Pupils prepare to mark inaugural Inter Faith Week

Published: 12 November 2009

Students and staff at many of the Church of England’s 4,500 primary and 220 secondary schools will be joining in the UK’s first inter faith week, which begins on 15 November.

The aims of the week include strengthening good relations between people of religious and non-religious belief at all levels, and celebrating and building on the contribution which members of different faith groups make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society.

Church of England schools are leading the grass-roots celebration of the week in lots of creative ways.

The Revd Canon Guy Wilkinson, the Church of England’s Adviser on Inter Religious Affairs, says that this activity is a sign of the people’s enthusiasm for learning more about their neighbours: “Young people understand that faith has a significant impact on society at a local, national and international level, and they have clear insights into how their own family’s beliefs and values shape the way they are being brought up. Getting involved in activities that help them get a better understanding of the beliefs and practices of others in their neighbourhood through face-to-face engagement is a much better way of supporting strong community relations than reading from text books.

“It’s really encouraging to see cathedrals, churches and schools leading the way in providing platforms for these types of initiatives, that will serve to increase understanding and friendships across groups of people of different faiths and none.”


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