Introducing the 'Connection Through Spirit' Project!

As part of this project, the Multifaith Action Society is offering free 'Connection Through Spirit' workshops to youth throughout the Metro Vancouver area throughout the Fall of 2014 and Spring of 2015.

For more information about the Connection Through Spirit project or to book a workshop, please visit our new website located at www.connectionthroughspirit.ca.

Connection Through Spirit is a unique youth engagement project that grew out of a series of interfaith dialogue forums that we facilitated last year. Over the course of 8 sessions, nearly 500 people of all different ages and cultural backgrounds gathered together to explore how their spirituality has helped them to find their place in the world, overcome situations of adversity and persecution, and navigate the trials and tribulations of everyday life in a secular society.

One recurring theme that emerged from these dialogues was a common concern over what was being perceived as widespread youth disengagement – disengagement from themselves, from family and community life, and from their responsibilities as global citizens in an increasingly fragile world. Further investigation lead us to the Vancouver Foundation’s ‘Connections and Engagement’ survey, released in 2012, which only further validated the concerns of our participants with some rather alarming statistics on social isolation and disengagement. Unsurprisingly, among those most affected by this phenomenon are young people and new Canadian citizens.

With over 40 years of experience facilitating interfaith dialogue, supporting new immigrants, and collaborating on community projects, the Multifaith Action Society decided to turn its attention to the new and exciting frontier of youth engagement. The ideas underlying ‘Connection Through Spirit’ sprang forth quickly and organically, and, thanks to the financial support of the Vancouver Foundation, the envisaged project became a reality.