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Proposal: Voices of the Next Generation
International Interfaith Peace Project
for Children and Youth
Voices of the Next Generation Educational Association is
a non-profit organization which seeks to enable youth of
diverse cultures and religions to support one another in
working towards personal and global cooperation and
understanding. This is accomplished by developing and
promoting opportunities for responsible and responsive
living through education, networking, social
awareness-action training, and publishing. Youth select
projects encompassing the areas of human rights,
environmental concerns, conflict resolution, interfaith
and multicultural understanding. Connecting with similar
youth on local, state, national, and international levels,
personal and social responsibility are then expressed
through the arts, through education, through publishing,
and through social action.
The International Interfaith Peace Project for Children
and Youth provides a two year, six-phase opportunity
for young people to work together in their communities,
their countries, and throughout the world to advance
understanding of the similarities within the sacred,
spiritual teachings of the major religions for peace,
harmony, and right human relations (goodwill, respect,
responsibility, and response to world problems). Groups
partaking in this project will most likely represent the
six major religions: Animism (original, native, and
aboriginal religions), Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. The anticipated outcome will
involve the correlation of the sacred teachings
regarding determined similarities and presentation of
these on community, national, and international levels.
This is the proposed plan, however, it is open to
changes and revisions as groups get together to
discuss the dynamics and progression.
Phase I: Regional-Community Response
A. Participants will include:
1. At least six groups of students from each of the six
major religions and five regions of the United States
(East Coast, Midwest, Central, Southwest,
and West Coast).
2.At least six groups of students from countries whose
major religious focus (or origination) represents one of
the six major religions. Possibilities include, but are not
limited to the following:
(a) Animism: Mexico/Central America
and/or Native Cultures in Africa
(b) Hinduism: India and/or Nepal
(c) Buddhism: Japan/China/Vietnam
(d) Judaism: Israel
(e) Christianity: U.K, France, Italy,
Spain, Peru, Australia
(f) Islam: Egypt, Iran, Iraq
B. Focus:
1.Each participating group will identify 20 teachings
(scripture, etc.) from the sacred teachings of their
religious tradition that clearly support the growth and
expansion of peace and harmony and right human
relations (goodwill, respect, responsibility, and response
to world problems).
2.For each identified point,the group will give
personal interpretations of the teachings and show how
these teachings support peace and harmony and right
human relations.
C.Examples:
1.Central Region of the United States: Oklahoma
Six groups of young people from the faith traditions of
Native American, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam work within their religious
communities to identity the focus of Phase I.B
2.Central America: Mexico: Groups of young people
representing one or more Native religions
(i.e. Mayan, Aztec) work within their communities to
identify the focus of Phase I:B
Phase II: National Response
A.Groups of young people from Phase I-A-1 will
exchange and refine the 20 identified teachings and
reflections from their religious communities. Example:
The group of Christian young people from Oklahoma will
network with the groups of Christian young people from
the other four United States regions to exchange and
refine the 20 identified teachings and reflections to
represent a unified national Christian response.
B.Groups of young people from Phase I-A-2 will
exchange and refine the 20 identified teachings and
reflections from their religious communities. Example:
The groups of young people from the various Native
religious communities of Mexico (Mayan, Aztec, etc.)
will network for the purpose of exchanging and refining
the 20 identified teachings and reflections to represent
a unified Mexican (Central American) Native religious
response.
Phase III: International Response
A.Groups of young people from Phase II (A and B)
network with their international co-religious communities
to exchange and refine the national response and
reflections to represent an international response.
B.Example: Groups of young people who identified a
unified national Christian response will network with
Christian groups from Australia,etc., to exchange and
refine the national response and reflections to
represent an international Christian response.
Phase IV: International-Interfaith Response
This phase will involve groups of young people from all
participating traditions networking on community, then
national, then international levels to identify similarities
between the teachings of all six religions with regards
to peace and harmony and right human relations.
During this phase, an international, interfaith response
will be created. This may be done through Internet
networking, through community and national conferences,
and possibly through an international conference.
Phase VI: Community, National, and
International Presentations
This may involve presentations planned within the
communities and on national levels, and culminate in an
international presentation.
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