Walking Together was an experiential program for participants, fifth to seventh graders and their parents, created by Rabbi David Kunin, a past- president of the Interfaith Centre. The aim of the award-winning curriculum was to teach appreciation of the religious – and other – differences which are found in our community. Several sessions were held between 2004 and 2007.
WALKING TOGETHER’S GOALS:
- To strengthen relationships between participants.
- To encourage participants to interact with and get to know people of different faiths in positive ways.
- To enable participants to understand the similarities between different faith expressions.
- To encourage participants to appreciate differences among the religions which form our community.
THE AIMS:
The program aimed to create positive relationships both between adults and children from the different religious expressions, and between parents and their children as they together learn the importance of tolerance and understanding.
There are many programs that focus on prejudice and intolerance, often approach these topics from a negative point of view. This program, on the other hand, approached the issues from a positive angle.
Walking Together focused on the values of appreciation and respect, created positive reinforcement and providing tools which enabled the students to avoid the pitfalls of intolerance and hatred as they reach their teen years. Walking Together was hosted in houses of worship throughout the community. The entire program lasted nine hours and was divided into three, three-hour sessions usually held over three weeks. Students and parents learned to appreciate both the similarities which unite us and differences which help to form our diverse community.