Archive for the ‘teens’ tag
Northern Irish Young ‘Friendly Across Religions’
More and more Northern Irish teenagers have friendships with people from a different religious background, a new report has found. Photo from Google News
from Google News and the UK Press Association
An increasing number of teenagers in Northern Ireland have friendships across the religious divide, a research study has said.
Only a minority of young people have no acquaintances from other religious or ethnic backgrounds, added the university Young Life and Times Survey (YLT).
Dr Paula Devine, from Queen’s University, said: “The YLT survey found that friendship patterns among 16-year-olds are wider than ever before, encompassing both religious and ethnic diversity.”
They found 12% of young people never socialise with those from a different community and 16% do not associate with other ethnicities.
Dr Devine added: “The comments made by young people in the survey suggest a blurring of the traditional us and them categories. Whether someone is like us or them is not purely based on their religious or ethnic background but on other factors such as personality.”
Key findings in the report, No More Us And Them For 16-18-year-olds?, include that cross-community friendship was more common in 2011 than in 2003. In 2011, 22% of YLT respondents had no friends from the other main religious community, compared with 33% in 2003.
T.I.D.E.: An Interfaith Conference for Teens, by Teens
The Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education (TIDE) Conference is planned and led by teens who want to have their voices heard and their presence felt as a positive force in the global community. A three-day event planned by fifty high school students of diverse backgrounds, the conference seeks to train teens to communicate respectfully and use their skills in discussions about highly charged issues; develop leadership and facilitation skills; and foster bonds and friendships among the youth in attendance that will continue after the conference. Conference attendees will participate in workshops, dialogues, and other activities throughout the weekend that allow them to discover more about themselves and their own understanding of personal identity; learn about the beliefs and identities of others; and make their voices heard at a conference that has been planned by high school students specifically for their peers. This is an exciting opportunity to see future leaders in action! Adults working with teens attend a parallel but separate adult track at the conference. The conference is sponsored by Interfaith Action, Inc. in collaboration with the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University.
Youth Advance the Interreligious Movement
Teenage Interfaith Diversity Education (T.I.D.E.) 2010: Wave of Change
Interfaith Action’s (IFA’s) annual T.I.D.E. conference is an exciting opportunity for high-school teens to “be in the driver’s seat” in the interfaith movement. Through interactive workshops and plenary sessions, teens from across the country will showcase their interfaith and leadership projects and programs. IFA teen leaders will facilitate activities that build communication skills and lead dialogues about highly charged and potentially divisive issues.
We want to hear from you! Submit a proposal to share your interfaith and community-building work. Learn more about leading workshops and submitting proposals for T.I.D.E. here or contact Youth Leadership Program Director Jason Smith, by email or phone 781.784.0651. Deadline has been extended to April 9th for consideration this year.
By sharing personal stories, participating in or observing worship, engaging in meaningful workshops and dialogues, reflecting upon community service opportunities, and sharing in fun evening activities, teens will foster bonds across religious, cultural, and ethnic differences and bring new energy, skills, and ideas back to their communities. Teens can stay connected throughout the year with a new innovative on-line dialogue forum created by Idealogue, Inc.
Adults who work with teens are invited to join the T.I.D.E. Conference in a special adult track. The T.I.D.E. 2010 Adult Track includes dedicated time to network, share best practices, discuss ideas and issues, learn from each other, train in the IFA methodology, and brainstorm ways we can work together to strengthen our individual programs and the larger teen interfaith movement. Adults may submit proposals to share best practices with other adult attendees. Please join us!
“The T.I.D.E. conference is the ultimate experience… It brings people together and shows that we all have difference, but if we understand them, the whole world can become a better place.” Michael, past T.I.D.E. participant
