Interfaith Youths Unite in Volunteerism

April 7, 2008

Author: Peter Schworm

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/07/interfaith_youths_unite_in_volunteerism/

As a group of students grabbed rakes and spades to help clean up a neighborhood park in Jamaica Plain yesterday, Danyal Najmi knelt in quiet prayer on the sidewalk. An observant Muslim who prays five times a day, the Tufts University senior checked his compass to face Mecca before bowing his head.

Najmi's act of observance as a prelude to an afternoon of volunteer work crystallized the themes of yesterday's Day of Interfaith Youth Service, which brought together scores of teenagers and young adults across the religious spectrum to work on community service projects in Boston.

Student leaders, representing a number of races and religions, mailed books to prisoners, volunteered at a homeless shelter at Upham's Corner, and helped spruce up parks and reservations.

The local community service event united several interfaith coalitions, including Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries' Interfaith Youth Initiative, Sharon-based Interfaith Action, and interfaith groups from Tufts and Brandeis universities.