Apply Now for IYLI Summer 2018 Programs!
Do you know a high school student who is interested in expanding their leadership skills and knowledge of other faiths so that they are better equipped to interact respectfully with people from different backgrounds? This upcoming July and August, New Vision Partners will be holding its sixth year of programming for the Interfaith Youth Leadership Initiative (IYLI). During the 3-day program, students will build relationships with people of other faiths, take ownership of their own faith perspective, visit different houses of worship, and act out their faith through service of the larger community.
The program is free of charge. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will earn a $100 scholarship which they may apply to the college of their choice. All high school students (incoming freshman through seniors) are eligible for the program. Applications for the Interfaith Youth Leadership Initiative in the summer of 2018 are now available. Save the date, submit your application, and help spread the word!
Los Angeles Application: July 17-19, 2018 @USC
Orange County Application: July 24-26, 2018 @Chapman
Long Beach Application: July 31 - Aug. 2, 2018 @CSULB
The application deadline is July 23, 2018 so apply now!
The program is free of charge. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will earn a $100 scholarship which they may apply to the college of their choice. All high school students (incoming freshman through seniors) are eligible for the program. Applications for the Interfaith Youth Leadership Initiative in the summer of 2018 are now available. Save the date, submit your application, and help spread the word!
Los Angeles Application: July 17-19, 2018 @USC
Orange County Application: July 24-26, 2018 @Chapman
Long Beach Application: July 31 - Aug. 2, 2018 @CSULB
The application deadline is July 23, 2018 so apply now!
IYLI Summer 2017 A Success!
What a wonderful summer it was for our Interfaith Youth Leadership Initiatives! We had over 150 high school students and college mentors participate in our three day programs at USC, Chapman University, and Long Beach State. At each of these events, students explored their own religious identity, learned about privilege and standing up for the less privileged, made friends and built a unique interfaith community that can be a model for the kind of diverse leadership our country and world so need right now. Here are some highlights from each program:
At USC – Visited the Los Angeles Baha’i Center, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, and the Islamic Center of Southern California. We worked at the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row, and heard from speakers Umar Hakim, Deborah Sanchez, Estee Chandler, and Marwa Balkar. We also had fun at the Santa Monica Pier!
At Chapman University – Visited the Islamic Society of Southern California, the Hsi Lai BuddhistTemple, and the BAPS Hindu Temple. Our community service was done at Rise Against Hunger, and we heard from Music in Common. We had a blast at Boomers, too!
At Long Beach State – We visited a Vietnamese Buddhist Temple, Temple Israel, and the Zoroastrian Center of Southern California. We did a Beach Clean Up, and heard from Native American bands Miracle Dolls and Scatter Their Own. Here we had fun together at Mulligans Family Fun Center.
At USC – Visited the Los Angeles Baha’i Center, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, and the Islamic Center of Southern California. We worked at the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row, and heard from speakers Umar Hakim, Deborah Sanchez, Estee Chandler, and Marwa Balkar. We also had fun at the Santa Monica Pier!
At Chapman University – Visited the Islamic Society of Southern California, the Hsi Lai BuddhistTemple, and the BAPS Hindu Temple. Our community service was done at Rise Against Hunger, and we heard from Music in Common. We had a blast at Boomers, too!
At Long Beach State – We visited a Vietnamese Buddhist Temple, Temple Israel, and the Zoroastrian Center of Southern California. We did a Beach Clean Up, and heard from Native American bands Miracle Dolls and Scatter Their Own. Here we had fun together at Mulligans Family Fun Center.
4th Year of IYLI Summer Programming a Success!
This summer we completed our 4th L.A. program at USC, our 3rd Long Beach program at CSULB, and our 2nd Orange County program at Chapman University. We had the opportunity to work with 100 students from 11 different faith backgrounds across all three programs. Students spent each of the days with their mentors doing activities, conversing about their faith traditions, and finding common ground among all their faith traditions.
During our Los Angeles program we visited the LA Baha’i Center, St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, and the Self-Realization Hollywood Temple. We had an engaging conversation during our Interfaith Peace and Restorative Justice Panel with Estee Chandler (Jewish Voice for Peace), Soraya Deen (Muslim Women Speakers Association), and Andrew Johnson (Center for Religion and Civic Culture, USC). Our LA group volunteered at Union Rescue Mission by passing out water and serving ice cream to over 500 homeless individuals. We also spent an evening at the Santa Monica Pier so our participants could have some fun together and create bonds with students of other faith traditions.
