Source: The Fresno Bee
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/22976.html
Valley high school students are banding together to gain a stronger understanding of one another's religious faiths and traditions.
The Interfaith Youth Alliance held its initial meeting Sunday at the Islamic Cultural Center in northeast Fresno. The event brought about 20 students together from about a half-dozen local high schools.
The group discussed formation of interfaith alliances at their schools. The alliances would operate under a larger umbrella group and collaborate on community projects.
In addition to the local projects, the group will examine each other's differences to better understand their religious traditions and values.
Said alliance chairwoman Sarah Akhtar, 16, who attends Fresno's Edison High and is Muslim: "Even if we are different, it doesn't have to make a difference."
The group's goal is to have 1,000 members by the end of the year, forming youth alliances at local high schools and networking with other religious youth groups to work on community projects, she said.