Cardus putting its faith in youth

The Cardus Religious Freedom Institute is building a network of millennial faith leaders to support the development of public faith among Canada’s youth over the next three years.

The Faith in the Future Initiative was officially launched June 6 after being in development since last fall. It brings together young people of faith in major cities across the nation to explore the importance of faith lived in the public square and how it contributes to building a common life.

“Today, with a core group of more than 50 dynamic young leaders from coast to coast participating, we’re taking the next step and beginning the real work of the Faith in the Future Initiative,” said Fr. Deacon Andrew Bennett in a release. 

Bennett is director of the Cardus Religious Freedom Institute which researches religious freedom issues in Canada. He headed Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom from 2013-16. Cardus is an independent faith-based think tank with main offices in Ottawa and Hamilton.

The Faith in the Future Initiative will bring together young leaders from various faith communities and through meetings, summits and projects, mentor and equip them to “live a public faith as witness to religious freedom and vibrant, robust pluralism in Canada,” said Bennett.

Plans call for two one-day conferences each year to give young faith leaders the tools to live a public faith within and outside their own faith communities. As well, Coffee Roundtables will be held to give millennials the chance to meet, bond, support and encourage each other on what it means to be a leader within their own faith communities and help establish and expand Faith in the Future communities across Canada.

Cardus is playing a convening role in bringing the young leaders together who will then be tasked with designing and proposing projects to support and encourage the community to live a public faith. The Religious Freedom Institute will support these communities by making its research available and providing a mentor to each community.

“Faith in the Future recognizes that we hold many different beliefs, but that we need to engage one another in these differences in order to live a common life together,” said Bennett in the release.

For information, see faithinthefuture.ca.