A Call to Participate
2nd Consultation on Interfaith Education for a Global Society
Church Center at the United Nations, 2nd floor conference room,
777 UN Plaza, New York, NY
March 17-18, 2003

BACKGROUND:
Mindful of the positive role that interfaith dialogue and education can play in an era of globalization, the Temple of Understanding, Auburn Theological Seminary, CrossCurrents Magazine and the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education hosted an invitational gathering in January 2002 to explore three key issues:
· What is interfaith education?
· What organizations, institutions or individuals are engaged in interfaith education?
· Where can we find outstanding examples of ways in which interfaith education is being taught?
This fall, a planning committee began to prepare for a second Consultation that would broaden the participation by including NGOs, interfaith and faith-based organizations, and academic institutions. Our rationale is that many organizations offer interfaith educational programs, yet the general field can be better defined, best practices identified, and resources made more readily available.

PURPOSE:
The purpose of the Consultation is to map the field of interfaith education by bringing together innovative and creative practitioners for a series of Consultations that will:
· examine and articulate methodologies, consider outstanding practices and identify unmet needs
· grapple with the barriers and challenges faced in interfaith education
· build supportive relationships among colleagues and cultivate networks for collaboration within the field
· connect theory and practice, encouraging our society to see interfaith education as an essential component in global and personal transformation
· explore the relationship between interfaith education and other endeavors, such as multicultural, religious, and peace education

TIMETABLE:
The Consultations are preparatory for two major events occurring in Barcelona in 2004: the Parliament of the World Religions (July) and the Universal Forum of Cultures (April - September), sponsored by UNESCO. The results of the next four Consultations will be shared at both events in an effort to include as many organizations and interested persons as possible in defining interfaith education.
First Consultation, January 2002 at Auburn Theological Seminary, New York, NY
Second Consultation, March 17-18, 2003, at the Church Center at the UN, New York, NY
Third Consultation, October 2003 to be announced
Fourth Consultation, January 2004 to be announced
Fifth Consultation, July 2004 Barcelona, Spain

OUTCOMES:
This series of Consultations will:
· assess the field of interfaith education
· cultivate an ongoing network of organizations and practitioners in the field
· develop a web-accessible database of organizations working in interfaith education and available resources
· sponsor a series of regional consultations
· publish an interfaith curriculum anthology including essays on interfaith education by professionals and scholars in the field
· create additional resources addressing unmet needs in the field

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Please fax, email or write the Temple of Understanding at:

The Temple of Understanding
720 Fifth Avenue, 16th floor
New York, NY 10019
Fax: 212-246-2340; Tel: 212-246-2746
Email: tiffanyp@templeofunderstanding.org

There is no fee for the conference but a donation of $50 is requested to cover the cost of food (2 continental breakfasts and two lunches). Space will be made available for you to share your literature.

PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Auburn Theological Seminary: Lee Hancock
CLAL-- The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership: Michael Gottsegen
Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education: Peter Cobb, Ann Thurber
CrossCurrents/ARIL: Charles Henderson
Fellowship of Reconciliation: Ibrahim Abdil-Mu'id Ramey
International Mahavir Jain Mission: Laxmi Shah
Hiroko Sugimoto
Loretto Community: Sr. Betty Obal
Muslim Women's Institute for Research and Development: Nurah Ammat'ullah Jeter
Temple of Understanding: Sr. Joan Kirby, Tiffany Puett, Alison Van Dyk, Diane Williams

Please download and complete the Registration Form, and fax it to us.

Please download the Program Schedule

Please download the Panels and Outstanding Example/Best Practices