Integrating Spirituality In Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop

Integrating Spirituality In Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop

Integrating Spirituality In Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop

Dr. Lo visits Pine Ridge

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The Guibord Center is honored to present in person at the Awakened Schools – The Spiritual Core of the Whole Child Conference on October 22 & 23, 2022.  Dr. Lisa Patriquin, Program Director for Youth and Young Adults, will be introducing our “Integrating Spirituality In Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” workshop series for School Leaders.  There’s still time to register to attend the Awakened School conference in person (15 CEU credits are available.) You can also participate in some portions of the conference virtually.  Register for this FREE conference: In Person or Virtually.  

More details and registration opportunities for the Integrating Spirituality in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion workshops will be available shortly on this website.

World Refugee Day Connects Us All

World Refugee Day Connects Us All

Photo: by Kalhh, Pixabay

World Refugee Day 2022 (UN)

As of late May 2022, UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency reports that 100 million people worldwide are refugees—the highest number of refugees ever recorded.  With a painful statistic like that, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and turn our gaze away.  Here at The Guibord Center – Religion Inside Out, it’s precisely when we are confronted with the desire to disconnect that we choose to lean in.  We believe in the power of people’s stories to reveal how similar and interconnected we are even with our differences.

So take a deep breath.  Think about the stories of your own extended family.  Do you have loved ones who were forced to leave their homes because of war, famine, persecution, or other life-threatening circumstances?  Those people were refugees.  What do you know about their stories of fleeing home, seeking shelter and safety, and building a whole new life?  Were there people who helped them along the way? Were any of them able to return home after a time? Or were there members of your extended family who helped refugees escape, re-settle and re-build—people who were trusted neighbors and friends?

On this World Refugee Day, the members of The Guibord Center community urge you to reflect on your own family’s refugee stories and share them with others.  We grieve the pain refugees experience as they flee their homes to seek shelter and safety.  We give thanks for the agencies and individuals who host and integrate refugees into their cities and towns.  And we applaud the many contributions that re-settled refugees bring to their adopted communities. Find out more about the worldwide refugee crisis at UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency and consider what you can do to support those who are re-settling in your community.

Juneteenth: Our Newest National Holiday

Juneteenth: Our Newest National Holiday

A statue of the late Rep. “Al” Edwards Sr., who successfully campaigned during his freshman year to make Juneteenth a state holiday in Texas (1979).

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Honoring the Juneteenth National Holiday

Every year between the public reading of General Order No. 3 on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, TX that declared, “All slaves are free,” and the recognition of Juneteenth as a national holiday in the United States in 2021, Black communities have celebrated freedom from enslavement—sometimes publicly and sometimes privately—even as they have experienced the ongoing horrors of systemic racism and white supremacy.

Today on the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth, we acknowledge the essential contributions of the enslaved and free Black men and women who have built and defended the United States, and reflect on what we are still learning from our collective history to build a just and equitable society for all.

“The project of freedom, Juneteenth reminds us, is precarious. We should regularly remind ourselves how many people who came before us never got to experience it and how many people there are still waiting.”

Smith, Clint. How the Word Is Passed (p. 206). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.

You may also wish to read more about Juneteenth in this article

Interfaith Educational Resources Winter 2019

Interfaith Educational Resources Winter 2019

Interfaith Educational Resources Winter 2019

INTERFAITH FAMILY RESOURCES

We are starting to encounter more resources for interfaith families, and although the majority are for Abrahamic inter-marrieds (Christian, Jewish, Muslim), a few are for couples from any faith tradition.  We are always open to suggestions of resources our followers find valuable.  Email Lisa Patriquin, Program Director for Youth and Young Adults, at lisapatriquin@theguibordcenter.org

Books for Adults

Being Both: Embracing Two Religions in One Interfaith Family by Susan Katz Miller.  Useful for couples and families that would like to honor, educate and practice both Judaism and Christianity.  Research and commentary based on both surveys and interview data, database well as personal experience of the author.  Wonderful resources listed at the end, some of which are highlighted below:

The Interfaith Family Journal by Susan Katz Miller will be available on March 15, 2019 from Skinner House Books or preorder on Amazon.  Couples and families from any different faith backgrounds (or none) should find it helpful. A five-week program with interactive exercises, creative activities, suggesting for dealing with extended family, and strategies for connecting to local communities.  Might be a useful resource to combine with Spiritual Playdate (see below) to start your own interfaith support community!

