You are Invited to Join Faiths Act Fellowship

Dear Friend,

I believe that young people will lead the way in building inter-religious cooperation for the 21st century. That is why I am so pleased that on September 25, 2008 we have launched a partnership between the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and my organisation, Interfaith Youth Core, to engage exceptional young people whose leadership motivated by faith
will result in real impact on the lives of others. As changemakers for current and future generations, young people have the opportunity to establish a new vision of inter-religious interaction that places protecting the welfare of the world's poorest at its centre

The Faiths Act Fellowship
brings together thirty young leaders drawn from the different faiths from the US, UK and Canada to embark on a 10 month journey of interfaith service. Training begins with a two-month intensive initiative that includes fieldwork with primary health care partners
fighting deaths from malaria in Africa. Fellows will return to their home countries for 8 months to mobilize young people of faith to raise awareness and resources to promote the Millennium Development Goals. They will particularly focus on fighting deaths from malaria.

Jess Kent is an example of one such young person. Inspired by the Jewish notion of tikkun olam, or repairing the world, Jess has been mobilizing student religious groups at Brandeis University to work together to make progress on the Millennium Development Goals. Partnering with nonreligious students, humanists, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, Baha'is, Buddhists and Christians on campus, Jess has mobilized support to sponsor a Millennium Village and donate anti-malarial pills and bed nets with Brandeis University's Positive Foundations club. These students are now planning a trip to Rwanda so they can see first-hand the enormity of the challenges that they believe can be eradicated through sustained partnership across faith divides.

The Faiths Act Fellowship is an opportunity for young leaders like Jess from the UK, US and Canada to become ambassadors for interreligious cooperation in the fight against deaths due to malaria and progress toward the Millennium Development Goals. If this sounds like you or someone you know, I strongly encourage young people aged 18 - 25 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada to apply to join the Fellowship.

Working together, across faiths and across borders, we can both prevent the unnecessary deaths of millions of people and build more peaceful communities around the world.

Assalaam alaikum,

Eboo Patel
Founder and Executive Director
Interfaith Youth Core

Photos: Interfaith Youth Core