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Youth Programs at the Temple of
Understanding
Exploring and Building
Community...
TOU Youth Programs provide a unique
opportunity for youth from diverse
backgrounds to gain first-hand
experience of a variety of faiths and
traditions as well as to build bonds of
friendship. Designed for ages 16-21,
participants experience different
religions and cultures and take part in
activities that facilitate deeper
understanding of who they are as
individuals and as members of
communities. Through experiential
learning and collaborative organizing,
TOU Youth Programs build community,
foster values of respect and
understanding, and nurture leaders for a
new culture of peace and justice.
Our Youth Programs include:
Dialogue in Action
Dialogue in Action, a six month program
for teens, provides a religiously
diverse group of youth with the
opportunity to visit and get to know the
beliefs, practices, and histories of six
local religious communities— Buddhist,
Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim,
Native American, and Sikh.
In addition to the community visits,
Dialogue in Action meets for three
dialogue sessions in which participants
reflect on these experiences, interact
with each other, and discuss the
implications these encounters may have
for their own identities and their roles
in local and wider communities.
The TOU Youth Council
The TOU Youth Council, a dynamic group
of young leaders and activists, connects
experiences with interfaith encounters
to work for constructive social change.
Members attend an intensive summer
training program that develops skills in
community organizing, nonviolence, and
conflict management. The Youth Council
meets regularly and organizes events and
projects including:
The Annual Youth Nonviolence
Conference, held in
honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is
organized by and for youth and features
speakers, panels, workshops, and
performances on topics related to peace,
coexistence, diversity, and interfaith
understanding.
The Gandhi, King, Chavez Season for
Non-Violence at the United Nations
addresses a different theme each year,
as chosen by the Youth Council. More
than 500 junior high and high school
students from the tri-state area come to
the UN to learn more about nonviolence
and how they can make their local and
global communities more peaceful. The
TOU co-sponsors this event at the UN as
part of an international 64-day
educational, media, and grassroots
campaign.
Interfaith Youth Speakers Bureau:
Using their training and background in
public speaking, interfaith dialogue,
peace building and nonviolence, Youth
Council members facilitate workshops at
schools, conferences, religious
communities, and organizations.
For more information, including requirements for
participating in a TOU Youth Program or hosting
members of the Interfaith Youth Speakers
Bureau as presenter or workshop facilitators, call the TOU
office at 212-573-9224 ext. 21 or email
Amy Taliaferro:
amy@templeofunderstanding.org.
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