Til Faith Do US Part: How Interfaith Marriage is Transforming America by Naomi Schaefer Riley.

An examination of trends in interfaith marriage in the United States based on a nationwide survey of 2,500 respondents, and in-depth interviews with couples, religious leaders and marriage counselors. 

Pew Research Center: Religion and Public Life.  In-depth publications based on large scale surveys on a wide variety of topics related to religion.

Recent reports on interfaith marriage in the US:
http://www.pewforum.org/2016/10/26/one-in-five-u-s-adults-were-raised-in-interfaith-homes/

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/06/02/interfaith-marriage/

Books for Kids and Teens

Todd Parr writes and illustrates wonderful books for young children that have direct, uplifting messages that reflect the values of the great religious and spiritual traditions of the world and promote inclusion.

There are several beautiful books out now based on classic songs.  Check out these titles:

What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss.  Illustrated by Tom Hopgood.

One Love adapted by Cedella Marley.  Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.  With downloadable activity pages.

Every Little Thing adapted by Cedella Marley.  Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.

Goodreads lists books its members recommend.  For example, check out this list of 31 books for kids and teens from families with one Jewish parent.  The readers who put the list together emphasize that the books are not about religion but address aspects of growing up in religious and secular Jewish interfaith homes.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/104155.Interfaith_Kids_and_Teens_

 Explore other Goodreads lists related to interfaith issues and various faith traditions.

Organizations


Spiritual Playdate

An online resource for families that want to get together with families from other faith traditions to learn more about each other’s beliefs and practices.  There are lessons (“Soul Talks”) for different age groups that cover broad topics like Love, Forgiveness, World Religions, God, Heaven and Hell, Sacred Spaces, etc.  Current materials are for children ages 5 -10 years old, but they are developing materials for pre-teens and teens. 

Spiritual Playdate offers three membership tiers: Basic Free but limited access to resources), Premium (at $24/year this looks like  fantastic deal, with access to all the website’s resources) and Affiliate (an institutional membership for houses of worship, schools or other organizations/individuals that would like to help organize and facilitate Spiritual Playdate groups in their area. 


Interfaith Community: Two Religions, One Family

Muslim Christian Interfaith Families (mentioned previously in TGC recommends Fall 2018). A closed Facebook group for couples and families in the US and Canada.  Moderated by Katie and Shaan Akbar, this group began in March 2018 and has rapidly expanded to over 300 members who offer support to one another about dating, marriage, raising children and many other topics.  To request that you be added to the group, search for them on Facebook and send them a message.

Interfaith Educational Resources Winter 2019

Interfaith Educational Resources Fall 2018

Interfaith Educational Resources Fall 2018

Kids and Families

Muslim – Christian Interfaith Families

A new Facebook group that meets the needs of English-speaking Muslim- Christian families and couples in North America for connection and a place to ask honest questions. Shaan Akbar (Muslim) bring his expertise to the business side of the venture—they are working toward opening a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Katie Akbar (Catholic) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and co-hosts live-streamed Facebook events on a wide variety of topics with other guests. If you are in a Muslim-Christian interfaith relationship or family, check out this dynamic group! Muslim Christian Families Facebook Group

PJ Library – www.pjlibrary.org

An online organization that will send free Jewish children’s books anywhere in the world. For families that are Jewish or “Jewish and “something else”, these books can help parents talk about Jewish traditions and beliefs, and explore stories about other mixed-faith families, regardless of background, knowledge or type of observance of Judaism. Read this helpful review of PJ Library in the Huffington Post.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/childrens-books-in-interfaitheducation_us_5997446ce4b02eb2fda31fcb

