Reimagining Interfaith Cooperation 2018

We are pleased to announce the venue and several other details of the Interfaith Conference that will incorporate the 35th World Congress of the IARF: Reimagining Interfaith Cooperation. The conference, organized at the initiative of the IARF and the United Universalist Association, our US-based member group, is co-sponsored by such esteemed partners as the United Religions Initiative, the United Church of Christ, Religions for Peace, the World Congress of Faith, the Interfaith Funders Group and multiple faith communities.

Date and venue

The Conference will be held on 29 July – 1 August 2018 in Washington DC, USA, at George Washington University’s Marvin Center.

Registration

Visit this page for information on how to register, registration rates, deadlines and refunds.

Theme and programme

The programme, prioritizing interfaith relationship building and resource sharing, will feature a​ ​keynote​ ​panel​ ​with​ ​​Rev.​ ​Jennifer​ ​Bailey​,​ ​​Dr.​ ​Mohamed​ ​Elsanousi​,​ ​​Rabbi​ ​David​ ​Saperstein​,​ ​and a fourth panelist to be confirmed​. There will be five “Program Tracks” of Learning, Training and Skill-Sharing workshops; “Circle Group” meetings in small groups of 8-10 individuals as well as diverse Worship and Spiritual Focus opportunities. The programme will obviously include the IARF business meeting.

Presentations, trainings and other skill-building events at Reimagining Interfaith (RI) are organized around the five program tracks described below. The five tracks will run concurrently during four program blocks of 90 minutes each:

● Block 1: Monday (7/30): 9-10:30am
● Block 2: Monday (7/30): 2-3:30pm
● Block 3: Monday evening or Tuesday morning
● Block 4: Tuesday (7/31): 2-3:30pm

Networking time (30 minutes) will follow each of the program blocks. This is intended to be an opportunity for people to share their experiences across the program tracks. Please note that we will not be doing an open call for workshop proposals. Instead, each Program Track will be curated by a team of people with passion and expertise in that subject area. These teams are open to your ideas and suggestions for presentations, trainings and other skill-building events to take place within the program track they are developing. All program suggestions should be submitted by January 15, 2018 to the co-chairs of the Program Committee: Sari Heidenreich ([email protected]) and Megan Weiss ([email protected]).

Program​ ​Track​ ​I​ ​-​ ​Cultivating​ ​Inclusive​ ​Communities​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Face​ ​of​ ​Religious Discrimination
Purpose:​ To provide participants with the tools needed to create communities that are welcoming, safe and equal for people of all or no religion, spiritual expressions, or Indigenous tradition, with a focus on addressing current issues of discrimination and oppression of religion and being in accountable solidarity with religious activists and movements that are experiencing oppression and discrimination.

Program​ ​Track​ ​II​ ​-​ ​Community​ ​Organizing:​ ​Initiating​ ​and​ ​Sustaining​ ​Social​ ​Change Movements
Purpose:​ ​To provide participants with tools to enhance their work in interfaith/faith-based community organizing, policy and advocacy around a variety of social change and social justice issues; and to provide a space for strategizing, networking, and building and supporting interfaith coalitions and movements that make a difference.

Program​ ​Track​ ​III​ ​-​ ​Staying​ ​“Woke”:​ ​Recognizing​ ​Privilege,​ ​Challenging​ ​Systemic Oppression
Purpose:​ To provide participants with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of privilege and systemic oppression, with an emphasis on racial oppression, and to provide space to support the building of skills, networks and tools needed to form and activate interfaith coalitions to dismantle intersectional oppression and support/create new systems. Program​ ​Track​ ​IV​ ​-​ ​Interfaith​ ​Organizing​ ​in​ ​a​ ​Changing​ ​Spiritual​ ​Landscape Purpose:​ ​To provide participants with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the current spiritual landscape and to provide space for envisioning innovative models of engaging communities and individuals in interfaith organizing and social change work. Discussions will include the growth of the ‘spiritual but not religious’ identity, multi-religious identities, and areas of change

Program​ ​Track​ ​V​ ​-​ ​Making​ ​A​ ​Movement:​ ​Building​ ​Skills​ ​to​ ​Bring​ ​Interfaith​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Next Level
Purpose:​ ​To provide participants with the opportunity to think critically, tactically, and strategically about the development of interfaith cooperation as a movement. Arguably interfaith cooperation is not seen as on par with other movements for social change, yet its purpose is arguably as important as other endeavors, especially in the current environment. Discussions will look at institutionalizing markers and then growing edges/needs of interfaith cooperation.

Costs and accommodation

The registration fee ​​includes​ ​programs,​ ​local​ ​transportation,​ ​all​ ​meals,​ ​and​ ​cultural​ ​events.

• General:​ ​Ranging​ ​from​ ​$295​ ​(early​ ​registration)​ ​to​ ​$400​ ​(late​ ​registration)
• Young​ ​Adult​ ​(Under​ ​18-35)​ ​Registration:​ ​$100​ ​(Request​ ​information​ ​about​ ​financial​ ​assistance)
• Sunday​ ​Only​ ​(Keynote​ ​Panel/Reception)​ ​Registration:​ ​$50  
• Per​ ​Day​ ​Registration​ ​(Tues​ ​or​ ​Wednesday):​ ​$125

On​ ​campus​ ​dormitory​ ​suites​ ​are​ ​available​ ​with​ ​full​ ​bathroom,​ ​kitchenette,​ ​and​ ​one​ ​bedroom​ ​that​ ​has​ ​four​ ​beds. These​ ​can​ ​be​ ​shared​ ​by​ ​1​ ​to​ ​4​ ​people.​ ​​ ​The​ ​total​ ​cost​ ​per​ ​person​ ​for​ ​3​ ​nights,​ ​depending​ ​upon​ ​the​ ​number​ ​people sharing​ ​the​ ​suite​ ​is: ● 4​ ​people:​ ​$146 ● 3​ ​people:​ ​$188 ● 2​ ​people:​ ​$276 ● 1​ ​person:​ ​$540
Local​ ​hotels​ ​are​ ​also​ ​available,​ ​ranging​ ​from​ ​$175​ ​to​ ​$225​ ​per​ ​night​ ​for​ ​double​ ​rooms.