Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia

Walking the Walk

Promoting interfaith understanding; preparing tomorrow’s leaders

Walking the Walk is an initiative that provides teenagers with experiences, skills and resources necessary to live in a diverse world, deepen their own identities, and break through walls that distance and divide them from people of other religious, cultural and economic backgrounds.

Our Goals

Walking the Walk puts the Interfaith Center’s mission into action by working with and within partner congregations/schools to forge lasting partnerships to:

• Equip youth to have healthy relationships with diverse peers;
• Enable teenagers to join hands with others to help improve the world; and
• Help build communication and understanding among congregations of different faiths.

Our Model

Groups of high school youth selected from neighboring congregations gather 13 times during the school year for:

• Interfaith Engagement - The program provides a safe environment for youth of diverse faith traditions to come together, break down stereotypes, and learn common values. From sharing ritual objects to touring faith communities to question and answer sessions with religious leaders, youth learn about other religions while strengthening their own religious identity.
• Service Learning - Each network volunteers at a service learning site, acting within interfaith values of serving others. Walking the Walk integrates meaningful service with intentional learning and development as participants examine the complexity of societal ills.
• Community Building - The program aims to strengthen communities on individual, congregational, and regional levels. It strives to highlight developmental assets for youth that emphasize elements of healthy development such as: feeling empowered, being valuable resources for the community, forming supportive relationships with peers and adult mentors, and building positive identities.
• Creative Reflection - A critical and constant component of the program is helping youth develop tools for integrating their experiences and expressing what those experiences mean for them as Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or Baha'i teenagers living in Philadelphia. Creative reflection takes on many forms including art, poetry, music, and collage.

Our Networks

Currently, the Interfaith Center offers Walking the Walk groups in two geographical areas –Philadelphia and Suburban West – partnering with18 congregations/schools in the Philadelphia region. Each group of 15 – 20 high school students meets in one another’s communities. The groups are led by a group leader, three student alumni of the program and an artist-in-residence.

A National Movement

With the help and guidance of the Search Institute and the Interfaith Youth Core, Walking the Walk belongs to a nation-wide network of organizations that are committed to fostering healthy youth development and leadership in an interfaith context.

Program Partners