Six students and two staff members engaged around the theme, "The ties that bind."
As part of Elon University’s commitment to fostering interfaith understanding and religious pluralism on campus, the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life sent a delegation of six students and two educators to Interfaith America’s Interfaith Leadership Summit (ILS) this August. This event, the largest gathering of students and educators dedicated to these ideals, offered a unique opportunity for participants to explore and deepen their engagement with diverse religious and spiritual traditions and make connections with peers working in the field.
The Elon delegation included Multifaith Interns Aeiris Faloni, Ahron Frankel, Lauren Bedell, Lizeth Torres-Tomas, Sarah Cadol, Second Year Multifaith Intern Morgan Williams and staff members Rabbi Maor Greene, associate university chaplain for Jewish Life, and Megan Hernandez-Greene, program coordinator at the Global Education Center. They joined hundreds of other participants ready to build relationships across different religions, worldviews, and identities.
“It was very refreshing to be able to speak to people from so many different backgrounds and life experiences and hear how they navigate their daily lives and difficult situations,” said intern Ahron Frankel. “In only three days, I was able to deeply connect to strangers and got to have some of the interesting conversations I’ve had with other people.”
The Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, which supports the Elon community’s engagement with the wisdom of the world’s religious, spiritual and ethical traditions, plays a central role in fostering such interfaith dialogue. The center’s multifaith interns not only deepen their own religious literacy and spiritual practice but also work to facilitate multifaith engagement across campus through conversations, programs, and religious celebrations.
“Watching our multifaith interns explore their own identities while also making connections with new friends across lines of difference makes me excited about what these students will accomplish in the year to come,” said Associate Chaplain Maor Greene.
Returning for her second year at the ILS, Second Year Multifaith Intern Morgan Williams found the experience both inspiring and full of valuable insights to enhance interfaith engagement at Elon.
“I ended up meeting so many other students who are working hard to build interfaith and intercultural bridges on their campuses,” said Williams. “I also learned how to bridge gaps between interfaith, diversity and inclusivity. I’m so excited to bring that knowledge back with me to the Elon community and build on our already thriving interfaith community here!”
This year’s Interfaith Leadership Summit centered on the theme of “The Ties that Bind.” Participants were encouraged to explore what holds communities and the nation together without diminishing the importance of acknowledging and respecting differences. The Elon cohort participated in workshops, attended lectures, engaged in one-on-one conversations with peers from other colleges and universities and enjoyed musical performances and art exhibitions.
Multifaith Intern Aeiris Faloni found the ILS experience invaluable for building connections with fellow interns and students from across the country.
“The Interfaith Leadership Summit was truly an incredible experience,” said Faloni. “It allowed us to bond as a multifaith cohort, while also teaching us essential skills to create inclusive events and facilitate difficult conversations. I met people who I consider lifelong friends and colleagues in peace and justice, as well as mentors to look up to as we continue our journey in multifaith work.”
The summit also offered deep interfaith engagement opportunities for educators on the Educator’s Track.
“ILS was an excellent opportunity to connect with colleagues in higher education developing best practices in teaching multifaith courses, programming and initiatives,” said Rabbi Greene. “I enjoyed the joyous, multimodal exploration of multifaith engagement and look forward to bringing this energy back to Elon.”
Building relationships is a key aspect of the multifaith work that the Truitt Center interns undertake, a lesson that Lizeth Torres-Tomas plans to carry forward in her role at Elon.
“I believe the skills we learned during this conference—learning to facilitate multifaith dialogue, identifying our greatest personal assets and creating stronger relationships with others are ones I can confidently say will help me the most during my work as an intern this upcoming year,” said Torres-Tomas. “The weekend itself was an amazing opportunity to immerse myself in the beautiful city of Chicago, but also to listen more from others, learn of other cultural and religious influences and to generate more ideas for our diverse campus.”
The participation of Elon students and educators in the ILS highlights the university’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and engaged community where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but celebrated.