Inter Faith Week 2017

Inter Faith Week 2017 in England, Northern Ireland and Wales will take place from Sunday 12 - Sunday 19 November.

Inter Faith Week:

• Highlights the good work done by local faith, inter faith and faith-based groups and organisations
• Draws new people into inter faith learning and cooperation
• Enables greater interaction between people of different backgrounds
• Helps develop integrated and neighbourly communities
• Celebrates diversity and commonality
• Opens new possibilities for partnership

Inter Faith Week is one of the major programmes run by the Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFN), the national umbrella body that works to promote inter faith understanding and cooperation between the faith communities of the UK.

The IFN would like to encourage as many schools as possible to take part in Inter Faith Week in 2017, as this is an excellent way for schools to bring pupils of different faiths and beliefs together to talk, to understand and to learn, so as to promote increased religious literacy.

There are various free resources available for schools thinking of getting involved:

• The Inter Faith Week Toolkit has ideas for marking the Week, complete with helpful checklists for organisers. It can be downloaded at: www.interfaithweek.org/toolkit.

• Specific examples of the ways in which schools have participated in past years, as well as tips and pointers for developing activities, can be found at: https://www.interfaithweek.org/resources/school- activities

• A flyer for the Week can also be downloaded here: www.interfaithweek.org/ flyer

• IFN has also published a short, illustrated report on Inter Faith Week 2016: Stories from 2016, Inspiration for 2017. The report can be downloaded here: www.interfaithweek.org/resources/inter-faith-week-stories-from-2016-inspiration-for-2017. It contains examples of activities organised by schools last year, and will hopefully inspire you to take part this year.

The IFN asks schools to register online if they are planning an activity so that the lead you are taking will encourage others. Schools can register their activities online at: www.interfaithweek.org/submit. Events will be published on the Inter Faith Week website.

IFN’s Trustees hope that schools will join the many faith, belief and inter faith bodies, local authorities, community and voluntary organisations, businesses, emergency services, SACREs, colleges, universities, chaplaincies, sports organisations and others who will be taking part this year.

If you would like any further information, or to discuss a possible event, please email david.hampshire@interfaith.org.uk or tel: 020 7730 0410.