Blog from Shalva Louisa Hadari, IFN Intern
Blog from Shalva Louisa Hadari, Intern during Inter Faith Week 2023
Louisa has been taking part in IFN’s internship programme during a pre-university gap year. She is hoping to go on to study education and to contribute to public policy in the areas of both faith and education. Here, she reflects on her experience of Inter Faith Week.
“My experiences during Inter Faith Week have been an exciting blend of events, travel and conversations.
Inter Faith Week is a programme of the Inter Faith Network for the UK and Autumn interns have a special focus on that. One of my jobs in the weeks leading up to Inter Faith Week and during, and after, the Week was to put up on the Inter Faith Week website details for activities taking place across the country, so as to create a centralised hub of information. Some were registered by activity holders in advance, but many more were shortly to come. By Tuesday morning, events were coming in thick and fast. Schools, hospitals, museums, workplaces and local groups across the country were running a fascinating range of events and it was heartening to see so many photos of the vibrant activities taking place. Children beamed in photos as they held up Inter Faith Week mugs, posters, plaster models of faith buildings and other interesting projects. Residents in care homes, hospices and hospitals planted bulbs and locals ran inter faith walks in cities across the UK.
For my first event of the week, I headed over to Portcullis House to help with an MP ‘drop in’ – hosted by Dean Russell (MP) with the Inter Faith Network. This was a chance for MPs from across the House to learn more about Inter Faith Week, ask questions and have conversations with IFN staff and Trustees and some local inter faith group members about the importance of inter faith initiatives on a local and national level. It was good to see the number of MPs who turned up at the drop in and the conversations taking place. The brightly coloured piles of IFW leaflets, IFN publications, badges and pens quickly disappeared as MPs scooped them up on their way to the door – and as more MPs arrived to take their place. I enjoyed chatting with two members of Watford Interfaith Association who spoke enthusiastically about their local Peace Garden and promised me a warm welcome should I ever wish to visit. The event was over before we knew it and we headed back to the office to prepare for the rest of a busy week of inter faith events.
By Wednesday, I was glad to take a break from my computer and get on a train to Nottingham. Nottingham Trent University was holding an event titled ‘Faith Across the Generations’. I was one of the first to arrive. As the event began, I realised I was lucky to have secured a seat, because the lecture theatre ended up packed as students, staff and locals crowded into the room to hear different perspectives on faith. The structure of the event was simple: two representatives from each faith (from two different generations) answered questions about their faith, the role of faith in their life, and the way their perspective on faith had changed during the course of their life. We heard from speakers from the Baha’i, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh faiths. I was given a chance to contribute and it was great to take part. After the event we were given the opportunity to chat with the speakers and other attendees. I had some fascinating conversations about religious garments, language, scriptures and teaching children the language of their faith. I was impressed at the number of students who were involved in organising the event and hopeful about the potential for involving young people in more inter faith events and dialogues. I left the event inspired by the number of people who had taken time out of their busy days to take the opportunity of learning more about another faith and talking to people of all faiths.
My last event of the week was a Practical Conservation event at Walthamstow Wetlands organised by the London Wildlife Trust. I joined other young people passionate about preserving natural spaces – especially in an urban context. We were given a tour of the gardens, including the accessible pool the Trust was in the middle of building, and we then made birdboxes in pairs. I left the event tired but happy, having contributed a well-made birdbox to help birds at the Wetlands!
My experiences of Inter Faith Week have been very positive. In preparing for the Week and gathering in reports after it, I have learned about many aspects of organising a major national programme such as this and had the chance to develop new skills.
During the Week, I have taken part in valuable conversations and witnessed many more. I have been impressed by the care taken by many of those who organised events and I have been encouraged by the number of people who have chosen to enter rooms with people of other faiths, and the individuals who have brought sensitivity, intelligence, and openness to events across the country. It has been a challenging time for many faith communities – a time when some have been more hesitant than usual about entering inter faith spaces. However, looking back on all the events I have attended, my overwhelming feeling as we emerge from the Week is a feeling of hope.
Photos: Particpants at Nottingham Trent University's 'Faith Across the Generations' discussion, photo by Nottingham Trent University Chaplaincy; Shalva Louisa Hadari at 'Faith Across Generations' discussion, photo by Nottingham Trent University; and making bird boxes at Walthamstow Wetlands conservation event, photo by Lora Todorova.
