Monmouth County Teens Invited to Join Unique Multi-Faith Program, MOSAIC

FREEHOLD, N.J. - Sept. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- Middle and high school students throughout Monmouth County, NJ are invited to participate in a unique multi-faith program called Garden State MOSAIC, which stands for Mobilizing Our Students for Action to Build an Interfaith Community.  MOSAIC, the product of a partnership between the Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought and the Monmouth County Human Relations Commission, had a very successful pilot year in 2013-2014 with 28 young participants from 7 faiths:  Jewish, Catholic, Islamic, Sikh, Unitarian-Universalist, Hindu and Quaker. The program is hoping to recruit new teens this year representing an even wider number of faiths.

MOSAIC enables students to learn about each other’s belief systems and practices through a series of sessions hosted by various faith groups at their places of worship. Each session includes an informational discussion and tour of each house of worship, followed by an ethnic meal served by that session’s hosts.  Also, through a variety of exercises and activities, the students will develop leadership and communication skills that are critical to becoming a change agent in their own communities. Finally, throughout the program year, the students will plan and conduct a community service project to allow them to practice some of the values that are common between all belief systems.

Garden State MOSAIC is a free program offered to Monmouth County students in grades 7 to 12. An application form must be submitted by prospective students and a selection process is used to assure adequate diversity and balance. Each session is conducted on a Sunday afternoon, roughly every other week, beginning on October 19^th.  The sessions are facilitated and supervised by a small group of adult volunteers. Students who complete the entire program will receive community service hours for their participation.

Applications must be received by October 1^st.  To download an application, please visit http://interfaith-mcwret.org/main/?page_id=942.