We created the Paths Network as one way to foster multi-faith relationships. This network offers an answer to the question that has been central to our conversation among board, staff and our community of collaborators: How can we best fulfill our mission in Washington State and beyond – especially in smaller towns?
Vision
Our vision is that these courses and so many more that we have on the drawing board will assist people to bridge bias and build unity through multi-faith peacemaking. Some will be about timely topics and others will be about skills. We plan to create courses based on important topics like Countering anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and anti-Indigenous bigotry. We will create courses about the how and why of interfaith, interfaith in small towns, and ideas for starting an interfaith partnership.
We are creating an exciting set of new courses in 2021.
Allyship
We have completed the second set of live sessions in our course, The Practice of Authentic Allyship. We have learned a lot from our participants in this course so far. We are grateful for their collective wisdom and experience!
We plan to offer this course 3 to 4 times per year. Given that both the Treacy Levine Center and Paths to Understanding began with allyship this course is right up our alley.
But we also plan to expand it in these ways
- Self-Guided for Individuals
- Group Version for communities of wisdom (churches, community groups, etc.)
- Christian Clergy Version at Holden Village in September 2021
Countering Holocaust Denial
Jeff Renner and board member Rabbi Allison Flash are putting together a mini-documentary on Holocaust Denial and how to counter it. We are going to create a three session course from this material
Countering Anti-Muslim Bigotry
We have big plans for the topic of countering anti-Muslim bigotry. The key strategy here his to create a pathway, with national partners, to prepare people to engage the public through speaking tours, classes, and conversations.
- Nine self-guided courses as an introduction to the topic: June 2021
- A five-session mid-level course in the fall of 2021
- A full distance learning course in spring of 2022
Countering Anti-Indigenous Bigotry
We are working with a team of indigenous leaders and proven allies to create a series of mid-level courses to prepare individuals and communities of wisdom to be effective allies with Indigenous communities. We hope to have this launch in November of 2021.
Faith Based Advocacy
In collaboration with the Faith Action Network, staff member Ean Olsen is working on a series of courses to equip people to take the next step in faith based advocacy. These courses will encourage engagement in the democratic process, sharpen skills in conversation with elected leaders, and how to engage our shared values while valuing listening to others.
Emerging Post-Pandemic Context
As we all begin to transition back into in-person events these courses will continue to be important. We think these courses will prepare people for our in-person events, invite larger audiences, and continue the conversation with people over a large area.
I can’t think of any other work I would rather be doing right now. We all know the deep challenges that face our nation and our world. We believe we can face them when we share our deep wisdom and work for our common good together. We are creating a set of online courses to help prepare people for that necessary and beautiful collaboration.
We are just getting started and we are grateful we are in community with you.
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash