involving over 2,000 students over a two-year period. Interestingly, of the 55 partners participating in this project, only 18 had held interfaith events in the past.
The types of events varied from religious conversations over a shared meal, to featured speakers and expert panels, to recreational events. The groups that partnered with FOCUS included nationally recognized student groups such as Hillel, the Muslim Student Association, InterVarsity and Cru. Impressively, FOCUS also partnered with student groups that do not traditionally engage with other groups, such as Latter-Day Saints, Lutheran student groups, and the Secular Student Alliance. These activities enabled FOCUS campus directors and student members to engage productively with Jews, Muslims, Latter-Day Saints, Evangelical and mainline Protestants, and non-religious students and staff on dozens of campuses.
Survey results showed that after participating in the program FOCUS student members felt ready to engage in interfaith dialogue (76%) and were interacting more regularly with people of different traditions (48%). Additionally, 90% of the FOCUS campus directors reported that their students were engaged in more interfaith activities, and 100% of the participating directors were already planning for future interfaith events.
Through sustained discussion and productive personal engagement, FOCUS believes that students on campus will better understand others with whom they differ.
Eileen Piper, Vice President of Lifelong Mission at FOCUS explains, “Since they are recent college graduates and receive extensive training in interpersonal communication, FOCUS campus staff are particularly skilled in fostering dialogue that can create authentic, lasting friendships. Relationships built on friendship and trust will be the foundation for a clear understanding of similarities and an honest discussion of differences. In this way, interfaith encounters can create communities of awareness that will have a ripple effect across campus and contribute to an atmosphere of peace on campus.”
While the supported activities led to new and enduring relationships between students, the project also spawned new friendships between FOCUS directors and directors of other religious campus student groups.
In light of the success of these efforts, AVDF has provided a follow-up, $400,000 grant that will continue these activities through 2025.
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