University of Utah training will focus on faithful connections

The Utah Islamic Center in West Jordan hosted an interfaith dinner to break Ramadan. Next week, the University of Utah will hold an interfaith training to create bridge-building among students.

The Utah Islamic Center in West Jordan hosted an interfaith dinner to break Ramadan. Next week, the University of Utah will hold an interfaith training to create bridge-building among students. (Tim Vandenack, KSL.com)


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KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • The University of Utah will hold an interfaith training on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
  • The training aims to teach effective communication across various differences, not just race.
  • Interfaith America assists, focusing on religious diversity to foster productive dialogue.

SALT LAKE CITY — It has become apparent to the University of Utah that one skill it needs to teach students is how to talk to people who are different.

Race is traditionally the go-to subject for discussions on building bridges and listening to others' experiences, but the nonprofit Be the Bridge reminds others that differences in other areas are significant, too. Military status, education level, income, political party, physical ability and religion are equally as important for young people — and all people — to navigate respectfully, they and others supporting this work claim.

On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the university is hosting an interfaith training to begin work in this area. But rather than working with students from the start, the training is primarily for adults in these college students' lives. Close to 100 faculty, staff, club advisers, representatives from different religious groups on campus and others will be there, organizers said.

These folks will then have the job of training 20 students in what they have learned, building a foundation of employees and leaders who know how to talk to others.

"I'm just looking forward to the University of Utah being more interconnected," said Mary Ward, a Utah graduate in August. She is also an intern helping to organize the training. "I'm picturing a Jewish rabbi and someone from the athletic department who works with students being together in the same room for building purposes and that's exciting. I'm looking forward to it."

Interfaith America, a nonprofit with the mission of creating space for "America's religious diversity," is assisting with the training, staff said. Rather than be in silos, never engaging with anyone different, the group provides training to equip people with the tools to speak with someone with a different faith or even someone with conflicting beliefs.

Founded by Eboo Patel, who believes that religious differences in America are essential to a flourishing democracy, Interfaith America provides trainings, activities and guidance on how to get people to talk about who they are in a safe space. And to listen purposefully for commonalities rather than difference.

This work — bringing people together as opposed to apart — can be done and has been done in universities across the country using race and politics as the themes to navigate, the American Council on Education says.

Using interfaith themes in training on getting students to speak to each other does have its appeal, though.

"Faith can be one of our personal characteristics that people carry ... and we can connect through that characteristic," said Charlie Freedman, executive director of faith-based programs at the U. "You'll need to understand a number of things to understand what a person believes and what connects them to those beliefs. There are few things more personal than one's faith so it is a good way to connect with each other."

Faculty and staff can begin training students when they feel comfortable to do so. The goal is to have 2,000 students trained in interfaith bridge building and also general communication to provide the world with leaders who know how to communicate with others productively.

Religious differences will be addressed, but the skills students learn will carry them everywhere. At a time when difference can be the start of tension and arguments, university leaders and staff believe giving students the skills to talk and listen to others who have different life experiences can go a long way professionally, personally and spiritually.

"Students will learn and see that you can really make an impact in your community," Ward said. "It's amazing when leaders come together to work on this."

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Ivy Farguheson is a reporter for KSL.com. She has worked in journalism in Indiana, Wisconsin and Maryland.
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