Press release: It’s six months to go until national Inter Faith Week 13-20 November 2022!

The ever more popular Inter Faith Week takes place in November each year, helping to:

Strengthen good inter faith relations at all levels
Increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK, celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society
Increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs

Inter Faith Week has grown steadily ever since it was started by the Inter Faith Network for the UK in 2009, in partnership with Government for the launch year. This will be the 14th Inter Faith Week.

The Week, on which the Inter Faith Network leads, makes a significant contribution to inter faith understanding, harmony and cooperation in the UK. Each year thousands take part directly in Inter Faith Week activities, and millions encounter the Week’s positive messages through social media.

The Revd Canon Hilary Barber and Narendra Waghela, Co-Chairs of the Inter Faith Network, say:

“Inter Faith Week is a fantastic opportunity for people of all faiths and beliefs to: mix and learn in neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools and universities and other contexts; visit places of worship of their neighbours and find out why their faith matters to them; get past stereotypes and misunderstandings and increase religious literacy; celebrate; dialogue; and volunteer together to help their local community.”

The Inter Faith Week website www.interfaithweek.org has lots of activity ideas, with examples and illustrations drawn from the many successful activities held for the Week to date by faith and belief bodies; local inter faith organisations; community and voluntary organisations; workplaces and staff networks; local authorities; emergency services; SACREs; schools, colleges, universities and youth organisations; chaplaincies; sports organisations; libraries, museums and art galleries; hospitals and hospices; and many others. It also includes practical guidance and links to further information.

The Week is timed to begin on Remembrance Sunday, encouraging the remembering together of service of soldiers and civilians of different faiths and beliefs from Britain and the Commonwealth and to reflect on peace.

For two years running, schools’ involvement has increased significantly. 2022 will see a special drive to involve even more young people in the Week, through schools, FE and HE and youth organisations, helping provide opportunities for the development of skills for living well in our diverse society and for the development of new learning and friendships.

This year, the year of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen, it is anticipated that a number of activities will involve planting of trees as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy Project.

Scottish Inter Faith Week, from which Inter Faith Week draws its inspiration, takes place on the same dates - 13-20 November – and is led by Interfaith Scotland

FLYER

Click on the image to download the 2022 flyer in PDF format.

Notes

More information at: http://www.interfaithweek.org/
Enquiries about the Week: IFN office: 020 7730 0410. Interviews available.
The hashtag for social media is #InterFaithWeek. Inter Faith Week social media accounts can be found at http://www.twitter.com/IFWeek, http://www.facebook.com/ifweek, http://www.instagram.com/IFWeek
Inter Faith Week is a programme of the Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFN) www.interfaith.org.uk, a charity which has been working since 1987 to promote inter faith understanding and cooperation in the UK.
IFN works in consultation with the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum and the Inter-faith Council for Wales/Cyngor Rhyngffydd Cymru in relation to the Week in those nations.
Scottish Interfaith Week, which has run since 2004, is led by Interfaith Scotland (http://www.interfaithscotland.org/). It has its own dedicated website at: http://www.scottishinterfaithweek.org/.
The final Sunday of Inter Faith Week is also Mitzvah Day, a Jewish-led day of social action involving people of all faiths and none working together in their local communities (https://mitzvahday.org.uk/). Each year, many ‘Inter Faith Mitzvah Day’ activities take place to jointly mark Inter Faith Week and Mitzvah Day.