Interfaith Insider: September 2023

Students at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico (above) and IYA’s first Iftar co-sponsored by Pacifica Youth serving over 100 youth (below)

2022/2023 Review

Wehavedonealotoverthispast year InterfaithYouthAlliancehas beenworkinghardtogetbackup andrunninginordertosupportteens andyoungadults‘navigatetheirlife infaith.’Weknowthatsomuchis pullingontheirtimeandenergy,but alsothatfaithisaplacethatwecan allfindthestrengthand empowermenttobeforceforgoodin thisworld.

SinceOctoberIYAhasbeeninvitedto visit:

TheShinnyo-enBuddhisttemple inYorbaLinda(October2022)

TheSikhCenterofOrangeCounty inSantaAna(November2022) St.Paul’sinTustin(December 2022)

TheChurchofJesusChristof Latter-daySaintsinNewport Beach(January2023)

TheZoroastrianCenterin Westminster(February2023)

CongregationB’naiIsraelinTustin (March2023)

WesharedourfirstInterfaithIftar withover100highschoolstudents atPacificainIrvine(April2023)

Andendedtheschoolyearatthe SilkRoadUnityFestival(May2023)

InterfaithImmersiontriptoNew Mexico(June19-232023)

LeadershipRetreat(July11-12, 2023)

Shinnyo-enLeadershipRetreat (July21-23,2023)

InterfaithAwarenessWeek (August8,2023)

ExpandIdeas:IYAstudentslearnaboutdifferent faithtraditions’rituals,musicandprayers,andby doingso,findstrengthintheirownfaithby exploringsimilaritiesanddifferencesofother beliefsystems.

BecomeEmpowered:Ouryouthlearnhowtoruna meeting,makeanagenda,andbeafacilitator andhowtomakeapresentation.Theyalsolearn thedifferencebetweendialogueanddebateand thedifferencebetweenpresentingandfacilitating. Andmuchmore…

BuildRelationships:TeensfromalloverOrange Countymeetwithpeersfromdiversebackgrounds andFaithsandenjoygoodfoodandgoodtimes astheyworktogetheronmeaningfulprojects.

TakeAction:Studentsplanandorganize communityserviceprojectsforthebettermentof OrangeCounty Theyareabletoearncommunity servicehourstowardstheirgraduation requirementsand/orforinclusionintheircollege application.

Making215hospitaliftarpackageswithpacficayouth(top) VisittoCBIandStudenttoStudentpresentationinMarch(bottom)

12th

MEET THE 2023/2024 YOUTH BOARD

“I joined because not a lot of people know about the Sikh religion or its values so I wanted to find a way to educate more people and interfaith seemed like a great community full of really accepting people who would be open to teaching me about their own cultures and learning about mine”

12th grad | Muslim

“I joined IYA to gain exposure to different belief systems and develop friendships across diverse backgrounds.”

11th grade | Sikh

“I joined Interfaith because I love meeting new people and learning about different cultural beliefs and religions. I think the best thing we could do to combat religious hate is to learn and speak up!”

Amneet Sadana

12th grade | Sikh

“It is very interesting to see how we can coexist and thrive together despite our different beliefs.”

12th grade | Jewish

“Interfaith has taught me so much and I look forward to learning more. I then spread my knowledge to those around me. I want to learn more and help others gain the same information.”

10th grade | Jewish

“I joined so I could learn about other p

10th grade |

“I joined because I believe in the power that faith has to transform our communities.”

9th grade | Muslim

Jiya

12th grade | Sikh

“I joined to learn more about different ways of life and to get more involved in social justice”

“[Interfaith] provides a great way of socializing and interacting with people of different races, colors and different cultural backgrounds.”

Co-Social Media Chair

Co-Social Media Chair

Sadana

Treasurer Rabina Kaur

Co-Secretary Leah Green

Co-Secretary Rain Ozby

Co-Vice Chair Yavuz Sumer

Co-Vice Chair Leah Facterman

Co- hie

Christain

Co-Chair Sophia Reddy

grade | Sikh

NEW MEXICO: INTERFAITH IMMERSION

ByAmneetSadana

DuringmytimeinNewMexico,althoughI hadnoideawhattoexpect,thistrip exceededmyexpectations Ilovedbeingin aspacewithotheryouthmyage,and learningmoreabouttheirfaiths.Thistrip taughtmealotaboutempathy,kindness, andwhatsurroundingyourselfwithgood peopleislike.Thistripwasveryrefreshing, andseeingpeoplewhosharedthesame passionfortheirreligionasIhaveformine wasveryinspiringtosee.

