Faiths Act

Homemade chai tea and freshly baked cookies provided the perfect remedy to an intense day of training. In fact, regular strong tea has become an essential part of my month long Faiths Act Fellowship training.

For with thirty young people from a diverse range of faith backgrounds, nationalities and social perspectives living and working together the past days have engulfed me within a 24/7 interfaith dialogue. I have experienced some incredibly uncomfortable and challenging conversations. But I have also taken part in some of the most spiritually uplifting, thought provoking and inspiring exchanges of my life.

The Faiths Act Fellowship training is jam-packed and very exciting. In addition to a plentiful exchange of dialogue amongst the Fellows, I have gained insights from a varied range of guest speakers; from the spiritual teachings of Pujya Swami to the business logic of Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales. Visits to religious sites have been especially enlightening with a highlight of experiencing my first Shabbat dinner, complete with mid-course sing-a-longs.

When I first applied for the Faiths Act Fellowship, the comprehensive training appealed to my curious and geeky nature. But what I hadn’t expected is that I would learn so much, so quickly.

Whilst I’m still navigating how I will take what I’m learning in this training month to my placement at Malaria No More UK, I’m ready for the challenges that the next year is bound to throw at me. And I feel assured that should I need advice or a sounding board along the way, I have an incredible group of mulitfaith Fellows behind me to encourage and guide me throughout.

Charlotte Dando

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