Interfaith Youth Core engages college campuses in interfaith movement

Interfaith Youth Core, our first-quarter Challenge the Gap beneficiary, is a program that trains leaders at college campuses in religious tolerance and understanding. IFYC is a returning beneficiary – Foundation Beyond Belief also featured them in the first quarter of 2011. With the 2011 grant, IFYC expanded their Better Together campaign. This campaign was designed to “mobilize college students across the country to elevate positive, civil discourse on religion and engage one another in service for the benefit of their communities.” IFYC was able to double the number of student leaders it trained as well as increase the number of college campuses involved in Better Together. The campaign remains one of their cornerstone programs.       

IFYC also utilizes social science data from their Cooperation in a Pluralistic World program. This is a national study of college students’ engagement with religious diversity. The results are used by institutions and practitioners to identify key indicators and track high-impact practices. The study consists of two survey instruments. First, the Campus Religious & Spiritual Climate Survey (CRSCS) is an annually administered assessment tool designed to assist campus leaders understand and improve how students comprehend religious and worldview diversity. The second tool is the Interfaith Diversity Experiences & Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS). IDEALS measures how colleges are impacting their student body’s knowledge of and appreciation for other religious, spiritual, and non-religious worldviews. It also tracks the impact that interfaith cooperation has on a student’s experience. These studies are an ideal example of how Foundation Beyond Belief is committed to organizations like IFYC that use evidence-driven models and best practices.  

Foundation Beyond Belief is proud to support Interfaith Youth Core in their mission to engage college students in religious tolerance and understanding.

You can learn more about Interfaith Youth Core’s programs through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and their blog.