What I admire about the work of IFYC is how inclusive it is, without asking for participants to water down their beliefs in order to get along. Their mission – making interfaith cooperation a social norm – requires that participants bring everything about who they are to the table, rather than leave those parts that are perceived as being at odds at the door. And what’s exciting is that when everything is brought to the table, people find out just how much they actually have in common. Much more so than the things which divide!

Maura remarked at how vibrant and expansive the conversations are, with very little judgment. The fact is, no one in the world can possibly get by only interacting with people who are just like them, who believe exactly what they believe. So by normalizing interaction with people of different faiths – by bringing these young leaders together from all walks of life, giving them concrete ways of interacting, allowing them to learn from one another – learning how to speak, play, collaborate, even debate – that behavior becomes normal. Instead of thinking that religion breeds conflict, THEIR experience shows that religion brings people together, unites them through shared values, and provides a way of making the world a better place. Like their campaign says – we’re “better together.”