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Cambridge Interfaith Programme

 

Here are some of the testimonials from the first Senior Faith in Leadership Programme: 

“It has been the best inter-faith experience I've ever had. The staff are amazing and the types of issues discussed are deep from within the heart. It is so refreshing to be with highly experienced colleagues of different faiths and yet find so many points that we share in common.”

Rabbi Jeff Berger, Rabbi
, The Rambam Shephardi Synagogue

"Learning about the different meanings of leadership from faculty and participants was a real eye opener. I will never see leadership in the same way again.”

Sheikh Ibrahim Moghra, Assistant Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain

“Take a very diverse group of twenty articulate, ideological, prominent religious leaders. Put them together in a beautifully conducive environment with multiple ways of considering and developing their leaderships skills and their ability to be self-reflective practitioners. This is the recipe for the programme - a well designed recipe, guaranteed to produce long lasting and nourishing results!”

Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Rabbi to the Movement for Reform Judaism

"I think that all participants have found this to be an inspirational experience. Based on goodwill and a healthy respect for differences both inter and intra religion, we have built a faith based community where mutual trust allows real debate and fellowship. I think we have all found that we have more in common than we could have expected or hoped and the friendships we have formed will give us the confidence to share what we have learned with our communities. The challenge for those of us who have had the privilege of being on the Programme is how to build on the experience to benefit others."

David Karat, Partner, Clearhaven Capital

“The Programme has given me something beyond skills, models and techniques. It has given me an opportunity to learn, live and share faith with a truly inspirational group of leaders, each of whom offer something exceedingly rare: spiritual camaraderie without conditions and a genuine desire to make each other better, so that, together, we can serve others better. It has affirmed my belief and reminded me of the powerful role that faith leaders play in making our communities and our societies fairer, more just and, most importantly, more compassionate.”

Abdul-Rehman Malik, Programme Manager, Radical Middle Way

“The Programme has exceeded my expectations.  It provides participants with a high quality leadership programme that is intensive, yet considered.  The multi-faith context provides a unique dimension to my personal development, enabling me to reflect on my own leadership experience, as well as comparing and contrasting it to that of others.  I have learned that the leadership challenges I face are not unique to me, and by engaging meaningfully with leaders of other faiths, I can often see solutions and opportunities that I may have missed or would never had considered.  I have made useful links and meaningful friendships with others I would have never had a chance to meet anywhere else, and I feel richer and wiser for the experience.  I highly recommend this programme.”

Jason Marantz, Chief Executive, London School of Jewish Studies

“One of the joys is the sheer variety of people, bringing so many different perspectives to the conversation, whether in formal seminars or around the meal table. There has been a grace in accepting one another, with all seeming to recognise that, whatever expertise each possesses, we all have much to learn from one another.  I have found it truly inspiring.”

The Reverend David Musgrave
, Methodist Minister
, Former Deputy Ambassador to Latvia

“The Programme was beneficial in terms of giving me a new perspective, but more than everything else it was a fascinating way of meeting incredible people. I have come to know so many religious leaders from other faiths whose company I enjoy very much. The team was great to work with. The whole programme was a beautiful experience.”

Sayyid Ali Raza Rizvi, President, Majlis-e-Ulama Shia Europe, Director of Ahlul Bayt Islamic Centre (London)

“It has been a highlight in my life over the last six months! The first programme in Cambridge was excellent, well run and it was so nice to spend time with the other participants.  In between the first and second programme I worked and interacted with some of my new friends and once we arrived at the second it was great to see everyone again. These relationships are so crucial for us as people working in our own communities and I am so grateful to have been a part of it all. Thanks to Coexist for making this possible and I hope it can continue into the future.“

Julie Siddiqui, Executive Director, Islamic Society of Britain

“I have found the Programme to have unexpectedly surpassed all expectations. I have met remarkable and inspirational leaders; I have forged meaningful and long-lasting friendships; and I have been enthused to dig deeper into myself and discover my talents and capabilities, alongside my fears and personal challenges. But, principally, I have been moved by those I have met and through the lectures and tasks we have experienced together to believe in myself as capable of making a tangible and meaningful difference in the way religious leaders and communities engage with one another, learn with and from one another and co-exist joyfully in the world.”

Lindsay Simmonds
Lecturer, Judaism & Gender

"It offers a distinctive programme for faith leaders to learn, reflect and build relationships in a safe environment.  Bringing participants together on multiple occasions contributes to sustainable education and friendship.  It's a great format."

The Reverend Canon Dr Jane Steen, Canon Theologian and Chancellor, Southwark Cathedral
, Director of Ministerial Education, Diocese of Southwark

"It is a creative, constructive and imaginative programme, in which it is a privilege to participate. The course itself covers a range of interesting material, with input from a wide range of speakers, but what makes this programme unique and of great value is the learning community that is gathered for each iteration of the programme. In my experience this is a place where difference engages with common interest in a way which seeks wisdom and the greater good, releasing energy, provoking reflective thoughtfulness, and building friendship.  It is a useful, challenging and enriching experience."

The Revd Mark Tanner, Warden, Cranmer Hall, University of Durham

 

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