The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Overview

National Interfaith Awareness Week (NIAW) will take place during the Interfaith Youth Core's Days of Interfaith Youth Service in April 2008. NIAW's mission is to connect interfaith workers from both campus and other organizations across the U.S. in a week of events designed to encourage awareness of what "interfaith" is and some of the roles it plays in U.S. society. Events at different sites may include film screenings, interfaith-dialogue workshops, socials or dinners, panel discussions, and overviews of different faiths.

Participants, who may include campus faith and interfaith groups, local faith and interfaith organizations such as the Boston Dialogue Foundation, and more, are invited to register at the NIAW website. The NIAW Team will send them participant information and a logo, which they will incorporate into their publicity materials such as posters and e-flyers. Participants will be responsible for designing their own schedule of events and activities, though the NIAW Team will provide a list of suggestions. NIAW will have no fees, registration or otherwise.

After NIAW takes place, the NIAW Team will contact all participants and ask them to contribute to the website's "NIAW Report", which will include a list of participants, summaries of their weeks, and any other information they choose to provide, such as photos or video clips.

History

National Interfaith Awareness Week unofficially began at "Crossing the Faith Line: Interfaith Youth Work Conference" (October 28-30, 2007) hosted by the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago, Illinois. Sabrina Zearott, who was the representative of both the Pluralism Project and the Harvard College Interfaith Council, attended a breakout session at which ideas for interfaith work on campuses were discussed; one of those ideas was an interfaith awareness week. Sabrina decided to implement the idea on her campus. Shortly after that, she completed a research profile for the Pluralism Project on the Interfaith Youth Core, learning in the process that IFYC organizes several national programs that are designed to be implemented on the local level. Sabrina decided to follow this model and create a national event, rather than a local one, designating NIAW as "inspired by" both IFYC and the Pluralism Project.

Over the course of the IFYC conference, Sabrina connected with college students working on interfaith issues from different campuses in the Midwest - Whittney Barth (an IFYC intern) of Miami University, Ken Schoon of the University of Cincinnati, and Brad Seligmann of Xavier University. Over the next few months, the four collaborated on issues relating to what Sabrina was tentatively calling IFAW (Interfaith Awareness Week) to distinguish it from her campus's IAW, or Islam Awareness Week. The group decided to rename it to National Interfaith Awareness Week, as IFAW was also the acronym for Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week, an example of the antithesis of interfaith. They also decided to have the week coincide with IFYC's Days of Interfaith Youth Service (DIYS). Brad constructed an unofficial forum designed to bring those interested in interfaith work together in an online community and to help plan events for NIAW.

Sabrina contacted IFYC's Outreach Education and Training Coordinator, Cassie Meyer, about supporting the project. Cassie took the idea to the Program Directors of IFYC, who decided that IFYC would help with publicity. Megan Hughes, the Leadership Coordinator, took over the task of publicizing via three avenues: IFYC's Different Conversation site, information given to registering DIYS participants, and periodic emails to their student network. Additionally, Megan and Cassie helped Sabrina decide on an official name and approved the logo that she designed, which incorporates elements of IFYC's Days of Interfaith Youth Service logo.

Sabrina created a website with information about NIAW, as well as a place for individuals or organizations to register. She intends to acquire an official domain name for her website as soon as funding is available.

April 2008 will mark the first NIAW; as Sabrina designed it to be an annual event, it will likely not be the last.

A complete profile will be posted after the week occurs in April 2008.