We have now run two Interfaith RE days online for South Gloucestershire schools, in association with the local SACREs.
In 2022, we ran a day around ‘diverse stories’ with 40 schools engaging with the event, across all their classes and age groups during the day. Children heard stories read by varied faiths and worldviews community members and then engaged with various activities planned by local RE leaders for each age group.
Pupils heard stories from Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Humanist and Jewish traditions and asked many questions of speakers in a live Q&A session.
They created ‘hidden meaning cubes’ exploring the stories and connected with other schools at the end of the day online to talk about what they had learned.
Some comments from pupils about the day included:
We liked making the boxes and drawing the story out and then putting the scroll inside the box explaining the meaning of the story. We discussed how we can worship God in different ways and that there is no wrong or right way. Every way is right.
We enjoyed creating the story boxes for the Hindu story from this morning. We learnt that everyone has their own opinions and everyone sees things differently. We also learnt that we can respect and accept everyone, regardless of their views on things.
Building on our success
In 2023 our event ‘Same but Different’ was a virtual event and activities included:
- A video exploring the Christian and Muslim Creation stories and why it is important to look after the planet
- An activity creating paper chains which the children would decorate with their belief about the creation of the world or a way in which they thought people should look after their world. These were then joined together as a whole school chain of worldviews.
All schools were given a pack of physical resources (which they collected from a choice of several local primary school locations) containing the book and materials they needed for the day.
This newsletter was created by one local Primary, Longwell Green following their engagement:
On Tuesday, our school had the incredible privilege of commemorating Inter Faith Day, a celebration that embraced diversity and promoted understanding among different beliefs and cultures. This year's event was nothing short of remarkable, as we were joined by five esteemed guest speakers, each representing a unique faith and perspective.
Our line-up included a Jewish speaker, a Christian representative, a Muslim ambassador, a Hindu advocate, and a Humanist thinker. Their insightful discussion and shared experiences truly illuminated the essence of unity in diversity, enriching our collective understanding of various beliefs and practices.
Our Inter Faith Day was an enriching and thought-provoking event centred around the crucial theme of environmental stewardship. The day's activities were designed to engage children in exploring their thoughts, beliefs, and understanding regarding the significance of caring for our planet.
Activities undertaken:
- Agree or disagree games and statement ordering.
- Listening to interviews and special guest speakers.
- Live Q&A session.
- Creation of a class paper chain and collaborative work.
The Inter Faith Day successfully encouraged critical thinking, dialogue and shared sense of responsibility towards our planet. It provided a platform for children to express their views, learn from others, and reflect on the significance of environmental care.
Encouraging open dialogue and teaching children to appreciate similarities and differences among various religions and worldviews can help them develop into more compassionate and respectful individuals.
Children were truly inspired by the idea of comparing and contrasting different worldview perspectives on an important issue (sustainability and the environment) and once again loved hearing from pupils in different schools around the Diocese on the screen!
They embraced the idea of ‘same but different’ in a vast array of ways and enjoyed being allowed to agree and disagree.