SHINNYO-EN LEADERSHIP RETREAT

By Jiya Sadana

Shinyo-en Foundation's Annual Retreat in Santa Cruz opened my eyes to a way of life emphasizing living at peace with yourself and the world. The weekend I spent there helped me grow as a leader. During the retreat, we participated in activities that allowed me to reflect on the people who made life better, as well as activities that allowed us to be vulnerable. Through the retreat, I met people who shared the same interests as me, they taught me to see the world through new perspectives.

OTHER NEW MEXICO REFLECTIONS

MytriptoNewMexicocompletelychangedthewayIviewed religion Beforethetrip,Iwasmainlyonlyfocusedonmyown faith,andonlythoughtaboutgrowingmyknowledgewithin Buddhism.Afterthetrip,Ifoundmyselfwantingtobecome someonewhounderstoodthebeliefsofeveryreligion Ihope thatsomeday,Icanbeareliablepersonwhocanexplainfaiths andmakeconnectionsthroughreligion.

Camille,Shinnyo-enyouth

Thank you to the Shinnyo-en Foundation for making both of these experiences possible.

Student Reflections: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

ByLeahFacterman

Tome,theHighHolyDaysholda significantmeaningandimportance. Thereissomethingsospecialabout gatheringaroundspecialchallahbraided circularlytorepresentmythrivingJewish communityonRoshHashanah.Mytemple alwayshostsacelebrationinthepark.

TheJewishHighHolydaysonlycome aroundonceayear.Bysometheyare dreaded,tootherstheyareahighlight.To me,theyareanewchapterheadingfor thepassageoftime.MyJewishlifeis measuredinRoshHashanahhoneycakes andYomKippurwhites.Thistimeofyearis aremindertotreasuretheimportant timesinmylife.Thoughsonearintime, myJewishmovementlooksatthetwo holidaysverydifferently.RoshHashanahis acelebration,itisavictory.Wehave madeitthroughanotheryearandnowwe areattheheadofthenextone,literally “headoftheyear”inHebrew.Weeat mealswithlovedonesandattendlong servicesgivingthanksforayearpassed andcoming.YomKippur,ontheother hand,means“dayofatonement” We dressinallwhite,theclosestwecangetto death,andfastwhilewereflectonour mistakes Together,thesespecialdays offerclosureandanewbeginningforthe nextchapterofourlives.

Thereisgoodfoodtoeatandadonation walkwhereyoucandecidetogivesome moneytoacharityofyourchoice Inthe tendaysbetweenRoshHashanahand YomKippur,itistraditiontotryandforgive allthewrongdoingsofthepastyearto startthenewyearright.Thisistohelpus feellighterandfocusonthefutureinstead ofthepast Thishelpsshiftthetonefrom joyousRoshHashanahtosolemnYom Kippur.YomKippuristhemostholydayfor Jews Duringthisdaywefastandaskfor forgivenessforallwehavedoneinthe pastyear.Atsundown,Igatherwithsome friendsandwesharealargemealto breakthefast.Weeathappilyknowing thatwehaveshedallwrongdoingsand bringonlythepositivestotheyearahead.

ByLeahGreen

A Message from the Executive Director

ThefirsttimeIattendedanInterfaithYouthAlliancemeeting –itwasactuallyInterfaithYouthCouncilofOrangeCounty–wasbackin2013.Iobservedtheloveanddedicationthat MikePennandtheentireadultboardhadforsupporting youthastheynavigatetheirlifeinfaith.Overthepast10 yearsIhaveparticipatedinserviceprojectsandhave participatedineventssuchastheFaithForumandthe SummerLeadershipInitiative.Interfaithisnearanddearto myheartandIfeelhonoredtosupportthisnextgeneration astheystrengthentheirfaithandconnectiontotheir religioustraditions,buildleadershipskills,andcontributeto theircommunities.

WhileIYAhasbeenhitwithmanychallengesoverthelast3 years,namelythelossofourleader,MikePenn,andthe pandemic,wehavebeenfacedwiththeopportunityto rebuildandrecommittothisinterfaithwork.Iambeyond gratefultoouradultadvisoryboard–BrendaDavis, GagandeepKaurMann-Saechao,DrJasjitAhuja,andDoris Longmead–whohavemadethispastyearofrebuilding possible. Welookforwardtoworkingwithyouaswesupport youthintheirfaithjourneys.Wehavealottolookforwardto. Thankyouforbeingpartofourcommunity.