Made-In-Michigan Interfaith Leadership Lab
The Made-in-Michigan Interfaith Leadership Lab (MIMIL) is a multi-part interfaith experience that brings together student leaders from college campuses across the Mitten to explore and test interfaith engagement strategies in community as Michiganders. Through a virtual gathering in the fall and an in-person conference in the winter, participants learn from and with one another while putting the work of religious pluralism into action across our state.
The fall virtual gathering sets the foundation for deeper cross-campus engagement by creating space for relationship-building, shared learning on the basics of interfaith engagement, and early-stage collaboration among students. Participants explore key questions, exchange ideas, and begin developing interfaith initiatives grounded in their campus contexts.
Building on that momentum, the winter in-person Lab—hosted by the Kaufman Interfaith Institute at Grand Valley State University in collaboration with partners at the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Kalamazoo College, Northwestern Michigan College, and Hope College—invites students into a multi-day, immersive conference experience. Together, they move from dreaming to doing as they hear from community leaders, connect with peers, and engage hands-on with models of deep engagement across difference.
An essential part of the Lab is a series of interactive breakout sessions, many led by students themselves where they guide their peers through interfaith experiences that have proven meaningful on their own campuses. Across both the virtual and in-person components, MIMIL equips students to lead with empathy, curiosity, and courage in fostering vibrant, pluralistic communities throughout Michigan.
The MIMIL conference began in 2016 and continued for 4 years as a regional off-shoot of Interfaith America’s Leadership Summit, furthering the work begun at the national conference and bringing their tools and resources into our Michigan context. As with so many of Kaufman’s initiatives, the momentum of the annual MIMIL conferences was dampened with the COVID shutdown. 2026 signaled the revitalization of this collaborative conference, which involved adapting it to the new challenges of a post-pandemic college campus. We are excited to once again be able to offer this experience annually with the help of our campus partners across the state!
2025-2026 MIMIL Partners
With Special Thanks To:
Interested in participating or becoming a partner school?
Contact Liz English, the Campus Program Manager at the Kaufman Interfaith Institute, for more information.