Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education

From May 28th-31st, 2010 high-school teens from across the United States will gather in Boston, Massachusetts for the 2010 annual Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education Conference (TIDE). Themed the “Wave of Change Conference”, the event presents an opportunity for teens to take an active leadership role in the interfaith movement. Organized by Interfaith Action Inc.’s Youth Leadership Program, in collaboration with the Brudnick Center for the Study of Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University, the teen participants will showcase their interfaith and leadership projects and programs through a series of interactive workshops and plenary sessions. All of the activities at TIDE 2010 will focus on building communication skills and fostering dialogue about common ground issues. Interfaith Action, Inc. teen leaders will work with the participants and facilitate all of the activities and dialogues.

The aim of the conference is for the teens to unite through sharing stories, participating in or observing worship, engaging in workshops and dialogues, and reflecting on community service opportunities in an effort to build friendships that transcend religious, cultural, and ethnic differences and inspire each individual to implement the skills learnt at the conference in their own communities. Once the conference concludes, the teen participants will be able to stay connected throughout the year with a new innovated online dialogue forum created by Idealogue, Inc.

In collaboration with the 2010 TIDE conference, a special conference for adults who work with teens is taking place at the same time. The TIDE 2010 Adult Track includes dedicated time to network, share and discuss ideas, practices, and issues, learn from each other, train in the Interfaith Action methodology, and brainstorm better ways to work together to more effectively execute individual programs and improve the teen interfaith movement in general.

TIDE is the creation of a 16 year-old boy named Dan who wanted to give other teens the opportunity to experience the power of teen-run interfaith programs. The first TIDE conference took place on June 26, 2007 at the Pluralism Project of Harvard University. In his opening address at TIDE 2007 Dan said, "The reason we spent so much time and effort on this conference is because we want to spark change in our community and in our state. The things we do in interfaith might seem trivial, but each activity has changed each of us for the better and changed our community for the better. We hope to do the same today." Since its inception, the youth have planned and facilitated activities, recruited participants, and helped with all the logistical coordination of the conference.

To submit a proposal to share your interfaith and community-building work, and learn more about TIDE 2010, contact Jason Smith (Youth Leadership Program Director) by e-mail Jason@ifaction.org or by phone (781) 784-0651. Deadline is April 1st, 2010.

Group Page: http://www.interfaithing.com/groups/...th-action-inc/
Website: http://www.ifaction.org/events/view/...hange-confere/