Seven Spirals: A Chakra Sutra for Kids by Deena Haber and Aimee McDonald

Intended for children, but also helpful as an introduction for parents, this book present the seven chakras through simple stories that connect each chakra to the color, location and energy it represents in the body.  Colorful, with a reference page and a brief guide for mediation, this book would provide a great way for parents and kids to practice together.   Suitable for 3 – 9 year olds.
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Spirals-Chakra-Sutra-Kids/dp/0615241859
https://www.facebook.com/Seven-Spirals-A-Chakra-Sutra-For-Kids-166342220094687/

What is God? By Etan Bortizer

Written to answer the question that some interfaith parents dread, What is God? introduces the basic understandings of God from a variety of religious traditions, with a page about the holy scriptures of each tradition.  Suitable for 6 – 9 year olds.
https://www.amazon.com/What-God-Etan-Boritzer-ebook/dp/B00KDP53S6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536860342&sr=8-1&keywords=what+is+god%2C+by+etan+boritzer

Youth and Teachers (Middle School and High School)

Although the new school year has just begun, it’s not too early to start planning for Summer 2019!
Check out these interesting options.

Global Youth Leadership Institute (www.gyli.org)

GYLI offers unique summer programs for high school students and training for professional educators that seek to build more democratic and socially just communities though a focus on collaborative leadership, multicultural identity, religious pluralism, environmental sustainability.  In July 2018, GYLI asked The Guibord Center to offer the session on religious pluralism to one of GYLI’s Year One cohorts.  We hope to continue this partnership going forward.  And two of their Year One summer programs are based in Los Angeles!  Although most of the students that attend the summer programs are from specific partner schools, it is possible to register for their programs independently.  Educator conferences are held annually, usually in the Midwest.

Kids4Peace www.k4p.org

Kids4Peace is an international interfaith youth movement with chapters in Jerusalem, France and North America that brings students of many faiths and cultures together for dialogue, social change to transform divided communities into communities of lasting peace.  Domestic and international camp experiences are available for middle schoolers and high schoolers.

Young Adults

Upcoming Interfaith Conference

The Parliament of World Religions conference is in November 2018 in Toronto. Tahil Sharma, one of The Guibord Center’s Young Adult Advisors, is very active with this organization, helping to organize a pre-PoWR event in Washington DC last July called Reimagining Interfaith.  He will be attending the Toronto conference in November.  For more info, contact Tahil at st_325@usc.edu and/or go the www.parliamentofreligions.org
And heads up, at the PoWR conference on November 3, there will be several fantastic speakers at their Women’s Dignity Assembly and Program Initiative! 

Book Recommendations

If you want to geek out on the topic of religious pluralism, check out Eboo Patel’s new book Out of Many Faiths: Religious Diversity and the American Promise.  (The Kindle edition is available on Amazon.) Patel is the Founder and Executive Director of Interfaith Youth Corps  and a thought leader on this topic.
https://www.amazon.com/Out-Many-Faiths-Religious-Diversity-ebook/dp/B07DZQMRS9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536860487&sr=8-1&keywords=out+of+many+faiths+religious+diversity+and+the+american+promise

Samia Bano, one of The Guibord Center’s Young Adult Advisors, recommends Losing My Religion: A Call for Help.  “It’s primarily meant for  Muslim youth and/or anyone seeking a better understanding of some of the big challenges Muslim youth face and how to deal with them.”
https://www.amazon.com/Losing-My-Religion-Call-Help/dp/1590080270/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536860595&sr=8-1&keywords=Losing+My+religion%3A+A+Call+For+Help

Pop Culture

And for a bit of fun in these chaotic times, Marium Mohuiddin, Director of Development for The Guibord Center and pop culture enthusiast, recommends The Good Place, a fantasy-comedy series currently airing on NBC, with past seasons available on iTunes and Netflix.  Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) wakes up in the afterlife in a Heaven-like utopia, and realizes she has been sent there by mistake.  Chidi (William Jackson Harper), her assigned soulmate, takes on the task of trying to help her become a better person so she can stay there. The show creatively explores what it means to be a good person, and you might learn a bit about philosophy and ethics along the way.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4955642/