High School Students Eagerly Participate in ISIME’s Student Interfaith Peace Project
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ISIME’s Student Interfaith Peace Project held its first class on October 1, as Christian, Muslim, and Jewish high school students from a variety of local schools met for the first time on the DU campus. The three-hour class seemed far shorter as the students eagerly began telling their own stories and learning about one another’s cultures and religious backgrounds. There is a bottomless treasure here to mine, as everyone quickly discovered.
Thirty students, in numbers equally representing the three Abrahamic faiths, will spend a full year learning about one another’s cultures and religious beliefs, along the way learning skills needed to become confident leaders and better listeners who are skilled in dialogue, appreciative of difference, and knowledgeable about the Middle East.
The highlight of the ambitious program comes in June, when many of the students will travel with the teaching staff to Israel and the West Bank. There they will meet with Israeli and Palestinian students and adults who are involved in peacemaking or other cooperative ventures. Throughout the year they will have opportunities to connect with teenagers in the Holy Land via videoconferencing and email, so the initial introductions will be made and the groundwork laid for their trip. This is a true creation of a peace network that is only beginning to form.
It’s a courageous undertaking, but to a person - students are eager to engage in the process, as the following excerpts from a few applications reveals.
A Muslim student, originally from Afghanistan, wrote:
“I am very and truly uncontrollably excited for this program! Actually,[the day before] I learned about this program I was talking to a couple people about the need for an organization that would challenge and maybe even destroy the barriers put between people of different faiths, especially the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, since their similarities are greater than their differences. I am awfully excited, and would like to start as soon as possible. Thank you so much for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to make a difference.”
A Jewish student from George Washington High School wrote:
“I would love to have the opportunity to learn about modern Christian and Muslim perspectives on the Arab-Israeli conflict. I am somewhat baffled by the inability of Israeli and Palestinian groups to reach a compromise and want to gain some insight into this issue.”
A Christian student from the Denver Center for International Studies wrote:
“I am applying to the Student Interfaith Peace Project (SIPP) because I strongly believe that peace, understanding, and acceptance starts by working together. I believe that if people of different religions are brought together they have the potential to create a better future. SIPP allows this to happen and I truly want to be involved in this journey of understanding and tolerance.”
The original plan for eighteen students increased quickly to thirty when students learned of the program and began sending in applications. A waiting list indicates the strong yearning in the student community to shift attention away from conflict toward one of dialogue and diplomacy. The students are not alone in their desire to find a better way. Eager parents have called to ask about enrolling their children. Teachers have encouraged their best students to participate, making sure their applications are turned in and considered. Several community members became actively involved, helping us recruit students, suggesting photo exhibits, documentaries, joint international projects, and other exciting possibilities.
Then there are those who are donating money to make the program a reality. ISIME member Dr. Paul Dragul has made it his personal mission to raise funds for the program and has a vision to help it expand nationwide. His enthusiasm is contagious. At the information meeting in September he shared a personal story. “I told my Muslim cab driver in Washington D.C. about the program the other day. When I arrived at my destination, he jumped out and opened my door for me, and surprised me with a giant hug.”
Directed by ISIME’s former project director, Deborah Schlueter, the classes are being taught by a talented and passionate team of three professional teachers representing each faith: East High School teacher Celeste Archer, former high school teacher and current Director of the non-profit Facing History-Facing Ourselves, Fran Sterling; and CU Professor of Political Science specializing in the Middle East, Amin Kazak. All of them are deeply committed to the program’s mission, devoting hours of personal time to create a powerful experience and outcome for the students.
Students from the program will join us at our annual fundraiser on October 23, 2007. Please join us in welcoming them into this life-changing program.