The Bridgebuilders Relating Across Interfaith Differences (BRAID) Fellowship is an Interfaith America (IA) initiative focused on cultivating student leaders in interfaith and bridgebuilding work. In alignment with IA’s commitment to promote religious and civic pluralism as foundational principles for achieving “the common good,” the BRAID Fellowship seeks to develop a national network of undergraduate student leaders who will foster an ethos of respect, relationship building, and cooperation across difference in the U.S. Through IA’s pedagogic expertise and extensive networks, student fellows are equipped with the vital skills, training, education, and experience they need to become interfaith bridgebuilding leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Particularly in this time, the value of student leadership in promoting pluralism is more essential than ever.
Through the BRAID Fellowship, student fellows develop fundamental literacy in interfaith leadership and bridgebuilding, cultivate meaningful connections with peers and mentors from a variety of backgrounds and institutions, and gain confidence in engaging and working collaboratively across difference. A defining program feature of the BRAID Fellowship is that student fellows learn in community (through specialized training and education), from community (through interpersonal dialogue and engagement), and with community (through collaborative program development and facilitation). Principles of interfaith cooperation and bridgebuilding are intentionally embedded into the design of the BRAID fellowship and the curriculum of the program will focus on developing a high level of interfaith skills and capacities. As well, students will be matched with mentors from across the higher education sector with deep expertise in interfaith engagement.
The fellowship program begins with pre-work (to be completed online), followed by an opening leadership retreat in Atlanta, Georgia. Student fellows then attend monthly virtual meetings and trainings, and they apply their developing leadership skills by planning and facilitating interfaith bridgebuilding projects on their campuses. The BRAID Fellowship will also encourage narrative collaborations between the fellows and Interfaith America and offer a concluding set of sessions at IA’s annual Interfaith Leadership Summit in Chicago, IL.
To learn more about the BRAID Fellowship and eligibility to apply, visit the Interfaith America
website.
The selection committee reserves the right to cap the number of applications accepted based on interest in the fellowship. Applicants are encouraged to apply early ahead of the November 9th deadline.
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If you have any additional questions about the BRAID Fellowship or the application, please contact Noa Nakao at nnakao@interfaithamerica.org