Interfaith Insight - 2022
Permanent link for "Power in their passion: the impact of teenage interfaith leaders" by Kyle Kooyers & Zahabia Ahmed-Usmani on May 24, 2022
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from three years of
doing interfaith youth programming, it is this – when you invite a
group of young leaders to work together to change their community for
the better, even if you anticipate greatness, you’ll still be amazed
by them.
As the Kaufman Interfaith Institute has leaned into our focus on
the Next Generation, we wanted to create a next step for emerging
student leaders who had participated in Day Camp or had attended some
of our family focused programming. We really do believe that middle
and high school students are the future of interfaith cooperation and
their leadership offers the world a rich perspective and energy.
Atif was a tenth grader in Holland, Michigan when he first
participated in the inaugural youth programming offered by
Kaufman Interfaith Institute. Of his experience Atif said, “As a
Muslim youth in a predominantly White, Christian community I have
faced discrimination and misunderstanding about who I am, my whole
life. Kaufman programs have given me a place where I belong, in
community with friends of every religion or no religion at all.”
Mackenzie, a senior in Jenison, Michigan, reflected on her
participation with profound eloquence stating, “I have found beauty
and truth within many traditions different from my own. It has been so
valuable to grow alongside individuals who are driven towards creating
oneness instead of sameness.”
Drawing upon our experience working with
college-age interfaith leaders on area campuses and with the support
of the Wege Foundation and Interfaith America, we set out to create a
leadership development program that gave a younger demographic a
platform to shape the next chapter of the interfaith movement in West
Michigan and guide the work of the Kaufman Institute. The result: the
Kaufman Interfaith Leadership Scholars Program.
Having just completed our third year of the program, the
Leadership Scholars meet every other Sunday during the school year to
connect with their peers, from different faiths and worldviews, who
want to work together to make our world a better place. During our
time together, teens receive mentorship and training on implicit bias,
power and privilege, intersectional identities, being an ally and
influencer as well as foundational tools of presentation, professional
speaking and storytelling. The projects and the work are driven by the
young leaders themselves as they look to create grass-roots community impact.
Emma, a Jewish sophomore in Jenison, Michigan, says of the
program, “Scholars has given me a community of amazing people who
understand what it’s like to be a minority or outsider in your
community. Our wonderful leaders, along with all of my peers
at interfaith scholars, have fostered an environment where I feel safe
asking questions and learning. They have taught me that although my
experiences are different and the holidays I celebrate might seem
strange, my voice and thoughts are powerful and relevant, and they can
make real, tangible change in the world.”
The Scholars have done a variety of impactful programs in the
past, from technology and hygiene drives to addressing Eurocentrism in
the classroom curricula. This year’s Leadership Scholars wanted to do
a project that focused on environmental racism and shared perspectives
from different religious, spiritual and secular backgrounds that speak
to why caring for the earth is important. Having learned from an
Ottawa County naturalist that invasive species are one of the biggest
threats to our West Michigan environment and that many of the parks
accessible to communities of color are disproportionately impacted,
our Scholars set out to see how they could help.
As the Scholars explored the impact of invasive species, they
found that garlic mustard was a particular problem, depleting the soil
of nutrients and leaving an "oil-spill-like” mark on the land it
inhabits unless it is removed. This vivid imagery and the need for
accessible nature spaces for our community led the Scholars to seek
out a garlic mustard clean-up at Aman Park, which has some of the most
abundant variety and quantity of indigenous wild flowers in West
Michigan. Unfortunately, the park is being invaded by garlic mustard.
In partnership with the City of Grand Rapids and Friends of Grand
Rapids Parks the Scholars recruited peers and community members to
assist with the clean-up efforts. The Scholars wanted to leave a
lasting impact so they also built boot cleaning stations to be
installed at Aman Park and other GR parks. These stations will prevent
the spread of invasive species outside of the park. The students also
compiled videos of multi-faith perspectives on this topic and shared
them on Kaufman's YouTube channel.
What was the impact? Friends of Grand Rapids Parks reported that
the Scholar’s clean-up day was the largest group of volunteers they
had ever had – pulling a total of 10 industrial sized garbage bags
worth of garlic mustard AND installing 6 boot cleaning stations at 3
Grand Rapids area parks. Clearly there is power in their passion.
During his time with Kaufman, Vishnu, a Junior in Grand Rapids
shares, “Being an Interfaith Scholar has helped me improve my
leadership skills, learn about the different religions represented
within my community, and understand the intricate socio-political
issues that plague our society today.”
“The lessons I have learned about systemic racism, inequity,
and religious discrimination have impacted the speeches I deliver and
the arguments I advance during Speech and Debate competitions. This
program has helped me build the skills I need to become a better
leader, as well as enabled me with the resources needed to help my community.”
Even though our Scholars year has come to an end, as we look to
the summer months, we are excited to once again offer our Youth Interfaith Service Day Camps! If you know
of a middle or high school student who would be interested in
exploring world of interfaith leadership through visiting sacred sites
and building community through service, we encourage you to check out
our Day Camp website. June 13-17 will be an “Intro to Interfaith &
Cross-Cultural Understanding.” June 20-24 will be a “Justice and
Equity Immersion.” Registration closes soon and scholarships are still available!
Recognizing that the youth in our communities and congregations
are our future, when it comes to interfaith cooperation and creating
positive change, we need to welcome them around the leadership table
as well. They too have a part in dismantling bias, assumptions, fear,
and hate so our schools and communities may become places where
everyone is valued, respected, and loved. They offer us immense
wisdom, vision, and hope as together we shape how Kaufman and the West
Michigan interfaith movement will look well into the future!
[email protected]