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During our Long Beach program we visited the California Zoroastrian Center, CHÙA PHẬT TỔ Vietnamese Buddhist Temple, and Grant AME Church. We watched the short film “Oak Creek” about the Sikh Temple Shooting in Wisconsin and had a Q&A session with the filmmaker, Valarie Kaur, via Skype. Milia Islam-Majeed, Executive Director of South Coast Interfaith Council, spoke to our youth about “Interfaith Leadership” and her experience growing up Muslim in an all white town in the Bible Belt. Students participated in a Privilege Walk to show them how race, gender, religious affiliation, social economic status, etc. factors into the privileges they have. Our students also helped set up the LDS Center at CSULB for the arrival of the Uruguay and Turkey Special Olympics teams by preparing food for the welcoming barbecue and making signs to welcome the athletes. Two of our participants, Zehra Siddiqui and Niravroh Laha, spoke with reporter Carole Mikita about their experience being a part of such a wonderful event (see the interviews HERE). Our group also went to Sky High trampoline park for some bonding time.
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During our Orange County program we visited the Jain Center of Southern California, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple, and Johnson Chapel AME Church. We had a presentation on Neo-Paganism by Christine Hernandez and spoke with Ahmed Younis (Author, Professor at Chapman University) and Shourouq Al-Fartoussi (Muslim Youth Leader) about interfaith leadership. Our group volunteered at the OC Food Bank and boxed over 600 food packages for the elderly. We also spent an evening at Sky High trampoline park to allow the kids to have some fun and get to know each other.
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We enjoyed our time with the students and loved hearing their stories. We are already looking forward to next year’s programs! We will begin accepting applications for our Summer 2016 programs in January.
Interfaith Film Festival & Student Film Competition
On April 12th, 2015 New Vision Partners hosted our Second Annual Youth Film Competition and First Interfaith Film Festival at All Saints Church in Pasadena, where we screened short films by local filmmakers along with high school student films created along the theme "For the Common Good". We showed "American Made" by Sharat Raju, which was about a Sikh American family whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and "The Foolishness of God: A Forgiveness Journey with Desmond Tutu" by Karen Hayes, a documentary following Desmond Tutu around the world. We also screened "The Belief," an animated short about war, by Iranian filmmaker Amir Vahedi and presented the short with the World Cinema Humanitarian Award.
The winners for our 2015 Student Film Competition are as follows: Maisune Abu-Elhaija received 1st Place and a $1000 scholarship for her short film "#ForGood", Ishaan Jain received 2nd Place and a $500 scholarship for his short film "A Donation of Tolerance", and Farah Ali received 3rd Place and a $250 scholarship for her short film "Making a Difference." Honorable mentions to Noor Said for her film "For the Common Good" and to Alanis Galang, Evan Hansen, and Zehra Siddiqui for their film "The World of Interfaith."
The winners for our 2015 Student Film Competition are as follows: Maisune Abu-Elhaija received 1st Place and a $1000 scholarship for her short film "#ForGood", Ishaan Jain received 2nd Place and a $500 scholarship for his short film "A Donation of Tolerance", and Farah Ali received 3rd Place and a $250 scholarship for her short film "Making a Difference." Honorable mentions to Noor Said for her film "For the Common Good" and to Alanis Galang, Evan Hansen, and Zehra Siddiqui for their film "The World of Interfaith."
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A Multi-Faith Future: Conversation with Eboo Patel and Ed Bacon
On Wednesday, November 12th, we held an important dialogue about our Multi-faith future at All Saints Church between Eboo Patel of Interfaith Youth Core and Ed Bacon of All Saints Church, Pasadena, moderated by our own Executive Director, Steve Wiebe. We engaged in a deep discussion about our Multi-Faith future by some of the best leaders in the Interfaith community. Students from the All Saints’ youth group and the Peace & Justice Academy asked very impressive questions which provided for great conversation.
“MLK didn’t change the minds of old white racists in the South. Their daughters did, after MLK changed them. In interfaith work, it’s not your job to find the toughest nut to crack and bang your head against it. It’s your job to find people in your circles that overlap with theirs and teach them to preach.” ~ Eboo Patel
Click HERE to watch the video of the complete discussion!
“MLK didn’t change the minds of old white racists in the South. Their daughters did, after MLK changed them. In interfaith work, it’s not your job to find the toughest nut to crack and bang your head against it. It’s your job to find people in your circles that overlap with theirs and teach them to preach.” ~ Eboo Patel
Click HERE to watch the video of the complete discussion!
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Presented By
The Interfaith Youth Leadership Initiative is proudly sponsored by New Vision Partners, with support from the University of Southern California Office of Religious Life, Muslim Youth Group at the Islamic Center of Southern California, MPAC, New Ground, SALDEF, All Saints Church in Pasadena, and others. For a complete list of supporters, click here.